docrep: A lightweight and efficient document representation framework
Modelling linguistic phenomena requires highly structured and complex data representations. Document representation frameworks (DRFs) provide an interface to store and retrieve multiple annotation layers over a document. Researchers face a difficult choice: using a heavy-weight DRF or implement a custom DRF. The cost is substantial, either learning a new complex system, or continually adding features to a home-grown system that risks overrunning its original scope. We introduce DOCREP, a lightweight and efficient DRF, and compare it against existing DRFs. We discuss our design goals and implementations in C++, Python, and Java. We transform the OntoNotes 5 corpus using DOCREP and UIMA, providing a quantitative comparison, as well as discussing modelling trade-offs. We conclude with qualitative feedback from researchers who have used DOCREP for their own projects. Ultimately, we hope DOCREP is useful for the busy researcher who wants the benefits of a DRF, but has better things to do than to write one.