Discovering the information model

This paper deals explores the process of developing an information model for a large body of existing technical documentation, with the intent of building a navigation system to present the same information online. Authors tend to embed a consistent set of principles within a traditional documentation library, simply by following good writing practices. The architect can draw on this "collective unconscious" to formalize the model that is already there, requiting minimal rework to implement strategies for online presentation. The paper shows "before and after" examples from an online navigation system built around the information model, allowing the traditional documentation library to be accessed both in innovative and familiar ways.