ISO 12620-1:2022

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 12620-1
First edition
2022-07
Management of terminology
resources — Data categories —
Part 1:
Specifications
Gestion des ressources terminologiques — Catégories de données —
Partie 1: Spécifications
Reference number
© ISO 2022
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ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Data categories and data category specifications. 4
5 General recommendations for data category specifications . 4
6 Detailed requirements for documenting a data category in a DCR .5
6.1 Identifiers and names . 5
6.1.1 A unique and stable mnemonic identifier . 5
6.1.2 A persistent identifier (PID) . 5
6.1.3 A unique canonical data category name . 5
6.1.4 Language-specific data category names . 5
6.2 Conceptual domains, data category selections and data category types . 6
6.3 Data elementarity . 6
6.4 Profiles . 6
7 Referencing data categories . 7
8 Harmonizing and vetting data categories . 7
9 Management . 8
Annex A (informative) Structure of a data category specification . 9
Bibliography .12
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
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www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 37, Language and terminology,
Subcommittee SC 3, Management of terminology resources.
This first edition of ISO 12620-1, together with ISO 12620-2:2022, cancels and replaces ISO 12620:2019,
which has been divided into parts and technically revised. The main changes are as follows:
— ISO 12620:2019 described procedures for defining data categories used in language resources and
described requirements for maintaining a pragmatic, consensus-based repository of harmonized
data category specifications for use in language resources. This document has been narrowed to
focus on the structure and rationale associated with data category specifications per se.
— The sections of ISO 12620:2019 that dealt with the creation and maintenance of data category
repositories have been moved to ISO 12620-2.
A list of all parts in the ISO 12620 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
Introduction
Data associated with language resources are identified, collected, managed and stored in a wide
variety of environments. Data appearing in language resources are generalized into classes that are
referred to as “data categories”. Differences in approach for developing different kinds of language
resources as well as differences in technical environments inevitably lead to variations in data category
definitions and data category names. The use of uniform data category names and definitions employed
in resources within the same linguistic domain (e.g. among terminology resources, lexical resources,
annotated text corpora) contributes to system coherence and enhances the re-usability of data. Such
uniform use requires access to formal data category specifications. Defining a clear framework for
specifying, managing and using data categories will increase interoperability of language resources.
The intended audience of this document is researchers and practitioners in fields of language resource
management who use data categories and data category specifications.
v
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 12620-1:2022(E)
Management of terminology resources — Data
categories —
Part 1:
Specifications
1 Scope
This document provides requirements and recommendations governing data category specifications for
language resources. It specifies mechanisms for creating, documenting, harmonizing and maintaining
data category specifications in a data category repository (DCR). It also describes the structure and
content of data category specifications.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 12620-2, Management of terminology resources — Data categories — Part 2: Repositories
ISO 24619, Language resource management — Persistent identification and sustainable access (PISA)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
conceptual domain
permissible content of a data category (3.2)
EXAMPLE In a terminology database, the data category /part of speech/ can have a conceptual domain
consisting of the values /noun/, /verb/, /adjective/, /adverb/.
Note 1 to entry: The permissible content can be closed, as in the example, or subject to formal restrictions such
as dates, or free text such as the conceptual domain of /definition/. Although the latter type is not formally
restricted, it is nevertheless subject to adherence to the requirements of its data category specification, i.e. it
contains a true definition and not a note, example, or some other piece of information.
3.1.1
open conceptual domain
conceptual domain (3.1) that has no formal restrictions
Note 1 to entry: An open conceptual domain is frequently associated with data categories that take free text as
their content, such as /definition/ or /context/.
Note 2 to entry: Some requirements are not always machine-processable, for instance, to require that /definition/
only contain definitional information, or that a /context/ meet certain specified requirements.
3.1.2
closed conceptual domain
conceptual domain (3.1) that is restricted to a set of enumerated values
EXAMPLE In a specific terminology database, the data category /grammatical gender/ can, for instance,
have the values /feminine/, /masculine/ and /neuter/.
3.1.3
constrained conceptual domain
conceptual domain (3.1) that is restricted to a constraint or rule specified in a schema-specific language
EXAMPLE The data category /date/ can be constrained by a system setting to certain date formats, or a
data category can be subject to a termbase-specific rule, such as making it mandatory to enter a /source/ for a
/definition/.
3.1.4
simple conceptual domain
conceptual domain (3.1) that has only binary values
Note 1 to entry: Each declared picklist value (3.10) can be implemented as a simple data category (3.2.4) with a
simple conceptual domain.
Note 2 to entry: The two values can be “yes” or “no”, “true” or “false”, or other such binary representation.
3.2
data category
DC
class of data items that are closely related from a formal or semantic point of view
EXAMPLE /part of speech/, /subject field/, /definition/.
Note 1 to entry: A data category can be viewed as a generalization of the notion of a field in a database.
Note 2 to entry: In running text, such as in this document, data category names (3.4) are enclosed in forward
slashes (e.g. /part of speech/).
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.8, modified — The admitted term “DC” has been added.]
3.2.1
open data category
data category (3.2) that has an open conceptual domain (3.1.1)
3.2.2
closed data category
data category (3.2) that has a closed conceptual domain (3.1.2)
3.2.3
constrained data category
data category (3.2) that has a constrained conceptual domain (3.1.3)
3.2.4
simple data category
data category (3.2) that has a simple conceptual domain (3.1.4)
Note 1 to entry: See also picklist value (3.10).
3.3
data category concept
semantic content of a data category (3.2), independent of any specific implementations
3.4
data category name
linguistic representation of a data category (3.2) as it appears in a particular language, in a particular
application or in a language resource
EXAMPLE The data category name for /part of speech/ is “part of speech” in English and “partie du discours”
in French.
3.5
data category specification
DC specification
complete descriptive record of a data category (3.2)
3.6
data category repository
DCR
digital collection of data category specifications (3.5)
EXAMPLE DatCatInfo, a DCR for language resources (see Reference [4]).
Note 1 to entry: Data category repositories are used as references when specifying language resources.
3.7
data category selection
DC selection
DCS
set of data category specifications (3.5) chosen from a data category repository (3.6)
Note 1 to entry: A data category selection can represent the data categories (3.
...