MARTIF - Putting Complexity in Perspective

This article outlines the reasons why the MARTIF standard has utilized complex, and yet powerful, SGML structures in order to preserve and communicate the information and functionalities present in many terminological databases. As a counter to this complexity, it has proposed the introduction of three levels of "blindness", which would further specify data structures and content, standardize classification practice, and encourage groups to adopt standard subsets of data categories.

The authors do not, however, pretend that MARTIF is the ultimate tool for interchanging data. As has been the case throughout the development of MARTIF, they invite comment from those who have ideas for simplifying the standard and urge them to propose solutions that are more elegant while retaining the power and flexibility of the current standard. Everyone is invited to present alternative suggestions in public for a rather than suppressing (or perhaps not even developing) alternative solutions, which does not contribute to constructive debate. It is, after all, easy to discuss the pros and cons of MARTIF because the entire standard is a matter of public record. It is unfortunate that some critics are very ready to point out perceived shortcomings, but they have in many cases been unwilling to share their specific ideas for improving the standard. This approach is counterproductive because the work group has been highly flexible in incorporating many good ideas and constructive criticisms in order to strengthen the standard.