ISO 25964-2-2013 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 25964-2:2013 — Information and documentation — Thesauri and interoperability with other vocabularies — Part 2: Interoperability with other vocabularies. Guidance for establishing, maintaining and using mappings (crosswalks) between thesauri and between thesauri and other vocabulary types to support semantic interoperability and cross-vocabulary information retrieval.

Abstract

ISO 25964-2:2013 applies to thesauri and other vocabularies commonly used for information retrieval. It describes and compares features of different vocabulary types that affect interoperability and provides recommendations for creating, recording, maintaining and using mappings between vocabularies. The standard addresses mapping models, mapping types (equivalence, hierarchical, associative), handling of exact/inexact/partial equivalence, treatment of pre-coordination, techniques for identifying candidate mappings, and the management and display of mapping data.

General information

• Status: Published (confirmed).
• Publication date: 4 March 2013 (published); systematic review confirmed in 2023.
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 01.140.20 (Information sciences).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2013).
• Number of pages: 99 pages.

Scope

This part of ISO 25964 is concerned with semantic interoperability between controlled vocabularies used for indexing and retrieval. It covers principles and practical guidance for mapping between thesauri and between thesauri and other vocabulary types (classification schemes, taxonomies, subject heading schemes, ontologies, terminologies, name authority lists, synonym rings, etc.). It does not provide full construction guidance for the other vocabularies but explains their relevant characteristics and how mappings should be designed, recorded and used to support search and retrieval across heterogeneous systems.

Key topics and requirements

• Objectives and identification of interoperability goals and mapping targets.
• Structural models for mapping (structural unity, direct-linked, hub structures) and guidance on selective mapping.
• Comprehensive typology of mappings: equivalence (simple and compound), hierarchical (broader/narrower), associative, including compound and intersecting/cumulative equivalence.
• Treatment of exact, inexact and partial equivalence and notation of degree/quality of matches.
• Guidance on handling pre-coordinated terms/classes (common in classification schemes) when mapping to post-coordinated thesauri.
• Techniques for finding candidate mappings: manual judgment, computer-assisted matching, co-occurrence analysis and other methods.
• Requirements for recording mapping metadata: provenance, date, mapping method, confidence, scope notes and maintenance instructions.
• Recommendations for storing, maintaining and publishing mappings; display options (single-record, complete displays, crosswalks) and use in retrieval systems.
• Vocabulary-specific advice for mapping between thesauri and classification schemes, taxonomies, subject headings, ontologies, terminologies, authority lists and synonym rings.
• Alignment considerations with web vocabularies and Linked Data representations (compatibility with SKOS/SKOS-XL and related models).

Typical use and users

Used by librarians, cataloguers and indexers; metadata specialists and data managers; information architects and knowledge engineers; taxonomy and ontology designers; developers of discovery systems and search engines; and organizations creating or maintaining crosswalks, vocabulary registries, repositories or linked-data vocabulary mappings. Typical applications include digital libraries, archives, institutional repositories, enterprise content management, records management, and systems that must search across resources indexed with different vocabularies.

Related standards

ISO 25964-1:2011 (Thesauri for information retrieval) — complements Part 2 by covering thesaurus construction, formats and data exchange. Predecessor standards ISO 2788:1986 and ISO 5964:1985 (withdrawn). Relevant non-ISO specifications and models include W3C SKOS and SKOS-XL for expressing KOS on the Web, and MADS for authority-data interoperability; use in practice often involves aligning ISO 25964 recommendations with these formats for publication and Linked Data.

Keywords

thesaurus, interoperability, mapping, crosswalk, controlled vocabulary, taxonomy, classification scheme, subject headings, ontology, terminology, pre-coordination, equivalence mapping, SKOS, metadata, information retrieval

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 25964-2:2013 is the second part of the ISO 25964 standard series, providing guidance on interoperability and mapping between thesauri and other types of vocabularies to support consistent information retrieval across systems.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers mapping models, mapping types (equivalence, hierarchical, associative), handling exact/inexact/partial matches, techniques for identifying mappings, management and display of mapping data, and vocabulary-specific mapping guidance (e.g., to classification schemes, ontologies, taxonomies).

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Librarians, metadata and information specialists, taxonomy/ontology designers, knowledge engineers, and system developers who create or maintain controlled vocabularies or cross-vocabulary services such as registries and crosswalks.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO 25964-2:2013 was published on 4 March 2013 and — according to ISO — the publication was reviewed and confirmed in 2023, so this edition remains the current international standard.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes. It is Part 2 of the ISO 25964 series; Part 1 (ISO 25964-1:2011) addresses thesaurus construction, maintenance, formats and data exchange.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Thesaurus, interoperability, mapping, crosswalk, controlled vocabulary, equivalence mapping, pre-coordination, SKOS, taxonomy, classification scheme.