Version 6: Extended multilingualism and better semantics through definitions

In the SKOS thesaurus format, concept definitions are not mandatory and thus may not receive the attention they deserve. This is also the case for the previous versions of CaLAThe where concept definitions were missing or compiled from available sources. However, the search for better semantics motivated comprehensive work on the concept definitions and version 6 now presents new and revised definitions for CaLAThe concepts. Intensional definition (also known as the genus-differentia definition) method recommended by ISO 704:2009 ‘Terminology work - Principles and methods’ is applied in the preparation of definitions. In this process, domain resources including ‘Multilingual thesaurus on land tenure’ (FAO, 2003), ‘The ABC of land tenure’ (FAO, 2020), ‘Land administration guidelines’ (UNECE, 1996), ‘Guidelines on real property units and identifiers’ (UNECE, 2004), ‘Geolexica: Open geospatial terminology’, as well as well-known online dictionaries and glossaries, such as Britannica, Cambridge Dictionary, macmillan dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, The Law Dictionary, and Wikipedia are utilized.

This new version also improves multilingualism of CaLAThe by adding Malay terms. The Malay equivalents of CaLAThe concepts were prepared by Dr. Fatin Afiqah Binti Md. Azmi and colleagues from the Centre for Real Estate Studies, at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), drawing among others on Kamus SPgD (Jabatan Ukur dan Pemetaan Malaysia), Pusat Persuratan Melayu (www.prpm.gov.my), the National Land Code 1965, and Website Geolexia (https://isotc211.geolexia.org). Also, Turkish and Danish equivalents of CaLAThe concepts have been reviewed and revised.

CaLAThe version 4 was extended with selected code lists from the ISO 19152:2012 Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) and the OGC Land and Infrastructure Conceptual Model Standard (LandInfra). Due to the ongoing revision of LADM, only the code lists of LandInfra were rendered with version 5 of CaLAThe. Version 4 was presented differently at the BARTOC Skosmos Browser and the OGC Vocabularies. This situation motivated that together with presentation of CaLAThe 5.0 among the OGC Vocabularies, the rendering of code lists were presented as a distinct semantic resource: CaLAThe Code Lists 2.0. The present version 6 is not supplemented with code list data, still awaiting outcomes of the LADM revision.


Acknowledgements

Dr. Fatin Afiqah Binti Md. Azmi and colleagues, Centre for Real Estate Studies (CRES), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) for providing Malay terms to the CaLAThe concepts.

Dr. Gobe Hobona, OGC Director of Product Management, Standards for including CaLAThe with code lists among OGC Vocabularies.