Half a decade ago Eric Freese asked “So why aren’t Topic Maps ruling the world?”[1]. Till today, many progress where made, e.g. the finalization of the ISO Topic Map standardization process [2]. However, unfortunately Topic Maps still do not rule the world. Asking for reasons, we must note that many problems Freese mentioned are still not sufficiently solved and new emerged, preventing Topic Maps from unleashing his full potential. Many things had been promised and prototypically implemented but the breakthrough in using and accepting Topic Maps as a powerful knowledge managing [3] concept in science and business is still missing.

The central issue of this wiki page is to name the open problems and fundamental barriers for success and spread of the Topic Map paradigm. Please feel free to add your thoughts.

1. Free, fast and state-of-the-art APIs and engines in different programming languages are still needed
 (including full support of all standards e.g. TMCL, TMQL)
2. Lack of easy to use applications for modeling and presentation, especially an intuitive editor for collaborative creation of Topic Maps
3. No multi view & problem oriented Topic Map Visualization, just jiggling net graphs
4. A useful standardized graphical notation or at least a common sense is still absent (for knowledge and not data modeling!)

1. Use cases as well as project showcases are still missing 
 → still no „Killer Application“ in sight
2. Where is the real Topic-Map-Wiki, which finally uses the strength of the Topic Map paradigm?
3. Information about successful and failed projects are missing!
 → No lessons learned?

1. Too few useful Topic Maps are modeled and published 

   → The overwhelming majority are just test scenarios
 Real-life knowledge domains are modelled in RDF, e.g. DMOZ
2. Still no common consensus about the nature and the usage of scopes (e.g. scope merging Æ xor, or, and ?)
3. A centralized or decentralized repository for PSIs is still absent, many concepts, but no running system (except Wikipedia)

1. Information on Topic Maps are scattered and many relevant websites are not up to date
2. No common repository of tools and applications exists.
3. Topic Maps are insufficient taught at universities
   → difficult, because of the lack of tools and real life use-cases
4. No state-of-the-art Topic Map book for novices and software developer
5. A public relations foundation for Topic Maps is needed for support and public relations

   → see successful Open Source Projects like Mozilla.

1. Semantic aspects of Topic Maps are still not sufficiently examined
   → index interpretation of Peirce or Heidegger?
2. (Too) many non-standardized exchange formats exist and are still used and extended
3. Where is the “Meta Object Facility” based metamodel for Topic Maps?

1. Topic Map community has lost sight of its roots

   → from intelligent knowledge index Æ pure data modelling

back to the start page