The structure of the terminology database in WIPO Pearl - described and explained
What is it about?
The World Intellectual Property Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, has recently published a terminology database online, called WIPO Pearl. It contains over 130,000 scientific and technical terms found in patents, in 10 languages. This article describes and explains how the database was designed, i.e. what kind of data is recorded and how it is organized. The article will help users of WIPO Pearl to better understand the resource and how to use it.
Why is it important?
The PCT Termbase is a unique resource. It contains terminology spanning European and Asian languages and Arabic, is focused on scientific and technical terms found in patents, and is a rich knowledge repository that includes contexts, sources, and relationships between concepts. This article describes the challenges of designing this database and discusses how ISO terminology standards are applied. Since the database is freely available to browse online via WIPO Pearl, this article will offer valuable insights to users of the website as well as to terminology specialists.