Semantic ordering of concepts in ESCO

Transcription

1 ESCO (2014) SEC 057 FINAL Creation Date: 30/06/2014 Last update: 02/12/2014 Semantic ordering of concepts in ESCO 1. Purpose of the document The purpose of the document is to ask the advice of the ESCO Maintenance Committee (MAI) on the added value of implementing a semantic ordering of concepts in the full scope of the ESCO taxonomy. Semantic ordering is only partly implemented in the sectoral breakdowns developed by the Sectoral Reference Groups (SREF), because the working methodology implicitly led them in this direction. The ESCO Secretariat (SEC) also implemented a semantic ordering in the top-level groups of the occupations (OCCs) and skills and competences (SCs) pillars. However, further research and discussions would be needed for a consistent implementation across the whole taxonomy. 2. Introduction ESCO is a meta-tool that can be used in web portals and applications. As a result, the end users will often use ESCO without being aware of it. Whether the user is a person or an IT system, being able to search/query and find/retrieve concepts is a fundamental aspect of the usability of a classification. One way to search for concepts in a classification is by using a search function: this can be done via a search-box (simple or with auto-complete) or via an API query by an IT system. ESCO is a Europe 2020 initiative. 1

2 Another way to search for concepts in a classification is simply by browsing the concepts through their hierarchical structure. This is especially relevant when the search attempt fails and the users browse through similar concepts to find the closest one. In this case, the usability of a classification can be influenced by the order used to display the concepts and their relationships. 3. Semantic ordering and added value Ordering concepts alphabetically is a straightforward way to represent them in a list. However, this is not always the best solution, as in the examples below. Example: alphabetical ordering Months Days Numbers Pie recipe April Friday Eight Bake at high temperature August Monday Five Beat eggs December Saturday Four Cool the pie February Sunday Nine Mix the ingredients January Thursday One Pour the filling in a pie shell July Tuesday Seven Pre-heat the oven June Wednesday Six March May November Three Two Zero October September A different approach consists of ordering concepts semantically. Concepts are ordered semantically when they are listed on the basis of their meaning. More precisely, concepts that are close/related in meaning or scope are listed close to one another. This results in a sequencing of concepts based on a logic that can be recognised intuitively by speakers of the same language. ESCO is a Europe 2020 initiative. 2

3 Example: semantic ordering Clothing Major UK online shopping website Major US online shopping website Coats and bikers Books and audible Books and audible Jackets Movies, TV, music and games Movies, music and games Knitwear Electronics and computers Electronics and computers Hoodies Home, garden, pets and DIY Home, garden and tools Shirts Toys, children and baby Beauty, health and grocery T-shirts Clothes, shoes and jewellery Toys, kids and baby Polos Sports and outdoors Clothing, shoes and jewelry Trousers Beauty, health and grocery Sports and outdoors Jeans Car and motorbike Automotive and industrial Shoes Credit and payment products Accessories Underwear and homewear In the example above the items are listed in a semantic ordering. The added value of the semantic ordering is that it makes the distribution of items look neater and more organised and, most importantly, it makes it easier to retrieve a specific item in a long list. No less important, it allows the editors to guide the focus of the users. E.g. if a customer is looking for a shirt s/he might be inclined to buy a T-shirt to wear underneath; or if a customer is interested in movies and DVDs, s/he might also be interested to buy a TV set. 4. Semantic ordering in ESCO The ESCO classification could benefit from making use of the semantic ordering of concepts. It could help users to browse a hierarchy or list of concepts in a way that makes sense for a specific economic sector. This could be especially relevant for long lists of concepts (e.g. occupational profiles). It would also help users to quickly notice similarities between concepts, which in turn could hide the potential for occupational mobility. ESCO is a Europe 2020 initiative. 3

4 Semantic ordering is already used in some of the auxiliary taxonomies used by ESCO. E.g. The structure of ISCO08 is primarily based on skill level; The structure of NACE rev2 is based on the type of economic activity; The structure of the FoET (Fields of Education and Training) is based on the relatedness of areas of education and training. In ESCO, a semantic ordering of concepts is already implemented in the top-level OCC groups and the top-level SC groups. The same grouping is used both for the OCC pillar and the SC pillar. The ESCO Secretariat created this grouping based on their semantic relatedness. This structure is listed below and compared with the same list ordered alphabetically: Semantic ordering Alphabetical ordering 1. Education and training Agriculture, forestry, fishery 2. Government, public administration and interest organisations Arts, entertainment, media and recreation 3. Health and social services Business administration, finance and law 4. Agriculture, forestry, fishery Construction 5. Energy, water and environment Education and training 6. Mining and quarrying Energy, water and environment 7. Construction Engineering, scientific and technical activities 8. Engineering, scientific and technical activities Government, public administration and interest organisations 9. Manufacturing Health and social services 10. Transportation and storage Hospitality and tourism 11. Trade Information and communication technology 12. Business administration, finance and law Manufacturing 13. Information and communication technology 14. Arts, entertainment, media and recreation Mining and quarrying Personal services, investigation and security activities ESCO is a Europe 2020 initiative. 4

5 15. Hospitality and tourism Trade 16. Personal services, investigation and security activities Transportation and storage Groups 1, 2 and 3 are related to the extent that they typically fall within the scope of the public sector (although not exclusively). Groups 9, 10 and 11 can be seen as representing a continuum from production to transportation, storage and trade of material goods. They are followed by a group related to the governance of this process. Groups 4, 5 and 6 are related to resources; business activities in # 8 are often support functions to #7 and #9. These are just some examples of how a semantic ordering can work. Below the advantages and shortcomings of semantic and alphabetical ordering are compared: Alphabetical ordering Self-explanatory and straightforward sorting logic It is based only on the first letter of the first word making up the concept titles (e.g. social services will not be found at the bottom of the list just above trade) A concept might have as PT a synonym the user is not familiar with. This would force the user to go through the whole list The meaning of the concepts is not taken into account. No information is conveyed about their relatedness ESCO is a Europe 2020 initiative. 5

6 Semantic ordering It conveys information about the relatedness of concepts. E.g. this might give users hints on similar OCCs, thus implicitly supporting mobility If a concept cannot be identified via the search box, the user can more easily find the concept that is closest in meaning The logic used to order the concept should be evident to the user, or it would not add value (or even make it more difficult to retrieve a concept) It requires more effort/cost for implementation The order is based on the characteristics of the concept, not on the characteristics of the term. Therefore, - The order is independent from the term chosen as preferred term - The order can be reproduced in the same way in all ESCO languages - The order does not change if the preferred term of a concept is changed When developing their sectoral breakdown, the SREF naturally do so by following an ordering that makes sense in their sector. This helps them making sure that the full scope is covered, (e.g. that they are not neglecting any subsectors) and that the sequencing of the concepts helps the users take a quick glance of the sector. However, a more structured approach would be needed to consistently implement the semantic ordering across the whole taxonomy. 5. Advice from the Maintenance Committee The MAI is kindly invited to provide their advice on the added value of the semantic ordering of concepts in the ESCO classification. In particular, advice is needed to better assess whether this strategy is worth investigating also for the OCCs and for the SC. More precisely, a semantic ordering could be envisaged in the following cases: 1. List of OCCs in the sectoral breakdown ESCO is a Europe 2020 initiative. 6

7 2. List of OCCs related to the lowest level of the ISCO08 groups; 3. List of SC in the SC groups; 4. Occupational profiles (list of SC related to each OCC); 5. Qualifications pillar (use of FoET). ESCO is a Europe 2020 initiative. 7