TIMEXTimeML

TIMEXTimeML is a proposed extension to the TimeML natural language processing annotation framework that aims to unify TIMEX3 temporal expressions with TimeML’s event and relation markup. The goal is to provide a single, coherent representation of when events occur and how they relate in time, facilitating temporal reasoning for downstream applications such as information extraction, question answering, and timeline construction.

Background and context show that TimeML is designed to annotate events, temporal expressions, and their relations (TLINKs) within text, while TIMEX3 focuses on standardizing the encoding of temporal expressions themselves. TIMEXTimeML seeks to bridge these layers by introducing a cohesive mechanism to mark TIMEX expressions alongside events and their temporal relations in a unified annotation scheme.

Key features commonly described for TIMEXTimeML include a dedicated TIMEXTime element that captures a temporal expression’s type (for example DATE, DURATION, SET), a normalized value (typically ISO 8601), and optional attributes such as a mod or anchor that situate the expression within the document’s timeline. This element is designed to interoperate with existing TimeML constructs, allowing TIMEXTimeML annotations to participate in TLINK-based relations like BEFORE, AFTER, and OVERLAP.

Usage and status indicate that TIMEXTimeML appears primarily in academic and prototype contexts, where researchers explore enhanced temporal reasoning and richer annotation schemas. It is not yet a formal standard recognized by major standards bodies, and tool support varies across projects. When used, TIMEXTimeML annotations are typically designed to be compatible with TimeML-compatible tooling, with extensions documented to describe the TIMEXTime element and its attributes.

See also TimeML, TIMEX3, temporal reasoning, and TLINK.