Advantages of thesaurus representation using the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) compared with proposed alternatives

espanolIntroduccion. Se muestra un analisis comparativo de SKOS frente a otras alternativas para la representacion de tesauros en la Web Semantica. Metodologia. Partiendo de los cambios funcionales y estructurales de los tesauros, se ofrece una vision actual abandonando el paradigma lexico en favor del paradigma conceptual, describiendose diversas iniciativas de representacion de tesauros usando vocabularios RDF para su aplicacion en la Web Semantica, dedicando especial atencion a SKOS. Analisis y resultados. La comparacion nos permite conocer los aspectos trascendentales en un modelo de representacion de tesauros. SKOS incorpora las principales organizando los conceptos en esquemas y colecciones. Las nociones de terminos descriptores y no-descriptores se sustituyen por la asociacion a conceptos de etiquetas preferentes y alternativas y es posible definir relaciones jerarquicas o asociativas entre conceptos. SKOS tambien contempla establecer correspondencias entre conceptos de esquemas conceptuales diferentes. Conclusiones. Se justifica la opcion de SKOS como mejor alternativa para el desarrollo de aplicaciones de gestion de tesauros en sistemas de informacion Web en especial si se considera el punto de vista del usuario. EnglishIntroduction. This paper presents an analysis of the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) compared with other alternatives for thesaurus representation in the Semantic Web. Method. Based on functional and structural changes of thesauri, provides an overview of the current context in which lexical paradigm is abandoned in favour of the conceptual paradigm. Likewise are described briefly various initiatives for the representation of thesauri using RDF vocabularies and hence for application to the Semantic Web, with particular attention to SKOS. Analysis and Results. This brief comparison will allow us to know some highlights of these proposals to raise those transcendental aspects in a model representing thesauri. SKOS includes the main proposal of this model, which organizes the concepts into diagrams and libraries. The notions of descriptors and non-descriptors terms are replaced by the association to the concepts of preferred and alternative labels and may be defined hierarchical or associative relationships between concepts. SKOS also provides for the establishment of correspondence relations between concepts belonging to different conceptual schemes. Conclusions. In accordance with the extent to which this series of requirements is fulfilled, we propose and defend the SKOS option as the best alternative for the development of multiple applications focusing on the use of thesauri in Web-based information services and systems, highlighting the advantages of this model over others proposed and in consideration of the user perspective in management, search and information query operations.