DLF 2011 - How to explain to librarians the utility of formal data modeling

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What does formal data modeling mean to people? It's easy to rely on tools like RDF, UML, but does there need to be something more abstract behind that?

What lightweight tools can be used to do this?

Dangerous to do this outside the context of actual use cases.

Have them participate rather than explain.

Separate what's in a record or on a screen from what the structured data behind it is.

Show something, just don't talk about it. Show a real thing that can be done with more structured data, a more rigid data model, that can't be done now.

Big problem with LD now - have to imagine what's possible, it's hard to show today what the benefit would be.

Does the W3C LLD report (http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/lld/XGR-lld/) help get at this issue at all? Best thing about the document are the use cases articulated there.