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Virginia Tech

Schema Mapper: A Visualization Tool for Incremental Semi-automatic Mapping-based Integration of Heterogeneous Collections into Archaeological Digital Libraries: The ETANA-DL Case Study

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Schema mapping is a challenging problem. It has come to the fore in recent years; there are important applications like database schema integration and, more recently, digital library (DL) merging of heterogeneous data. With Schema Mapper we demonstrate a semi-automatic tool for schema integration that combines a novel visual interface with an algorithm-based recommendation engine. We use ETANA-DL, a digital library developed to support integration of data from Near Eastern archaeology sites, as we explore integrating new collections. Schemas are visualized as hyperbolic trees, thus allowing more schema nodes to be displayed at one time. Matches to selections are recommended to the user, which makes the mapping operation easier and faster. Once the user has completed the mapping operation, a wrapper (XSLT Style Sheet) is created automatically with the mappings which can be applied to transform source XML files into target XML files. Schema Mapper allows editing the target schema as part of the process of incremental enrichment of the target schema. This involves operations like adding a node as a child, renaming a node, and deleting a node. The changes to the target schema also can be logged to disk. Schema Mapper has been applied to integrate the Megiddo Collection successfully into the ETANA-DL Union Catalog. It also has been applied for data-level mapping, to ensure consistency of data representation to the users who access the information through services provided by the DL. Formative evaluation and a preliminary comparison with MapForce suggest that Schema Mapper may be usefully employed for schema mapping.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Computer Science
Department dc:contributor.department
Computer Science
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2005

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Raghavan, Ananth
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Fox, Edward A.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • North, Christopher L.
  • Fan, Weiguo Patrick

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-05182005-114155
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32950

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Raghavan, Ananth. Schema Mapper: A Visualization Tool for Incremental Semi-automatic Mapping-based Integration of Heterogeneous Collections into Archaeological Digital Libraries: The ETANA-DL Case Study. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32950