Overview of recent developments in RDA Vocabulary Services Interest Group, W3C/OGC SPatial Data on the Web Working Group, and ICSU/CODATA Commission on Standards. Presented at National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, UK 2017-11-17

1. Vocabularies,
ontologies,
standards for
observations:
developments
from RDA, W3C,
OGC and CODATA
Simon J D Cox
LAND AND WATER
17 November 2017

2. Outline
• RDA Vocabulary Services progress report
• W3C/OGC joint standards
• CODATA Commission on Standards
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards2 |

3. Vocabulary and Semantic
Services Interest Group
Founded September 2015 (Paris)
Co-chairs
• Adam Leadbetter
• Adam Shepherd
• Stephan Zednik
• Simon Cox
Activities
• Survey of vocabulary services
• Develop guidelines on vocabulary
governance
Teleconferences, meet at RDA plenary
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards3 |
Re-boot September 2017 (Montreal)
Co-chairs
• Simon Cox
• Adam Shepherd
• John Graybeal
• Yann LeFranc
Taskgroups
• Vocabulary service API
• Ontology/vocabulary metadata
• Term selection
• Search aggregations
• Change request process
Slack channels, meet at RDA plenary

4. Vocabulary content model - SKOS
From https://www.w3.org/TR/skos-primer/ :
SKOS has been designed to provide a low-cost migration path for porting existing organization systems to
the Semantic Web. … SKOS can also be seen as a bridging technology, providing the missing link between
the rigorous logical formalism of ontology languages such as OWL and the chaotic, informal and weakly-
structured world of Web-based collaboration tools, as exemplified by social tagging applications.
I.e. SKOS is an initial RDF-based formalization for ‘controlled vocabularies’
Widely used:
>200 SKOS vocabularies in Research Vocabularies Australia
>200 in NERC Vocabulary Service, >100,000 Concepts
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards4 |

5. 5

6. isc:Jurassic
rdf:type skos:Concept ;
skos:notation "a1.1.2.2"^^gts:EraCode ;
skos:prefLabel "Jurassic"@en ;
skos:prefLabel "Jurassique"@fr ;
skos:broader isc:Mesozoic ;
skos:narrower isc:LowerJurassic ;
skos:narrower isc:MiddleJurassic ;
skos:narrower isc:UpperJurassic ;
.
SKOS view
6

7. isc:Jurassic
rdf:type gts:GeochronologicEra ;
rdf:type gts:Period ;
rdf:type time:ProperInterval ;
rdfs:label "Jurassic Period"@en ;
time:hasBeginning isc:BaseJurassic ;
time:hasEnd isc:BaseCretaceous ;
time:intervalDuring isc:Mesozoic ;
time:intervalStartedBy isc:LowerJurassic ;
time:intervalContains isc:MiddleJurassic ;
time:intervalFinishedBy isc:UpperJurassic ;
time:intervalIn isc:Mesozoic ;
time:intervalMeets isc:Berriasian ;
time:intervalMeets isc:Cretaceous ;
time:intervalMeets isc:LowerCretaceous ;
time:intervalMetBy isc:Rhaetian ;
time:intervalMetBy isc:Triassic ;
time:intervalMetBy isc:UpperTriassic ;
rdf:type skos:Concept ;
skos:notation "a1.1.2.2"^^gts:EraCode ;
skos:prefLabel "Jurassic"@en ;
skos:prefLabel "Jurassique"@fr ;
skos:broader isc:Mesozoic ;
skos:narrower isc:LowerJurassic ;
skos:narrower isc:MiddleJurassic ;
skos:narrower isc:UpperJurassic ;
.
OWL-Time/GTS view
SKOS view
7

8. SKOS++
SKOS view
OWL-Time/GTS view
OWL-Time
SKOS
GTS
8

9. SKOS as lingua-franca for concept description
We have a x-domain representation
Can we design a common API?
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards9 |

10. Semantic Web, 7,
9-24 (2016)
(submitted 2014)
DOI: 10.3233/SW-140166
10

11. 11

12. SISSVoc
https://documentation.ands.org.au/display/DOC/Linked+Data+API
12

13. SKOSMOS
http://api.finto.fi/doc/#/
13

14. ORR/COR
http://cor.esipfed.org/ontapi/#/
14

15. 15

16. Progress?
• OGC, ANDS developing Swagger for SISSVoc
• Align with SKOSMOS
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17. Spatial data on the web WG
2015-2017
Deliverables:
1. Use-cases and
requirements
2. Best practices
Spatial linked
open data
3. OWL-Time
4. SSN Ontology
5. QB4ST
https://www.w3.org/2015/spatial/wiki/Main_Page
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18. Best practices
W3C Note
Mostly about making
spatial data
Linked Open Data
Document:
https://www.w3.org/TR/sdw-bp/
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19. OWL-Time
W3C Note, 2006
 W3C Recommendation/
OGC Standard, 2017
Document:
https://www.w3.org/TR/owl-time/
OGC 16-071r2 (pending)
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20. What does OWL-Time do?
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21. What has changed?
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22. Why?
• Descriptions of temporal entities are not limited to Gregorian
calendar/clock
• Unix-time, GPS time
• Hebrew, Arabic, Baha’I calendars
• Scientific applications
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards
22 |

23. Semantic Sensor
Network Ontology
W3C Incubator Group report,
2011
 W3C Recommendation/
OGC Standard, 2017
http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/ssn/XGR-ssn/
 https://www.w3.org/TR/vocab-ssn/
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24. SSN 2011
OWL ontology for sensing and
observations
Based on review of many observation
models (including OGC O&M)
Core: Stimulus-Sensing-Observation
pattern
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards
Report: http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/ssn/XGR-ssn/
24 |

25. SSN 2011
https://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/ssn/ssnx/ssn
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards
• Semantically rigorous, but too complex for most user/s
• Tied to DOLCE foundational ontology
• “Observation” = record-of-observation
no class for act-of-observation
25 |

26. SSN 2011 – Process, Observation
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards
• Observation, Process both ‘Social Objects’
• Stimulus is the only ‘Event’
M. Compton, P. Barnaghi, L. Bermudez, R. García-Castro, O. Corcho, S.J.D. Cox, et al.,
The SSN ontology of the W3C semantic sensor network incubator group,
Web Semant. Sci. Serv. Agents World Wide Web. 17 (2012) 25–32. doi:10.1016/j.websem.2012.05.003.
26 |

27. SSN 2017
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1. Simplify core – ‘act of observation’ like O&M
2. Extend scope to also include Sampling and Actuation

28. SSN 2017 - Modular ontology design
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SOSA can be used with schema.org

29. SOSA Examples
vistavital-a:Observation_1_sdo a sosa:Observation ;
schema:agent <http://example.org/NEW-PERSON/NOTHER,NADA> ;
schema:location <http://example.org/HOSPITAL-LOCATION/4-SOUTH-MED> ;
schema:participant <http://example.org/NEW-PERSON/MANAGER,SYSTEM> ;
schema:status "error" ;
sosa:hasFeatureOfInterest <http://example.org/patient/jones-christopher> ;
sosa:hasResult "150/10" ;
sosa:observedProperty <http://example.org/GMRV-VITAL-TYPE/BLOOD-PRESSURE> ;
sosa:phenomenonTime [
rdf:type time:Instant ;
time:inXSDDateTime "2005-09-01T13:00:00Z"^^xsd:dateTime ;
] ;
sosa:resultTime "2005-12-28T13:48:44Z"^^xsd:dateTime .
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards
<Observation/234533> a sosa:Observation ;
sosa:hasFeatureOfInterest <room/1049> ;
sosa:observedProperty ex:Temperature ;
sosa:madeBySensor <sensor/D1AA22A821120216/Nest> ;
sosa:resultTime "2017-11-15T14:35:13Z"^^xsd:dateTime ;
sosa:hasSimpleResult "23.9 DEG"^^cdt:temperature .
29 |

30. SCIENCE AND THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION:
DATA, STANDARDS AND INTEGRATION
AN INTER UNION MEETING
2017-06-19/21
ICSU, Paris
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31. Domain
Scientists
Data
Specialists
Major
ScienceProject
Data
Integration
Standards
Vocabularies
Technical
Substructure
Science
Users
Top level influencers/agents/funders
UN/Belmont/INGSA/multi-national bodies
ICSU
A HIERARCHY
OF ENGAGEMENT

32. SCIENCE AND THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION:
DATA, STANDARDS AND INTEGRATION
AN INTER UNION MEETING
2017-11-13/15
The Royal Society, London
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards32

33. Program
Day 1 - Why?
The imperatives for interdisciplinary
research and for data integration
Science drivers:
• Simon Coles - Crystallography
• Dimitris Koureas – Biodiversity
Information Standards
• Peter Fox - Deep Time Data
Infrastructure
Interdisciplinary research areas:
• Vasa Curcin –
Learning Health Systems
• Stephen Passmore –
Resilient Cities
• Laura Merson - Tracking and Treatment of
Infectious Diseases
• David Abreu - Agricultural Research and
Food Security
• Virginia Murray –
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction
• Tom Orrell –
Sustainable Development Goals
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards33

34. Program
Day 2 - How?
Supporting and developing data capacities
What has community accomplished in
standardising …
• Data repositories
• Data models, structures and formats
• Controlled vocabularies
• Identifier systems
• Services or APIs
• Governance of technical components
Particularly reflecting on:
• What worked and why?
• What has failed and why?
• Tools and platforms
• Engagements and incentives
• Endorsement by Union, or other peak body
• Francois Robida - IUGS
• Bob Hanisch - IAU
• Jeremy Frey - IUPAC
• Stephen Nortcliff – IUSS
• Bill Michener – DataONE (Ecology)
• Hugo Besemer - Agrisemantics
• Bryan Lawrence - WMO
• Steven Ramage - GEO
• Andre Heughebaert - GBIF
• James Malone - Open Biomedical
Ontologies (OBO)
• Peter McQuilton - FAIRSharing
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards34

35. Program
Day 3 – What?
1. Survey unions data standardization
activities
2. Develop storyboards for 3 pilots
• Resilient cities
• Infectious disease outbreaks
• Disaster risk reduction
3. Develop prospectus for foundation
funding ($M)
Goals
• Demonstrate significance of data
interoperability
• Highlight reusable platforms, practices in
standardization and vocabularies
• Enable lagging disciplines/unions to
build on demonstrated platforms and
practices
• Support deployment of interdisciplinary
resources
2017-11-17 BODC | Cox | Vocabs, ontologies, standards35 |

36. Land and Water
Simon Cox
Research Scientist
t +61 3 9545 2365
e simon.cox@csiro.au
w www.csiro.au
LAND AND WATER
Thank you