Knowledge organization system

Knowledge organization system (KOS), concept system, or concept scheme is the generic term used in knowledge organization (KO) for the selection of concepts with an indication of selected semantic relations.^[1] Despite their differences in type, coverage, and application, all KOS aim to support the organization of knowledge and information to facilitate their management and retrieval.

KOS vary in complexity from simple sorted lists to complex relational networks. They represent both structural and functional features, and serve to eliminate ambiguity, control synonyms, establish relationships, and present properties.^[2] From their origins in library and information science (LIS), KOS have been applied to other domains and disciplines within science and industry, although scholarly research and debate remain primarily within the KO field. Challenges of KOS include ambiguity of terminology, repercussions of biased systems, and potential obsolescence.

KOS can be expressed in RDF and RDFS as per the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) recommendation by W3C, which aims to enable the sharing and linking of KOS via the Web.^[3]

One of the largest collections of KOS is the BARTOC registry.^[4]

^ Hjørland, Birger. 2016. Knowledge organization. Knowledge Organization 43, no. 6: 475-84. Also available in Hjørland, Birger, ed. ISKO Encyclopedia of Knowledge Organization, https://www.isko.org/cyclo/knowledge_organization.
^ Zeng, Marcia Lei (2008-09-14). "Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS)". Knowledge Organization. 35 (2–3): 160–182. doi:10.5771/0943-7444-2008-2-3-160. ISSN 0943-7444.
^ Alistair, Miles; Bechhofer, Sean (18 August 2009). "SKOS Simple Knowledge Organization System, W3C Recommendation".
^ Ledl, Andreas; Voß, Jakob (Summer 2016). Describing Knowledge Organization Systems in BARTOC and JSKOS (PDF). International Conference on Terminology and Knowledge Engineering. Frederiksberg, Denmark. pp. 168–178. ISBN 9788799917907.

[:5-1] Hjørland, Birger. 2016. Knowledge organization. Knowledge Organization 43, no. 6: 475-84. Also available in Hjørland, Birger, ed. ISKO Encyclopedia of Knowledge Organization, https://www.isko.org/cyclo/knowledge_organization.

[:0-2] Zeng, Marcia Lei (2008-09-14). "Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS)". Knowledge Organization. 35 (2–3): 160–182. doi:10.5771/0943-7444-2008-2-3-160. ISSN 0943-7444.

[3] Alistair, Miles; Bechhofer, Sean (18 August 2009). "SKOS Simple Knowledge Organization System, W3C Recommendation".

[:10-4] Ledl, Andreas; Voß, Jakob (Summer 2016). Describing Knowledge Organization Systems in BARTOC and JSKOS (PDF). International Conference on Terminology and Knowledge Engineering. Frederiksberg, Denmark. pp. 168–178. ISBN 9788799917907.

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