VRA Core as Linked Data
03-15-2014
Jeff Mixter
Research Support Specialist
OCLC Research
• This project evolved out of a master’s thesis project published as partial completion of an MLIS degree from Kent State University
• The emergence of Schema.org as a general Linked Data vocabulary and the publication of WorldCat.org data as Linked Data served as a catalyst for the work
• CIDOC CRM and the Europeana Data Model were examples of how visual resource data models could be represented using Linked Data
Background
• Collaborative effort between Google, Yahoo, Bing and Yandex
• 2011
• Serves as a general Linked Data vocabulary
• 15% of Web pages use Schema.org markup
• Data using Schema.org is understood and indexed by search engines as structured data
• Using Schema.org has the possibility to help improve SEO
• SEO in context!
• SEO != Google Ranking
• Search engine understanding of your structured data
Schema.org
• Structured data drives the creation of Google Knowledge Cards
• These “entity cards” are derived from structured data that Google has harvested from the Semantic Web
Structured Data
Structured Data
vs.
• Both of these data models have produced Linked Data representations
• Both use a specialized vocabulary
• The models were reviewed and consulted during the modeling/mapping process
CIDOC CRM and Europeana
• The initial research project sought to map the VRA Core 4 model into Linked Data
• Use Schema.org as the baseline vocabulary
• Helps improve interoperability
• Follow the Linked Data principles outlined and described by Tim Berners-Lee
• Do not reinvent the wheel
• Gov 2.0 Expo 2010
• The project successfully modeled the VRA Core 4 data model as Linked Data and demonstrated this by converting an existing VRA Core 4 compliant dataset (XML) into Linked Data
Initial Project
• Linked Data model was mapped from the VRA Core 4 Restricted Schema
• The model included:
• 35 Schema.org terms
• 1 DC Terms term
• 2 VoID terms
• 127 Custom VRA Core terms
• Of the 127 custom terms, 88 (66%) were positioned as sub-terms of Schema.org terms
• Overall 74% of the VRA Core terms were directly or indirectly mapped to Schema.org
Project Results
• After the prototype and results were published, there was interest in using the model
• The VRA Core Oversight Committee subsequently formed a Task Force to design and publish as VRA Linked Data data model
• Current members:
• Esme Crowles
• Trish Rose-Sandler
• Johanna Bauman
• Rebecca Guenther
• Jeff Mixter
Aftermath
• Adapt the prototype model to create an official VRA Core data model
• Using a VRA namespace!
• In line with the principles of Linked Data, there will be an emphasis on mapping the VRA Core model to other Linked Data vocabularies
• Schema.org
• BIBFRAME
• Ect.
Current Project
• Prototype of the ontology:
• http://www.essepuntato.it/lode/https://s3.amazonaws.com/VRA/Ontology/VRA_OntologyRevised.owl
• Converted a data sample for review
• The model is just a prototype and we welcome comments, questions, criticism, etc.
Progress
• Getty vocabularies are being published as Linked Data
• This is very important to the micro-domain of visual/cultural heritage resources
• In particular it is important to VRA since it is a standard authority recommended in the VRA Core 4 Schema
• Collaboration and integration with other Linked Data models
• The Semantic Web relies on interconnected datasets/models
• Data silos are bad
Future Potential
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