[osis-core] Latest Draft - Soon to be Public! Please Read/Comment
Patrick Durusau
osis-core@bibletechnologieswg.org
Sun, 02 Dec 2001 11:38:38 -0500
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(Please send best times to call on Monday and Tuesday of this week,
December 3 - 4, 2001. I am going to XML 2001 at the end of the week so
anyone who has not sent in a call time by early Monday afternoon, I
will be calling to: 1. Make sure you are OK and, 2. Get your comments
on this latest draft.
Greetings,
I have uploaded and attached the latest draft of the OSIS Requirements
Document.
Please note that we indicated that the requirements draft would be made
public this week, so it is important that we put the finishing touches
on this document in the next several days.
Web address: http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis
Login name: osis
Password: osisxsem
A quick summary of changes in the document:
Overview:
I dropped the references to scope of OSIS 1.0. Not really relevant here
and as noted by Kees, repetitious and confusing (not to mention too
broad, as per both Kees and Bob H. ). More properly included under
General Requirements.
General Requirements:
I have added language that sets forth a more limited scope to the
project but also designated non-normative language to indicate our
present understanding of this and other mattters. Thought it might help
bring clarity to the rather stilted language of the requirements.
I have tried to make it clear what we are working towards is an encoding
standard for biblical texts, not an encoding for legacy materials. In
other words, an authoring rather than legacy encoding standard. I
suspect that is actually the primary concern of the bible societies and
translators (the audiences that will hit the ground with OSIS sooner
than the others).
It will be much easier to satisfy the needs of the communty represented
by Kees, for example, if I don't have to account for all the various
legacy systems used in prior written translation work. The question we
pose to translators, in the present sense is, "What do you need to
translate the biblical text?" To be sure that will be informed by prior
practices and there is no reason to be deliberately different from prior
writtten practices but on the other hand, we don't need to account for
every legacy system in our first effort.
Informally I would say the scope of OSIS 1.0 is: An authoring encoding
for simple editions (Abingdon's edition of the NRSV as an example) of
translations of the biblical text and such additional mechanisms as are
required by translators for the authoring of similar translations of the
biblical text. Does that get our scope down to something we can manage
for the 1.0 release, assuming even that is broken into modules?
Meta-Data
No changes.
Large Text Structures:
Recall Kees' comment that:
*LTS.4* OSIS 1.0 SHOULD define default structures for common divisions
of printed texts, including such structures as title page, front, body,
back, as well as place holders for generated text objects such as a
table of contents, index, table of illustrations, etc.
should be a MUST.
To what extent, however, are these just artifacts of the printing
process? Robin, Steve? I know from a legacy standpoint we treat them as
containers, and they are in some sense of the word, but if I am
authoring, I have simple declared those divisions in my stylesheet. Or
will that be too much of a jump for the publishing audience.
I have no real objection to it being a MUST but thought I would raise
the issue. Perhaps in a publisher's module?
*Note.4* OSIS 1.0 SHOULD define the usage of notes for critical
apparatus in a biblical text.
I have changed this to MUST to meet Kees' request. I don't see it
conceptually as different from the other notes but specific inclusion
will be easier to explain to the translation community. NOTE: I do not
see the requirements of this sort of note, or its content model, as
being at all similar to the text critical apparatus of TEI. While I like
the TEI mechanims and will be using them at the character level in the
Leningradensis project, I can't see any translation project need for
that complex a level of markup. (At least not from OSIS 1.0)
Open Issues Section:
Should I simply delete these items or move both of these to the
introductory material and explain that while important, and will be used
by OSIS 1.0, they don't really properly belong in the OSIS 1.0
requirements document. They really need to have a separate requirements
document all their own.
Steve: I owe you an email over the various names we have been giving
different sections or modules. I will try to get to that this afternoon.
I don't think that we should wholly separate out modules into function
groups.
For example, the basic module, perhaps Bible_Encoder.1.0, would include
the strutural elements we have discussed, along with the
metadata/linking as one single package. I think we can get a fairly
basic package in under the wire in 25 -30 elements. That will not be
enough for translators but would meet the needs of pastors, Sunday
school teachers, etc. Then a Translator_Add_On.1.0 would go on top of
that module to give Kees the note and alignment capabilities, perhaps
some added attributes, and all he need learn is the additional elements.
I think you are right about the advanced module being optimistic for
next Fall! ;-)
Note that I have not mentioned the bibliographic material, which I think
should get its own set of requirements.
Hope everyone is in good health and spirits!
Patrick
--
Patrick Durusau
Director of Research and Development
Society of Biblical Literature
pdurusau@emory.edu
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<h1>OSIS Requirements<br>
</h1>
<h2>BTWG Working Draft 3 December 2001</h2>
<dl>
<dt>This version:</dt>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/07osis-requirements-20011203.html">http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/07osis-requirements-20011203.html</a>
<br>
</dd>
<dt>Latest version:</dt>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/osis-requirements.html">http://www.sbl-site.org/osis/osis-requirements.html</a>
<br>
</dd>
<dt>Previous versions:</dt>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/06osis-requirements-20011110.html">http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/06osis-requirements-20011110.html</a>
</dd>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/05osis-requirements-20011109.html">http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/05osis-requirements-20011109.html</a>
</dd>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/04osis-requirements-20011108.html">
http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/04osis-requirements-20011108.html</a>
</dd>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/03osis-requirements-20011106.html">
http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/03osis-requirements-20011106.html</a>
<br>
</dd>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/02osis-requirements-20011102.html">
http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/02osis-requirements-20011102.html</a>
<br>
</dd>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/01osis-requirements-20011020.html">
http://www.sbl-site2.org/osis/01osis-requirements-20011020.html</a>
</dd>
<dt>Editor:</dt>
<dd>
Patrick Durusau (Society of Biblical Literature) <a href="mailto:pdurusau@emory.edu"><pdurusau@emory.edu></a><br> </dd>
<dd><b>More names need to go here (or above) mine! But, I need voiced approval to add your names, not silence!</b></dd>
<dt>Contributors:</dt>
<dd>
Steve DeRose
(Brown University) <a href="mailto:Steven_DeRose@Brown.edu"><Steven_DeRose@Brown.edu></a><br> </dd><dd>
Troy Griffiths (Crosswire) <a href="mailto:scribe@crosswire.org"><scribe@crosswire.org></a><br> </dd><dd>
Jerry Fincher (American Bible Society Interactive, ABSi) <a href="mailto:dandjfincher@juno.com"><dandjfincher@juno.com></a><br>
</dd>
</dl>
<hr title="Separator for header">
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<h2>
<a name="abstract">Abstract</a>
</h2>
<p>This document describes the draft requirements for the Open Scriptural Information Standard (OSIS) 1.0 specification.</p>
<h2>
<a name="status">Status of this document</a>
</h2>
<h4>Distribution: Public</h4>
<p>This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. This document is the first public OSIS Requirements working draft.</p>
<p>This is the first public working draft of the OSIS 1.0 requirements document. It should be reviewed and commented upon by members of the Bible Technology Working Group in general, the OSIS group and its working groups in particular, and any member of the public at large that is interested in the encoding of biblical texts. It is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or made obsolete by other documents at any time. This document should only be cited as a "work in progress".</p>
<p>Comments on this document should be sent to the Editor, Patrick Durusau (Society of Biblical Literature) <a href="mailto:pdurusau@emory.edu"><pdurusau@emory.edu></a>.</p>
<h2>Table of Contents</h2>
1 <a href="#section-Overview">Overview</a><br>
2 <a href="#section-Terminology">Terminology</a><br>
3 <a href="#section-General-Requirements">General Requirements</a><br>
4 <a href="#section-Metadata-Requirements">Metadata Requirements</a><br>
5 <a href="#section-LTS-Requirements">Large Text Structure Requirements</a><br>
6 <a href="#section-Notes-Requirements">Notes and Annotation Requirements</a><br>
7 <a href="#section-Pharse-Requirements">Phrase Level Requirements</a><br>
8 <a href="#section-Reference-Requirements">Reference/Linking Requirements</a><br>
9 <a href="#section-OpenIssues-Requirements">Open Issues</a><br>
10 <a href="#section-Conclusion-Requirements">Conclusion</a><br>
<a name="section-Overview"></a><h2>1. Overview</h2>
<p>This document contains the requirements for the Open Scriptural Information Standard (OSIS) under development by the Bible Technology Working Group (BTWG).</p>
<p>The purpose of this requirements document is to chart a proposed scope of OSIS 1.0 to allow evaluation of that scope by the user community to make sure all the relevant requirements have been identified. It is hoped that the user community will use this document as a framework for their suggestions, criticisms or additions to the requirements for OSIS 1.0.
</p>
<p>To the extent possible, the use of markup syntax has been avoided in this document except where necessary to make reference to such syntax for purposes of illustration. Reviewers should feel free to contribute their remarks using any means of expression or illustration they find helpful. It would be most helpful, however, if such comments were directed at specific portions of this requirements document by section number, to assist in collating and evaluating responses.
</p>
<p>This proposal relies heavily upon prior work on texts and biblical texts, most notably by the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), Logos Research Systems, SIL International (XSEM, directed by Dennis Drescher), ThML (Harry Plantinga) and Chinese Christian Markup Language (CCML) in deriving the proposed requirements for OSIS 1.0. The degree to which that effort has been successful credit should be given to prior work in this area. Any shortcomings or gaps in the following requirements should be credited to the editor/contributors and not the materials used as their starting point.
</p>
<p>The format and structure of this document is patterned after the requirement documents prepared for W3C, <a href="http://www.w3c.org">http://www.w3c.org</a>, specifications.</p>
<h2>
<a name="section-Terminology"></a>2. Terminology</h2>
<p> The following key words are used throughout the document to specify
the extent to which an item is a requirement for the work of the Bible Technology
Working Group:</p>
<dl>
<dt>
<b><a name="terminology-must"></a>MUST</b>
</dt>
<dd>
<p>This word means that the item is an absolute requirement.</p>
</dd>
<dt>
<b><a name="terminology-should"></a> SHOULD</b>
</dt>
<dd>
<p>This word means that there may exist valid reasons not to
treat this item as a requirement, but the full implications should be
understood and the case carefully weighed before discarding this item.</p>
</dd>
<dt>
<b><a name="terminology-may"></a> MAY</b>
</dt>
<dd>
<p>This word means that an item deserves attention, but further
study is needed to determine whether the item should be treated as a
requirement.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<p>When written in all CAPS, MUST, SHOULD and MAY, have the specific meaning assigned above. If written in normal case, they have their usual non-technical meaning.</p>
<a name="section-General-Requirements"></a><h2>3. General Requirements</h2>
<h4>Definition of Scope</h4>
<p>OSIS 1.0 SHALL specify a standard for the authoring of simple editions of modern translations of the biblical text. Authoring is understood to include the requirements of translators seeking to produce simple modern editions of the biblical text.</p>
<p><i>Non-normative comment</i>: This requirement is not meant to deprecate the importance of encoding of older biblical editions and materials nor to preclude the extension of the OSIS standard to include such materials. Indeed, the OSIS group has several working groups pursuing those topics at the present time. It does mean that progress can be made on the relatively clear requirements of modern texts even while research proceeds on older materials.</p>
<h4>General Syntax</h4>
<p>Must Use XML Syntax.</p>
<p><i>Non-normative comment</i>: The OSIS specifications will make use of the W3C core standards, including, but not limited to: XML 1.0, XLink, XPointer, CSS, XSL, XSLT, SVG, XML Schema and others.</p>
<h4>Modular Architecture</h4>
<p>The OSIS speicification will use a modular architecture that will allow for the re-use of elements from other modules with expanded content models or additional attributes.<p>
<p><i>Non-normative comment</i>: To promote the use of OSIS by the users and producers of biblical texts it is important that the learning curve for use be as gradual as possible. The OSIS project seeks to promote such use by providing a layered series of "modules," the most basic of which meets the most basic needs of all users. Additional capabilities are added to those "modules," allowing users to build upon knowledge already acquired.</p>
<h4>OSIS Specification Language</h4>
<p>The canonical version of OSIS documentation and encoding specification will be in the English language.</p>
<h4>Non-English OSIS Specifications</h4>
<p>OSIS 1.0 MUST provide a mechanism for the transformation of XML Names in the OSIS encoding specification from English into languages that can be expressed using the Unicode character set.</p>
<p><i>Non-normative comment</i>: It is the intent of the OSIS project that not only will biblical texts will become easier to produce and deliver by the use of this standard but also that interested parties can participate in that work in their own languages. The project will provide sample uses of this transformation mechnism into several target languages.</p>
<h4>SGML Compatibility</h4>
<p>Compatibility with SGML is not a priority.</p>
<h4>Conformance</h4>
<p>OSIS shall declare the requirements that must be meet by a document to be considered as complying with the OSIS specification.</p>
<a name="#section-Metadata-Requirements"></a><h2>4. Metadata Requirements</h2>
<p>The listing of requirements in Sections 4-8 as "Metadata; Large Text Structure; Notes and Annotation; Phrases; Reference/Linking" is based upon the experience of the drafters with encoding texts and is meant simply to orient the reader familiar with that realm of discourse. No significance should be attached to a particular requirement appearing in one section or another (experts will differ on their classification).</p>
<p>Metadata in this context should be understood as information about a particular text in its most general sense. For example, to say that the King James Version was published in England is a partial description of a particular text, versus "In the beginning, ..." is part of the text being described. It is the description of the text in its largest sense that the following requirements are meant to address.</p>
<p>In this document the term "metadata" does not refer to declarations in XML Schemas.</p>
<p><b>Metadata.1</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST include metadata annotation covering the types of metadata specified in Dublin Core.</p>
<p>Dublin Core metadata is cited here as an illustrative minimum and not restrictive in terms of the categories or labels to be supported for OSIS metadata. The metadata specified by Dublin Core falls into categories of Content (Title, Subject, Description, Type, Source, Relation, Coverage), Intellectual Property (Creator, Publisher, Contributor, Rights) and, Instantiation (Date, Format, Identifier, Language). For current information see: <a class="ref" href="">http://dublincore.org/</a>.
</p>
<p><b>Metadata.2</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST include mechanisms for recording library classification data such as Library of Congress, Dewey or other publication or cataloging data.
</p>
<p><b>Metadata.3</b> Within OSIS 1.0 all metadata MAY be inherited by elements in a document instance unless over-ridden at a lower element level.
</p>
<p><b>Metadata.4</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST provide mechanisms to include metadata on any element.
</p>
<p>This requirement addresses the need to include metadata that may be at variance with that recorded for the document instance as a whole. One possible use would be to indicate revision or authoring information on a particular paragraph or section of a larger work.
</p>
<p><b>Metadata.5</b> OSIS 1.0 metadata MUST include specific mechanisms for addressing digital rights management and confidentiality.</p>
<p>Digital rights management is an important issue for both publishers and software vendors. A working group will be given the task of evaluating the various DRM (digital rights management) mechanisms that are available for inclusion in metadata and charged with making a recommendation for inclusion into the OSIS 1.0 metadata mechanism. This is an illustration of an area where the BTWG does not intend to re-create the work of other more focused and technically competent groups addressing this issue.</p>
<p>There are several types of bible specific metadata or at least data that is most often of concern for people who use, publish biblical texts that are not specifically mentioned above. Those would include metadata about translators, translations, versions, version abbreviations, and language usage. All of those items are actually subsumed under the more general categories of Dublin Core metadata but are listed here to assure readers such items have not been overlooked.</p>
<p><b>Metadata.6</b> OSIS 1.0 SHOULD declare a keyword syntax for use in construction of indexes and other finding aids (with associated metadata).</p>
<a name="section-LTS-Requirements"></a><h2>5. Large Text Structure Requirements</h2>
<p>While boundaries of what constitutes a "large text structure" varies from person to person, the term is used here to simply delimit the requirements for such structures as opposed to smaller structures in a text. No conclusion should be drawn from the listing of a structure within this category as opposed to the following <a href="#section-Notes-Requirements">Notes and Annotations</a> or <a href="#section-Phrase-Requirements">Phrase Level Structures</a> sections.
</p>
<p><b>LTS.1</b> DIV structures within OSIS 1.0 must allow document divisions such as book, chapter, or more finely grained divisions. Such structures may, but are not required to correspond to traditional divisions of the text.</p>
<p>The divorce of DIVs from traditional structures avoids problems of referencing other structures that do not correspond to traditional divisions. This will not impair the ability of software (or presentation in print) to use such traditional structures for display or printing.</p>
<p><b>LTS.2</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST define the use of opening and closing milestones to mark structures that do not properly <b>nest</b> in the sense of a well-formed XML document.
</p>
<p>Structures under consideration for markup with milestones include (but are not limited to) page, book, chapter, verse, quote, line, a semi-open set. Milestones may also be used for recording multiple perspectives on a biblical text. (The important concept of perspectives on a text was isolated in XSEM and acknowledged in CCML.)
</p>
<p><b>LTS.3</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST define markup constructs to support the (by-reference) inclusion/transclusion of non-textual materials into encoded texts (raster/vector graphics, video, audio, etc.).</p>
<p>For example, this would allow the insertion of illustrations (children's bibles for instance) or other material that is not strictly speaking a part of the normal flow of elements.<p>
<p><b>LTS.4</b> OSIS 1.0 SHOULD define default structures for common divisions of printed texts, including such structures as title page, front, body, back, as well as place holders for generated text objects such as a table of contents, index, table of illustrations, etc.</p>
<p>OSIS 1.0 is not being designed in isolation and there are a number of presentation and printing practices that will find expression in specific mechanisms in OSIS 1.0. The purpose of this standard is to achieve a common format for text creation and interchange that will serve a number of diverse communities. Every effort will be made to make use of the standard as intuitive as possible and changing the expected semantics of text structure names, for example, will be avoided.</p>
<a name="section-Notes-Requirements"></a><h2>6. Notes and Annotation Requirements</h2>
<p><b>Note.1</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST provide a mechanism for the representing notes (note being used in its most generic sense, a footnote for example) on a text.</p>
<p><b>Note.2</b> Notes MUST be allowed to attach to any portion of text in the document instance.</p>
<p>Notes may range from philological notes (some translations read, etc.) to longer discursive material that may provide longer explanations of material in the text.</p>
<p><b>Note.3</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST include metadata for elements similar to the certainty and responsibility features defined in the TEI Guidelines.</p>
<p>Strictly speaking the issues of certainty and responsibility could arise at various level of text structure. It is treated here as being most commonly, although not always, in conjunction with notes on a text.</p>
<p>Texts that represent translations or commentaries on biblical texts often need to include information about the reading of primary materials as well as the person responsible for that reading. This is one mechanism for recording that information that appears in OSIS 1.0.</p>
<p><b>Note.4</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST define the usage of notes for critical apparatus in a biblical text.</p>
<p>A critical apparatus is merely a specialized expression of the more general concept of a note. Given its importance in biblical studies and the more common view that critical apparatus is something different from a mere note, the drafters wished to indicate that it has not been overlooked.</p>
<a name="section-Pharse-Requirements"></a><h2>7. Phrase Level Requirements</h2>
<p>All markup can be reduced to a series of <seg> elements with appropriate attributes. Parsers and software work as easily with text encoded in that manner as with more human readable encoding. However, one of the implicit goals of OSIS is to ease the encoding of biblical texts, often by people who lack software beyond simple text editors. Therefore, a number of phrase level elements are declared that correspond to commonly recognized structures in biblical texts. The element set is constructed to provide an intuitive set of elements that can be easily used without extensive training. No implication should be drawn from these elements as to the eventual processing, storage or manipulation of the text by more sophisticated applications.</p>
<p><b>Phrase.1</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST declare elements for phrase structures such as, abbreviation, name, place, quote and similar elements.</p>
<p><b>Phrase.2</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST declare word level annotation mechanisms, apart from both notes and reference/linking.</p>
<p>Word level annotation is of such importance in biblical studies, software and publishing that it will be treated separately from both notes and reference/annotation. It could actually be treated as part of either but the OSIS developers want to create easy to use mechanisms that will work across texts and with the minimal skill set needed to create such annotations.</p>
<p><b>Phrase.3</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST declare a reference scheme for both part-of-speech (POS) and LEMMA for words found in a biblical text. Alternative schemes will be allowed, but must be in addition to the normative OSIS reference.
</p>
<a name="section-Reference-Requirements"></a><h2>8. Reference/Linking Requirements</h2>
<p><b>Reference.1</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST declare robust pointing and linking mechanisms for intra- and inter-document referencing. In particular, the reference mechanisms should account for corpora of 'canonical' historical literature in which documents have multiple reference schemes.</p>
<p><b>Reference.2</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST require the declaration of a numbering scheme for references to biblical texts. All subsequent references must either declare a referencing system or default to the one declared for the document as a whole.</p>
<p><b>Reference.3</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST declare a syntax for the three uses of reference: point here (location identifier), relevant material here (location plus subject), and, relevant material there (other location relevant here).</p>
<p><b>Reference.4</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST provide for both inline and out-of-line linking of texts.</p>
<p><b>Reference.5</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST declare a mechanism for alignment of parallel passages.
</p>
<p><b>Reference.6</b> OSIS 1.0 MUST provide a mechanism for identification of the versification of a biblical text.</p>
<p>The existence of divergent versification schemes for biblical texts merit special attention in the OSIS standard. To permit automatic alignment and searching of texts, it will be necessary that a standard set of versification identifiers be developed by the BTWG which may be mapped to various other versification schemes.
</p>
<a name="#section-OpenIssues-Requirements"><h2>9. Open Issues</h2>
<p>As noted at the beginning of this document, this is a draft of requirements for OSIS 1.0. As such, there are issues for which requirements will be forthcoming. Those issues include (but are not limited to) the following:</p>
<p><b>OpenIssue.1</b> Bibliographic references.</p>
<p>Bibliographic references involve issues beyond simply recording a bibliographic reference in a text. Those issues include whether to develop canonical naming schemes for such references, the appropriate or required detail for such references and others.</p>
<p><b>OpenIssue.2</b> Multiple reference schemes.</p>
<p>Noted as a requirement for OSIS 1.0 (Reference.1) the requirements for one or more methods for mapping or resolving references between multiple reference schemes have not yet been defined.</p>
<a name="#section-Conclusion-Requirements"><h2>10. Conclusion</h2>
<p>This document represents the present stage of requirements development for OSIS 1.0. The eventual OSIS 1.0 standard will meet the needs of its user community only with the contribution of requirements and discussion of the foregoing and proposed requirements. Your comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.</p>
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