Presentation made at UK Ontology Network 2018 meeting, Keele University. 30 April 2018

1. W3C Dataset eXchange
Working Group (DXWG)
An Update
Peter Winstanley, Alejandra Gonzalez-Beltran,
and the DXWG working group
UK Ontology Network (UKON), Keele University,
30th April 2018

2. Classes
Catalog
CatalogRecord
Dataset
Distribution
ConceptScheme
Concept
Agent
https://www.w3.org/TR/vocab-dcat
Data Catalog Vocabulary
(DCAT 2014)

3. Some of the issues with DCAT 2014
● Ways of describing APIs to access datasets
● Datasets versions
● Temporal aspects of datasets
● Relations between catalogues
● Relations between datasets
● and more!
See notes and discussions of the SDSVoc workshop:
https://www.w3.org/2016/11/sdsvoc/

4. Extended DCAT-based schemas & vocabularies
original specification of DCAT is not (generally) used ‘raw’, it
is used in conjunction with other vocabularies as part of an
‘application profile’
https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/solution/dcat-application-profile-data-portals-europe
DCAT-AP, GeoDCAT-AP, StatDCAT-AP, TransportDCAT-AP
HCLS Dataset description
DATS

5. National/Domain Versions of DCAT-AP
● DCAT-AP: DCAT application profile for data portals in Europe
● GeoDCAT-AP: Geospatial extension to DCAT-AP
● StatDCAT-AP: Statistical extension to DCAT-AP
● DCAT-AP-NO
● DCAT-AP-IT
● DCAT-AP.de
● European TransportDCAT-AP
● EPOS-DCAT-AP European Plate Observing System DCAT-AP
...part of a wider programme of AP development
● e.g. Core Public Service Vocabulary (CPSV-AP)

6. The mission of the Dataset Exchange WG is to:
● Revise the Data Catalog Vocabulary, DCAT, taking account of related
vocabularies and the extensive work done in developing a number of its
application profiles.
● Define and publish guidance on the use of application profiles when
requesting and serving data on the Web.
https://www.w3.org/2017/dxwg/charter

7. Deliverables: 4 May 2017 to 30 June 2019
to deliver normative specifications on the following:
* DCAT revision - An update and expansion of the current DCAT
Recommendation. The new version may deprecate, but MUST NOT delete, any
existing terms.
* Guidance on publishing application profiles of vocabularies. - A definition of
what is meant by an application profile and an explanation of one or more
methods for publishing and sharing them.
* Content Negotiation by Application Profile. - An explanation of how to
implement the expected RFC and suitable fallback mechanisms as discussed at
the SDSVoc workshop.

8. Use Cases & Requirements
● 50 use cases
● 10 top level requirements containing 42 detailed requirements
https://www.w3.org/TR/dcat-ucr/

9. “Enthusiastic” Axiomatisation Limits Use
There have been a few areas where
reduced axiomatisation is being proposed
in the re-working of DCAT to increase the
flexibility of the model
"minimal ontological commitment" is being
invoked as a design practice.
https://www.w3.org/TR/vocab-
ssn/#Modularization is providing the
model we are working to.

10. How to describe an Application Profile?
This is still at an early stage in thinking, but there are a few suggestions surfacing.
https://github.com/w3c/dxwg/blob/gh-pages/profiles/dxwg-profile.svg
https://github.com/w3c/dxwg/blob/gh-pages/profiledesc/profiledesc.png

11. Where to engage with DXWG
https://github.com/w3c/dxwg/issues Github and Issues Discussion
https://www.w3.org/2017/dxwg/wiki/Meetings Meetings and Minutes
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-dxwg-comments/ Comments Mailing List
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-dxwg-wg/ Primary Mailing List