The Linked Data Showcase- The ‘Why’ and the ‘What’

Peter Bruhn AndersenLinked Data Architect

Agency for Digitisation (DK)

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Why a Linked Data Showcase?

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Linked Data has clear benefits

• Growing recognition of the value of using: • RDF for semantically enhanced data

• Linked Data APIs as interoperability platform for these data

• A Linked Data environment can give us:

• shorter time from idea to implementation

• quicker adaptability to requirements

• more flexibility to specific user needs

• new ways to combine data easily and on the fly

• i.e. virtual knowledge graphs

• enhanced potential for automation

Common

API

Common

API

Common

API

Common

API

System X System Y System Z

Linked Data has clear benefits

…so why are we not seeing a large and widespread Linked Data environment ?

Where are the useful Linked Data sources ?

Why is it so hard to find solution providers with LD-skills ?

Where are the peer community that can advice others ?W3CRDB2RDFW3CSPARQL

?

The LD-environment dilemma

• Potential users needs solution providers with LD-knowledge

• Potential solution providers needs to see a critical mass of LD-solution customers

The LD-environment dilemma positive loop

Rise in number of

Linked Data sources

Easier for users to find

LD solution providers

More value

to users

Linked Data solutions

have more value to

provides

More users wants

Linked Data solutions

Easier to become part of

the LD-environment

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…and what is in it?

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The Linked Data showcase has two major aims

• One is to plant the seeds that can grow into a Linked Data environment• by Linked Data enabling existing data sources across member states

• by using data sources that are useful for a wider community

• The other aim is to answer questions that arise when entering the Linked Data world.• Potential questions about…

back-end

interoperability layer

privacy or security

user interfaces

Potential questions about……the back-end

• Should we move data to a triple store or can we stay on relational database?• when and how to use RDB2RDF

• describe a best practice for getting data from an RDB to a RDF triple store.

• What are the costs, the risk and the benefits?

Convert betwen

RDB and RDF

- on query

RDB

RDB2RDF

Pure RDF-system

w.Triple store

RDB + Triple store

as copy of RDB

RDB

Potential questions about……the interoperability layer

• How do we choose between the different types of APIs?

• Should we provide more than one type of API? Should one type be mandatory?• i.e. LDP + GraphQL

• Should we redistribute the load between clients and servers?• … by using Linked Data Fragments or…?

Common API

SPARQL

Linked Data Platform

GraphQL + JSON-LD

??

Potential questions about……privacy and security

• Security questions:• How can security be maintained at a high level in a Linked Data environment without

decrementing the overall performance to an unacceptable level?• Which security models and authentication protocols should be implemented and how is this

done?

• Privacy questions:• Are there special requirements for Linked Data to be GDPR compliant? • In what way can Linked Data help to complying with GDPR?

Potential questions about……the user interface

• How do we present dynamically Linked Data?• in an easily understandable, coherent way

• Do we need to change our applications to use LD?

Potential questions about……the user interface

• Should we present new types of data in a spreadsheet like way?

Potential questions about……the user interface

• ..or do we let data reference the preferred way of presentation and build applications dynamically?• i.e. SHACL Shapes pointing to Web Components

The ISA2 Linked Data Showcase is…

• A showcase that intends to initiate a cross-border Linked Data environment• based on base registries • both open and access restricted

• A showcase that will function as a guidance on building Linked Data architecture• for both EU member state organizations and solution providers

• A showcase that takes a step-by-step approach to the challenges• first step: Pilot with Open Data only, minimal development• later: gradually extended in scope and variety • continually supported and updated with new and current technology

Where the LDS is currently

• We are working on:• Reference Architecture

• Focus on lifting existing datasets to RDF-enabled data

• LDS-pilot• Serves as POC for the reference architecture

• LDS Wiki• Intended to function as a guidance on building Linked Data architecture

LDS Reference Architecture Building Blocks

Non-functional aspects

Semantic Standards

Technical syntactic

standards

Service reliability

Availability, and

integrity

Documentation

Data quality

management

Back end

Modelling, collection

and validation

Metadata management

Performance and

scalability

Platform interaction

and APIs

RDB-to-Graph

mechanisms

Backend system

specifications

Front end

Open API

specifications

Serialisations for RDF

Annotation of web

pages

Explorative views and

visualisation of LD

Dashboards

Customisable reporting

Services

M2M publication

services

Aggregation services

Technical formatting

services

M2H publication

services

Content management

services

Platform integration

services

LDS pilot – a proof of concept

• Use case: Implement an uncomplicated but realistic use case based on datasets about legal entities and datasets about spatial data

Business Registry Cadastre Registry

address

location dataname

economic activities

legal form

Current data sources in the LDS-pilot

Spatial Data

Streets and addresses

(Belgium)

Placenames

(Norway)

Addresses

(Norway)

Cadastre

(Czech Republic)

Legal Entities

Legal Entities

(Norway)

Economic entities

(Belgium)

Annual accounts

(Norway)

Economic entities

(Czech Republic)

Data sources that are now lifted to RDF

GoodRelations

Schema.org

Registered Organization

Vocabulary

The Organization

Ontology

Location Core

Vocabulary

Simple Knowledge

Organization System

Dublin Core Terms

Asset Description

Metadata Schema

[ Proprietary Vocabulary ]

Legal Entities

(Norway)

Economic entities

(Czech Republic)

Economic entities

(Belgium)

The LDS Wiki

• Intended to function as a guidance on building Linked Data architecture

• Primarily an internal document to gather the acquired wisdom

LDS - onward

• Core challenges the SEMIC LDS Pilot can provide support for

• Booster packages:

• How to kickstart a LD approach in your administration - How to get from data to Linked Data

• Semantical interoperability:

• Vocabularies – how to find them, build them and use them

• Persistent Identifiers

• SHACL – how and where to use it

• Security and privacy concerns

LDS - onward

• Core challenges the SEMIC LDS Pilot can provide support for

• Technical interoperability:

• Formats for RDF – which one to choose• Linked Data APIs – which type to choose for what purpose

• Reference implementations for LD services

• Facilitating developers

• Security & privacy concerns

• How to handle versioning

• Linked Data Applications – how to build them

LDS - onward

• The Linked Data Showcase has no fixed end• …but curent funding ends a year from now

• The showcase will be better with more participants• …so join us

• …with your data

• …with your knowledge

• …with your questions

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Thank you

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