Applying the Topic Map paradigm

Topic Maps provide a way to encode an analytic layer on top of the texts and data we are interested in.

This information can be exchanged and merged/expanded with information at other locations encoded along the same lines.

The way we use them thus does not depend on the Topic Map paradigm,

it rather depends on the purpose of our undertaking.

Most of the time, it will involve both characteristics found in our texts and information external to them.