Reference Network Architecture - workflows
The RNA-project deals with the problem of optimal findability in networked knowledge repositories, with special attention to reference structures as promising problem solvers in this area.
The project is based on the idea that making knowledge available and findable works best in a networked environment, on an organizational level, on an infrastructural level, and on the level of content and - very important - reference to content. The project focuses on three crucial issues that keep popping up all the time when relating findability to the notion of networking knowledge:
- the top down (deductive) versus bottom up (inductive) dilemma in building and maintaining reference structures,
- the necessity of being able to connect several relatively small reference structures into a coherent network of concepts,
- the necessity of finding smart ways for dynamically connecting content to reference structures.
Cooperation in the area of availability, findability, presentation and representation of knowledge is only possible if related reference structures, without loss of their local functions, can be connected in such a way that for both editorial knowledge workers and information seekers they form something like a reference continuum.
Dynamic knowledge systems
The RNA-project deals primarily with the system of connections between a knowledge repository (content) and related reference structures. Both content and reference structures are typically dynamic sets, and updating connections between the two - necessary after any mutation somewhere in the knowledge repository - should be as much as possible an automatic procedure. A system which fulfils this requirement can be considered a dynamic knowledge system.
If somebody adds concepts to reference structures or adds content to the knowledge base, a link must be created between the added and existing content and/or concept, where possible in an automated way. In this way a dynamic knowledge system is created in which searchability is optimised continuously.
Workflows
In the practice of dynamic knowledge systems we can distinguish the following workflows:
policy planning:
- policy planning concerning organization, financing, target groups, domain specific strategies, editorial concepts, etcetera
technical development:
- development and implementation of an infrastructure for networking knowledge
- development and implementation of websites for access to the network
managing structures:
- setup and maintenance of reference structures
- setup and maintenance of object description structures (i.e. collection databases)
content management:
- editorial work concerning individual concepts of reference structures (i.e. adding candidate concepts, adding synonyms, etcetera)
- editorial work concerning content metadata