<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 9:37 AM, Mark Wilden <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mark@mwilden.com">mark@mwilden.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div class="im">On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 9:29 AM, John Wieczorek <<a href="mailto:tuco@berkeley.edu">tuco@berkeley.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
> On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 9:20 AM, Mark Wilden <<a href="mailto:mark@mwilden.com">mark@mwilden.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 7:28 AM, John Wieczorek <<a href="mailto:tuco@berkeley.edu">tuco@berkeley.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> > Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary.<br>
>><br>
>> This sounds like an incorrect usage of the term "best practice," to<br>
>> me. It can't be a "best practice" to do something that is impossible,<br>
>> and if a controlled vocabulary doesn't exist... As you indicate, this<br>
>> has a requirement that hasn't yet been met.<br>
><br>
> It is not a requirement, it is a recommendation.<br>
<br>
</div>I meant "required" in the logical sense. If 50 different groups are<br>
each using their own vocabulary, it isn't really very controlled, in<br>
my view. In order for there to be a truly useful controlled<br>
vocabulary, it is required that everyone use the same one.</blockquote><div><br></div><div>I'm sure I don't agree with this. I think it is extremely useful to take the first step by creating vocabularies within disciplines that make sense within that discipline. This approach allows for buy-in at a natural level of organization and understanding (not to mention activity), allows evolution, and can be resolved at the level of ontologies that synonymize between vocabularies when necessary.</div>
<div><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div class="im">
> It is not impossible, just<br>
> make a vocabulary. Well, hopefully with some community buy-in and open<br>
> access. GBIF's vocabulary registry (<a href="http://vocabularies.gbif.org/" target="_blank">http://vocabularies.gbif.org/</a>) comes to<br>
> mind as a solution.<br>
<br>
</div>That sounds good.<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
///ark<br>
Web Applications Developer<br>
Center for Applied Biodiversity Informatics<br>
California Academy of Sciences<br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br>