Summer of Vocabs:
Knowledge Organisation
Water Resources Management - Environmental Information Infrastructures
Megan Williams| Vacation Scholar
29 January 2015
LAND AND WATER FLAGSHIP
Contents
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Introduction
Vocabularies and the Semantic web
Formalization Process
How content becomes available
Reflections at CSIRO
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Introduction
Who am I?
4th year RMIT student
Environmental
Science/Social Science
Citizen Science
Future directions / Career
in Environmental Science
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Place within CSIRO
Working with Simon Cox
and the Environmental
informatics team at
Highett.
Finding and Formalizing
content for the Semantic
web
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Vocabularies and the semantic
web
What is the semantic web?
How does it differ from the world wide
web ?
Benefits and Users
• Adds depth to web
frameworks
• Uses machine readable
formatting
• W3C standards RDF, SPARQL,
SKOS
• Turns the web into a global
database
• Increases usability of data
across scientific fields
• Interoperability
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Vocabularies
• A lists of terms, preferably with definitions
• Governed by a recognized authority, and adopted by a relevant
community
• Accessible
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Is a ‘term’ enough?
- Beer glasses in Australia
Glass
Size
115 ml
4 oz
140 ml
5 oz
170 ml
6 oz
200 ml
7 oz
225 ml
8 oz
255 ml
9 oz
NSW
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Pony
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Seven
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Middy Schooner
Pint
NT
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Seven
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Handle Schooner
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QLD
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Small
Beer
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Glass
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Pot
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SA
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Pony
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Butcher
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Schooner
Pint
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TAS
Small
Beer
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A Beer or
Six
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Eight
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Ten or
Pot
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VIC
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Pony
Small
Glass
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Pot
Schooner
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WA
Shetland
Pony
Pony
Bobbie
Glass
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Source: http://www.liquormerchants.org.au/Q&A.html
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Vocabulary services | Simon Cox |
285 ml
10 oz
425 ml
15 oz
Middy Schooner
575 ml
20 oz
Pot
Simplified Knowledge Organization System
SKOS: a W3C Standard
Focus on the concept rather than the term
• Web/Linked data principle: Concept is identified by a URI
• Concept is annotated with text labels (i.e. the traditional ‘term’)
• Structured using hierarchical relations within a vocabulary
• broader, narrower
• Matching relations between vocabularies
• broadMatch, closeMatch, exactMatch
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A ‘concept’ in a vocabulary
http://chemistry.example.org/Sulphate
skos:broadMatch
http://vocabs.auscope.org/nvcl/0.4/SWIR
skos:inScheme
skos:broader
skos:narrower
http://vocabs.auscope.org/nvcl/0.4/NVCL
skos:inScheme
“Sulphates”@en
skos:prefLabel
“Sulfate”@de
skos:prefLabel
http://vocabs.auscope.org/nvcl/0.4/Sulphates
rdf:type
skos:inScheme
skos:narrower
skos:notation
“SO4”
rdf:type
rdf:type
http://vocabs.auscope.org/nvcl/0.4/Alunite
skos:Concept
rdfs:isDefinedBy
http://defs.auscope.org/Sulphates.html
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The formalization Process
Formalization Process
• Create order within
existing excel
spreadsheets
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Formalization Process
RDF 123
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Formalization Process
RDF 123
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Applications
Publishing Vocabularies
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AGIFT
AGU
ANZSRC
NGIS
AWID
BA glossary
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Applications: Bioregional Assessments
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Applications: AGIFT
• Used mapping to equate AGIFT to UN functions of Government
(COFOG)
• Easily identify and amend discrepancies between updates
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Reflections
Reflections
What I’ve Learned
• Existence of Semantic web
• Benefits of well maintained
vocabulary services
• New computer skill
• Gained insight to the world
of computer science
• An appreciation of the
complexity behind large
projects
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What I’m grateful for
• The opportunity to work with
CSIRO before finishing my
undergrad
• Insight into the research
career
• Chance to contribute quality
science
• Time and generosity from
everyone I’ve worked with
Thank you
Water Resources Management/Environmental Information Infrastructures
Megan Williams
Vacation Scholar
t +61 3 9252 6004
e megan.williams@csiro.au
w www.csiro.au
LAND AND WATER FLAGSHIP