New model for describing services

[Roy Williams]

>
> We're proposing a new approach to describing services which I refer  
> to as
> "service with capabilities".  In this approach, a service record can
> describe support for multiple service capabilities--such as  
> ConeSearch and
> SkyNode--in the same record.

In numerous talks on the Virtual Observatory over the years, I have  
told the registry model as "Dataset with Services".
-- The Dataset is the provenanced, peer-reviewed data collection (for  
example 2MASS or SDSS). 
-- The Services are the URL endpoints and other technical information  
that allows you to access/query the Dataset (for example the 2MASS - 
Conesearch or the SDSS-SIAP).

There is a citation system in the registry ("associated resource" I  
think) that connects registry resources together with named  
relationship types. The idea is that the Dataset cites the Services  
that deliver it, and the Services cite the Dataset they expose.

(1) My first question is why we can't use this very flexible citation  
system for grouping multiple service capabilities? Why is a schema  
change necessary? Is there any plan to use the citation capability  
that we already have?

(2) Should I think of the new model as  "Dataset with Services that  
have Capabilities"? If so, what metadata is associated with the  
Service part, given that Dataset describes science and Capability  
describes technology?

(3) Or are you suggesting "Dataset with Capabilities"? In this case,  
I see little conceptual change except that the words have changed.

Thank you
Roy


California Institute of Technology
626 395 3670

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