Constraining

Whenever Topic Maps are authored, they might have to follow a particular structure. In the same way as relational databases are constrained by schemas and XML languages follow constraints (provided by DTDs, XML Schemas, Schematrons, ...), Topic Maps can also be constrained by a constraint or a set of constraints. AsTMa! is one AsTMa sub-language which allows to formulate such constraints.

Conceptually, AsTMa! is a language to define ontologies. For our purposes here an ontology is defined as:

• a set of concepts (vocabulary),
• a type system connecting the concepts of the vocabulary, and
• qualitative and quantitative rules on the structure and extent of associations.

For every topic map is can be deterministally determined whether the map conforms to a particular constraint (validates). Constraints themselves can be combined using logical operations from the predicate logic (AND, OR, =>, ...).

Technical Reports

• Tutorial
• Language Definition (Draft, v0.6) (without MathML)

Test Ontologies and Use Cases

• Software project Use Case
• literature
• TMSS (TM site summary)