Transcript Slide 1
SKOS and Other W3C
Vocabulary Related Activities
Gail Hodge
Information International Assoc.
NKOS Workshop
Denver, CO
June 10, 2005
Acknowledgements
• Based on:
– Presentation by Alistair Miles of the
Rutherford Laboratory at the OpenForum on
Metadata Registries, April 2005.
– Input from Joel Sachs, Univ. of Maryland
Baltimore Co. and the SPIRE Project.
– Documents from the SKOS Web site.
What is the Semantic Web?
• Semantic Web grand vision:
"The Semantic Web is an extension of the current web
in which information is given well-defined meaning,
better enabling computers and people to work in
cooperation."
• … in practice:
The Semantic Web provides a common technological
framework (i.e. URI, RDF, SPARQL, RDFS, OWL …)
that allows data to be shared and reused across
application, enterprise, and community boundaries.
• Successful sharing and reuse requires an
understanding of meaning.
Relevant W3C
Semantic Web Activities
• Best Practices and Deployment Working Group
Chartered through January 31, 2006
Working drafts:
– SKOS core related documents (vocabulary specification; guide; etc.)
• SKOS Mapping Vocabulary
• API for terminology web services
– XML Schema Datatypes in RDF and OWL
– Defining N-ary relationships on the semantic web: Use with individuals
• Web Service Description Working Group 2
Chartered through January, 2006
Working Drafts
– WSDL 2.0
– SOAP 1.1 Binding
Relevant Activities, contd.
• RDF Data Access Working Group
Chartered (roughly) till end of 2005
Working Drafts:
– SPARQL Query Language for RDF
– SPARQL Variable Binding Results XML Format
– SPARQL Protocol for RDF
(written in WSDL 2.0)
• Web-Ontology Working Group (closed)
Recommendations:
– The whole OWL family of documents (language overview;
language guide; language reference; use cases; etc.)
SKOS Core
An extensible RDF language for describing
concepts and concept schemes …
… a concept scheme is a ‘set of concepts,
optionally including relationships between
concepts.’ …
… i.e. controlled vocabularies, thesauri,
classification schemes, glossaries, subject
heading systems, terminologies …
… e.g. AAT, DDC, AGROVOC …
OWL vs. SKOS Core
• OWL is the language of the Semantic Web.
• Why do you need SKOS if you have OWL?
• SKOS Core …
… more flexible, less demanding approach to modelling
concepts …
… better suited to types of KOS mentioned …
… requiring little or no remodelling to express in RDF …
… therefore low cost, while adding value through simple
benefits of RDF/semantic web approach.
Basic SKOS Vocabulary
• Skos:Concept Class (this resource is a concept)
• Lexical Labelling Properties (associate concept
with a name)
• Symbolic Labelling (associate concept with
symbols)
• Semantic Relationship Properties (relationships
between concepts)
• Documentation Properties (definitions and
change notes)
• Subject Indexing (connecting an information
resource to terminology, dc:subject)
Traditional Thesaurus to SKOS
Mapping
• Concept gets a URI, not a name
• Lexical Labeling = names (not new concepts)
– Skos:prefLabel
– Skos:altLabel (Used For)
• Relationship Labeling between concepts
– Skos:broader
– Skos:narrower
– Skos:related
• Documentation such as Scope notes
– Skos:scopeNote
– Skos: definition
RDF Graph Representation
SKOS Status
• Development history
– Initiated by Semantic Web Advanced Development for Europe project
(SWAD-E) in 2003
– Public development process and open developer community
– Driven by W3C Semantic Web Best Practices and Deployment Working
Group since 2004
• SKOS Core status
– 1st Public Working Draft May, 2005
– RDF Vocabulary and Guidelines for KOS Conversion also available
– Comments requested by end of June 2005
• Standardization goal
– W3C Working Group Note
– W3C Recommendation track?
Open Issues: Understanding the
Limitations of SKOS
• Difference between SKOS Core and other RDF
applications because modeling concepts adds another
level of indirection
– Properties are properties of the concept and not
necessarily of the real-world thing
• If two conceptual resources share the same meaning
they are not necessarily the same resource
– Meaning from definitions versus semantic context
(relationships, labels, etc.)
• Concept scheme versioning – use of Skos:inScheme
property
• HTTP URIs for Concepts (this is an open question for
the Technical Architecture Group)
SKOS Resources
• SKOS Home Page
http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/
• SKOS Core Guide
• SKOS Core Vocabulary
• Quick Guide to Publishing a Thesaurus on the Semantic Web
• SKOS Mailing List
mailto:[email protected]
http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-esw-thes/
RDF/XML
Using the UK Archival Thesaurus
<rdf:RDF
xmls:rdf=http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#
xmlns:rdfs=http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#
xmlns:skos=http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#>
<skos:Concept rdf:about=”http://www.ukat.org.uk/thesaurus/concept/1750”>
<skos:prefLabel>Economic cooperation</skos:prefLabel>
<skos:altLabel>Economic co-operation</skos:altLabel>
<skos:scopeNote>Includes cooperative measures in banking, trade,
industry, etc. between and among countries.</skos:scopeNote>
<skos:broader rdf:resource=http://www.ukat.org.uk/thesaurus/concept/
3000”> [Economic policy]
skos:narrower rdf:resource=http://www.ukat.org.uk/thesaurus/concept/
3022”> [industrial cooperation]
<skos:narrower rdf:resource=http://www.ukat.org.uk/thesaurus/
concept/3500> [Economic integration]
<skos:inScheme rdf: resource=http://www.ukat.org.uk/thesaurus/>
</skos:Concept>
</rdf:RDF>