Virtual architecture based on a binary relational model: A museum hypermedia application

This paper reviews claims made for virtual architectures and proposes a semantic data model for hypermedia architecture. Semantic modelling, and an extended binary relational model in particular, are outlined in the context of hypermedia. The binary relational store is a simple, uniform data structure, capable of representing abstraction in the application model. Pilot implementations of museum hypermedia systems demonstrate that the architecture is capable of supporting a variety of navigation techniques and authoring tools. We outline the SHIC (Social History and Industrial Classification) museum classification schema, and discuss its implementation in a hypermedia system based on a binary relational store. We reflect on our experiences with the prototypes and discuss feedback from the museum profession and general public. We believe that an extended binary relational model is particularly suited to certain forms of reasoning based on generalisation.