Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) Lynn Leitte, Sr. Content Strategist, Avenue A | Razorfish May 16, 2008

Lynn Leitte, Sr. Content Strategist, Avenue A | Razorfish

May 16, 2008

Agenda Where did SKOS come from? What’s it all about? Under the hood How can I use this? Questions & Discussion SKOS resources

Where did SKOS come from?

What’s it all about?

Under the hood

How can I use this?

Questions & Discussion

SKOS resources

Where did SKOS come from? Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS) already exist in: Records Management practice (RM) Content Management Systems (CMS) Library & Information Science (LIS) practice Knowledge Management practice (KM) Generally, those KOS are not semantic web enabling systems

Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS) already exist in:

Records Management practice (RM)

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Library & Information Science (LIS) practice

Knowledge Management practice (KM)

Generally, those KOS are not semantic web enabling systems

Where did SKOS come from? Originated with EU-SWAD Transferred to W3C SWDWG Community driven input with gateway being w3C forums W3C member organizations can put participants into the SWDWG Solicited input from actual vocabulary maintainers Status is “working drafts”

Originated with EU-SWAD

Transferred to W3C SWDWG

Community driven input with gateway being w3C forums

W3C member organizations can put participants into the SWDWG

Solicited input from actual vocabulary maintainers

Status is “working drafts”

What’s it all about? Recognize that semantic technologies need a framework that provides lexical and conceptual understanding Desire to improve search facilities & KOS re-use Concept based search instead of text based search Re-use each others concept definitions Relevant results in search across institution boundaries

Recognize that semantic technologies need a framework that provides lexical and conceptual understanding

Desire to improve search facilities & KOS re-use

Concept based search instead of text based search

Re-use each others concept definitions

Relevant results in search across institution boundaries

What’s it all about? Capture the similarities across many traditional KOS Make those similarities explicit Create a standard and specification for the use of classification systems, thesauri, and other KOS Enable a light weight, portable migration path What’s W3C trying to achieve with SKOS?

Capture the similarities across many traditional KOS

Make those similarities explicit

Create a standard and specification for the use of classification systems, thesauri, and other KOS

Enable a light weight, portable migration path

Under the hood URI (reference) SKOS vocabulary RDF vocabulary RDF graphs (diagrams) Set of classes & properties to describe concept schemas Extensible language Counterpart of Web Ontology Language (OWL) In short, it’s code & RDF graphs

URI (reference)

SKOS vocabulary

RDF vocabulary

RDF graphs (diagrams)

Set of classes & properties to describe concept schemas

Extensible language

Counterpart of Web Ontology Language (OWL)

In short, it’s code & RDF graphs

Under the hood Basic structure: skos:Concept Lexical labeling: skos:prefLabel skos:altLabel Semantic relations: skos:broader skos:narrower skos:related SKOS Core Vocabulary Documentation: skos:definition skos:note skos:example skos:scopeNote skos:historyNote

Basic structure:

skos:Concept

Lexical labeling:

skos:prefLabel

skos:altLabel

Semantic relations:

skos:broader

skos:narrower

skos:related

Documentation: skos:definition

skos:note

skos:example

skos:scopeNote skos:historyNote

Under the hood Graph by Alistair Miles

Under the hood Code by Corey A. Harper

Why do I care about code? Isn’t that for developers You should care about what SKOS can enable in the user experience It supports Semantic Web visions Under the hood

You should care about what SKOS can enable in the user experience

It supports Semantic Web visions

“ Knowledge” has logical interrelationships and dependencies … e.g., if I am a Zoologist, I am also a Scientist e.g., if Jenifer is my mother, then she is also one of my parents e.g., if an animal eats only vegetation, then it is a herbivore e.g., if Liz is my sister, and Holly is Liz’s daughter, then Holly is my niece How can I use this?

“ Knowledge” has logical interrelationships and dependencies …

e.g., if I am a Zoologist, I am also a Scientist

e.g., if Jenifer is my mother, then she is also one of my parents

e.g., if an animal eats only vegetation, then it is a herbivore

e.g., if Liz is my sister, and Holly is Liz’s daughter, then Holly is my niece

How can I use this? Facilitates a system having “knowledge” about the content it is presenting “ Where are pictures of my family members” cross application query Grandpa Grandfather Aunt Nephew Brother Sister Sibling Parent Mother Son SKOS can build the relations between concepts so that a system will “know” that a “sibling” and a “sister” are both relevant in a search for “family”.

How can I use this? “ We had a ball” comment in a social network entry Context determines meaning SKOS helps solve ambiguation problems Did the author mean “fun”, “toy ball”, or “formal dance”

“ We had a ball” comment in a social network entry

How can I use this? “ I need an allen wrench” is a consumer motivation for search Store A labels them “allen wrench” Store B labels them “hex key” Store C labels them “zeta key” Within repositories Across repositories Brand A labels them “allen wrench” Brand B labels them “hex key” Supports concept-based search With term-based search all results may not be returned.

“ I need an allen wrench” is a consumer motivation for search

Store A labels them “allen wrench”

Store B labels them “hex key”

Store C labels them “zeta key”

Brand A labels them “allen wrench”

Brand B labels them “hex key”

With term-based search all results may not be returned.

How can I use this? With SKOS we are not talking about bringing ‘order’ to the entire web SKOS can enable businesses or communities with a common interest to bringing order and understanding to a part of the web Important consideration

With SKOS we are not talking about bringing ‘order’ to the entire web

SKOS can enable businesses or communities with a common interest to bringing order and understanding to a part of the web

How can I use this? GEMET - GEneral Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus Compilation of several multilingual vocabularies, and has been designed as a general thesaurus , Define core general terminology for the environment. The current version is available in 22 languages, and contains over 6,000 descriptors http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet Who else is using SKOS?

GEMET - GEneral Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus

Compilation of several multilingual vocabularies, and has been designed as a general thesaurus ,

Define core general terminology for the environment.

The current version is available in 22 languages, and contains over 6,000 descriptors

http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet

How can I use this? UKAT – UK Archival Thesaurus Subject thesaurus for the archive sector in the UK. Controlled vocabulary for archives to use when indexing their collections and catalogues http://www.ukat.org.uk/ Who else is using SKOS?

UKAT – UK Archival Thesaurus

Subject thesaurus for the archive sector in the UK.

Controlled vocabulary for archives to use when indexing their collections and catalogues

http://www.ukat.org.uk/

How can I use this? SWED - Semantic Web Environmental Directory directory of environmental organizations and projects (UK based) It is a proof of concept for creating a sustainable and scalable web-based system of Community Information Resources Directory member organizations publish, own and control their own information. This information is then harvested and collated by SWED who produce a directory Web site www.swed.org.uk Who else is using SKOS?

SWED - Semantic Web Environmental Directory

directory of environmental organizations and projects (UK based)

It is a proof of concept for creating a sustainable and scalable web-based system of Community Information Resources

Directory member organizations publish, own and control their own information.

This information is then harvested and collated by SWED who produce a directory Web site

www.swed.org.uk

SWED

Questions & Discussion

SKOS Resources SKOS DataZone http://esw.w3.org/topic/SkosDev/DataZone SKOS Tool Shed http://esw.w3.org/topic/SkosDev/ToolShed SKOS development discussion list [email_address]

SKOS DataZone

http://esw.w3.org/topic/SkosDev/DataZone

SKOS Tool Shed

http://esw.w3.org/topic/SkosDev/ToolShed

SKOS development discussion list

[email_address]