[rdfweb-dev] Suggestion about FOAF vacabulary

[Ian Davis]

On Friday, 02 May 2003 at 12:56, Libby Miller wrote:

> You're right about people having several email addresses (and several
> people having the same address, although that possibility is ruled out
> by the definition of mbox). Another problem is that different people
> over time may have the same mail address (this happens at Bristol
> university, where they are recycled). This is ruled out too by the
> definition of mbox.

mbox has quite a narrow field of applicability - geeks like us that
care about such things. Members of my family regularly change email
addresses between the various free providers, even signing up several
times to the same ones under new names over the course of several
years. (I'm pretty sure I had iand at hotmail.com once upon a time but I
can't remember the password...)

Uniquely identifying people is always going to be hard - how do I
indicate that I know Nelson Mandela the former president of South
Africa (I don't really)?

One way is to identify some other characteristics that are unique,
such as when he was president of South Africa. OWL and DAML-TIME could
be used to assert that only one person can be president of a county as
any one time.

<Person>
  <name>Nelson Mandela</name>
  <occupation>
    <President>
      <entity>south africa</entity>
      <dateStarted>xxx</dateStarted>
      <dateFinished>xxx</dateFinished>
    </President>
  </occupation>
</Person>

Another way is to agree on a URI space for people as suggested here:
http://www.historical-id.info/

What other alternatives are there I wonder?


- Ian <iand at internetalchemy.org>
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."