Open source implementations of Subject Map Patterns (SMPs, also sometimes called “Topic Map Applications (TMAs)”) for relationship proxies are emerging. Each SMP represents ontological commitments regarding relationship proxification. Proxies governed by different SMPs can be merged, resulting in proxies whose properties are governed by multiple SMPs. Thus, each relationship can be viewed from multiple perspectives. Examples are demonstrated using Versavant.

The relationship model (associations) in the Topic Map Data Model (TMDM) is a subject map pattern. We reify associations and the resulting subject proxy has the combined properties of both TMDM “association” information items and TMDM “topic” information items — in contrast to an “association” information item and its reifying “topic” information item remaining as separate information items. In addition to representing an “association” as a subject map pattern, we discuss a use case for a variation on that pattern.