RDF vocabularies for bibliographic and authority data

In the context of Linked Data data is described with the help of RDF vocabularies (Resource Description Framework). In many cases, the existing vocabularies are insufficient for providing full data descriptions that meet the German National Library's specific requirements. Separate vocabularies can therefore be defined for such purposes. These should build on existing vocabularies such as SKOS – (Simple Knowledge Organization System).

A distinction is made between structural RDF vocabularies that define classes and relationships between entities (RDF element sets) and vocabularies that define entities such as classifications or geographical code lists (RDF value vocabularies).

The vocabularies are available in the two Github repositories GND-ontology and LDS-vocabularies.

RDF Element Sets

GND Ontology

The GND Ontology (GNDO) defines classes and relations with which we describe the data in the Integrated Authority File (GND) in RDF format.

DNB Metadata Terms

The DNB Metadata Terms (DNBT) define classes and relations which we use to describe bibliographic data if we have found no suitable classes or relations in other vocabularies.

Agent Relationship Ontology

The Agent Relationship Ontology (AgRelOn) defines people's relations to other people and organisations. AgRelOn came into being during the course of the projects ALEXANDRIA and CONTENTUS, and was developed to facilitate uniform cataloguing and the semantic searchability of/via relations between agents (persons, organisations).

RDF Value Vocabularies

The value vocabularies supplement the GND Ontology and encompass code lists and classifications used to describe GND entities.

GND Gender

The vocabulary GND Gender depicts the three possible gender specifications in the GND (male, female, unknown) in RDF.

GND Geographic Area Codes

The vocabulary GND Geographic Area Codes depicts the geographical codes used in the GND. They are modelled in RDF as skos:Concepts.

GND Subject Categories

The vocabulary GND Subject Categories depicts the GND Subject Categories that facilitate systematic access to individual names and subject keywords in the GND. They are modelled in RDF as skos:Concepts.

GND Type of Coordinates

The vocabulary GND Type of Coordinates depicts the possible values for types of coordinates in the GND data. They are modelled in RDF as skos:Concepts. This vocabulary is not currently being maintained as we use GeoSPARQL rather than the GND Ontology for the RDF modelling of GND data.

GND Description Level

The vocabulary GND Description Level presents the potential values for the encoding level, which indicates the editorial status of a data record. They are modelled in RDF as skos:Concepts.

Contact

metadatendienste@dnb.de