ISO/DIS 12620-1

Management of terminology resources — Data categories — Part 1: Specifications

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.

Gestion des ressources terminologiques — Catégories de données — Partie 1: Spécifications

Upravljanje terminoloških virov - Podatkovne kategorije - 1. del: Specifikacije

General Information

• Status: Published
• ICS: 01.020 - Terminology (principles and coordination)
• ICS: 35.240.30 - IT applications in information, documentation and publishing
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 37/SC 3 - Management of terminology resources
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 37/SC 3/WG 1 - Data categories
• Current Stage: 6000 - International Standard under publication
• Completion Date: 14-Jun-2022
• Ref Project: oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021 - Management of terminology resources -- Data categories - Part 1: Specifications

RELATIONS

• Revises: ISO 12620:2019 - Management of terminology resources — Data category specifications
• Effective Date: 23-Apr-2020

Standards Content (sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021
01-december-2021
Upravljanje terminoloških virov - Podatkovne kategorije - 1. del: Specifikacije
Management of terminology resources -- Data categories - Part 1: Specifications
Gestion des ressources terminologiques -- Catégories de données - Partie 1:
Spécifications
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO/DIS 12620-1
ICS:
01.020 Terminologija (načela in Terminology (principles and
koordinacija) coordination)
35.240.30 Uporabniške rešitve IT v IT applications in information,
informatiki, dokumentiranju in documentation and
založništvu publishing
oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021 en

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021
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oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ISO/DIS 12620-1
ISO/TC 37/SC 3 Secretariat: DIN
Voting begins on: Voting terminates on:
2021-09-30 2021-12-23
Management of terminology resources — Data
categories —
Part 1:
Specifications
Gestion des ressources terminologiques — Catégories de données —
Partie 1: Spécifications
ICS: 35.240.30; 01.020
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENT AND APPROVAL. IT IS
THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND MAY
NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD UNTIL PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
This document is circulated as received from the committee secretariat.
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
Reference number
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021(E)
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED
TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS,
NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT
RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE AND TO
PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION. ISO 2021
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oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021
ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021(E)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2021

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may

be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting

on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address

below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
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Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved
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oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021
ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021(E)
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 .............................................................................................................. 3

5 General recommendations for data category specifications .................................................................................. 4

6 Detailed requirements for documenting a data category ......................................................................................... 5

6.1 Identifiers and names ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5

6.1.1 A unique and stable mnemonic identifier .................................................................................................. 5

6.1.2 A unique and 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 and data category types ............................................................................................................. 5

6.3 Data elementarity ................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

6.4 Profiles ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

7 Referencing data categories ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6

8 Harmonizing and vetting data categories .................................................................................................................................. 7

9 Management .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Annex A (informative) Structure of a Data Category Specification ....................................................................................... 9

Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................12

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oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021
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Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards

bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out

through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical

committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International

organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.

ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of

electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are

described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the

different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the

editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of

patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of

any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or

on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not

constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and

expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the

World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see 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.
1))

This first edition of ISO 12620-1, together with ISO 12620-2 , cancels and replaces ISO 12620:2019,

which has been divided into parts and technically revised.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:

ISO 12620:2019, Language and terminology — Data category specifications, 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. The current version of the standard ISO 12620-1 has been narrowed to focus on the structure

and rationale associated with data category specifications per se. Those sections of the standard that

deal with the creation and maintenance of Data Category Repositories have been moved to ISO 12620-2,

Management of terminology resources —Data categories —Part 2: Repositories.
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.

1) Under preparation. (Stage at the time of publication ISO/DIS 12620-2.)
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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 (for example, among terminology resources, lexical resources,

annotated text corpora, etc.) 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.

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oSIST ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/DIS 12620-1:2021(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. It also describes the structure and content of

data category specifications. The intended audience of this document is researchers and practitioners

in fields of language resource management who use data categories and 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/ could 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/.
2) Under preparation. (Stage at the time of publication ISO/DIS 12620-2.)
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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/ could, 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 can be implemented as a simple data category 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

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 are enclosed in forward slashes

(e.g. /part of speech/).
[SOURCE: ISO 30042:2019, 3.8, modified – admitted term “DC” 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 (3.9).
3.3
data category concept

semantic content of a data category (3.2), independent of any specific implementations

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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 repository of data category specifications (3.5)
EXAMPLE DatCatInfo, a DCR for language resources (see Reference [5])

Note 1 to entry: Data category repositories are used as references when specifying language resources.

3.7
data category selection
DC selection

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 used within a research discipline or

a specific application or project.
3.8
persistent identifier
PID

unique Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that provides permanent access to a digital object

independently of its physical location or current ownership
EXAMPLE https:// datcatinfo .termweb .eu/ datcat/ DC70

[SOURCE: ISO 24619:2011, 3.2.4, modified – order of terms inverted, definition slightly reworded, note

deleted, example added]
3.9
picklist value
one of the enumerated or permissible values of a closed data category (3.2.2)

EXAMPLE /singular/ and /plural/ as picklist values of the closed data category /grammatical number/.

Note 1 to entry: See also simple data category (3.2.4).

Note 2 to entry: Due to data modelling variance, most types of information that can be represented as picklist

values in a database can also be represented as simple data categories. For example, /plural/ can be implemented

as a checkbox, which, when checked, takes the value “yes” and when unchecked, takes the value “no”.

4 Data categories and data category specifications

A data category (DC) is a class of information that forms part of a data collection or annotation scheme

for a given language resource. For example, /definition/ and /part of speech/ are common data

categories in terminology resources and lexical resources. Data category names can appear as the

name of a field in the user interface of a software application or as a markup element in an annotated

resource.
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Some data categories are pertinent to a specific application, research area or type of resource and not

others. For instance, a /concept identifier/ is characteristic of terminology resources or ontological

resources, whereas /sense number/ is applicable to lexical resources. On the other hand, many data

categories, frequently those of a strictly linguistic nature such as /part of speech/, /grammatical gender/

and /grammatical number/, are common to a wide variety of resources. These data categories may not

always be implemented in the same way in different resources or applications, but each nevertheless

evokes one universal data category concept. For instance, for terminology management, only a small

set of values are needed for /part of speech/ (for instance,. noun, verb, adjective, adverb), but in lexical

resources, additional values are required (for instance, preposition, pronoun and so forth).

A data category specification (DC specification) provides the complete and formal representation of a

data category (for example, its name, definition, examples, comments, etc.). Data category specifications

can be referenced by the language resources that use them, for instance, through the use of PIDs that

directly resolve to the data category specification from within that resource.
5 General recommendations for data category specifications

This clause states the recommendations that data category specifications should fulfil in order to

support the effective use of data categories for language resources.
A data category specification should:
— be available online;
— provi
...