The Berlin Semantic Web MeetUp is an informal meeting of interested scientists, practitioners and other experts for the exchange of knowledge and experiences in the field.

1. Technische Hochschule Brandenburg · Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences Page 1
Prof. Dr. Vera G. Meister · Semantic Web Meetup Berlin
18.05.2017
SKOS Introduction
Based on an Example from Practice

2. Technische Hochschule Brandenburg · Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences Page 2
Enterprise Knowledge Organization Systems - Example
18.05.2017Berlin Semantic Web MeetUp – SKOS Introduction
Product Catalog Company X
Taxonomy – Hierarchy along industries
Product Catalog Company Y
Controlled Vocabulary – Categories along product
features
• How can they be brought together?
• How objects can be identified and/or characterized?
Products
Beauty
Products
Farming
Products
…
Creme X0815
Shampoo X0825
…
Fertilizer X4711
Insecticid X4736
…
Liquid Products
Definition: Liquid Products are …
Synonyms: Flüssige Produkte
List of Products
Shampoo Y2436
Creme Y1345
…
Dry Products
Definition: Dry Products are …
Synonyms: Trockenprodukte
List of Products
Insecticid Y6978
…
Merge?

3. Technische Hochschule Brandenburg · Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences Page 3
18.05.2017
Solution given by SKOS
1. Focus on Concepts
• represent items of the real worls (e.g. products) or abstract items (product categories)
• by a standardized ID (Uniform Resource Identifier)
2. Concepts can be denoted and described in different ways and languages
3. Concepts can be collected in ConceptSchemes according to domains or organizations
4. Concepts within one ConceptScheme can be interrelated
• in weak hierarchies: broader, narrower (no classification)
• or in an unspecified way: related
5. Concepts of different ConceptSchemes can be mapped as same, similar, broader, narrower
6. Concepts can even be mapped to the Web of Data and thereby semantically enriched
Berlin Semantic Web MeetUp – SKOS Introduction

4. Technische Hochschule Brandenburg · Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences Page 4
18.05.2017
SKOS as W3C Standard Specification
• Simple Knowledge Organization System
• Published by the W3C at August 18, 2009 – after 5 years of community development
- Based on RDF – the Semantic Web standard for information exchange
- Compliant with ISO 25964 – the international standard for thesauri and interoperability with
other vocabularies
• Bridging technology for formal representation of semiformal knowledge organization
systems, like thesauri, taxonomies, classification schemes and subject heading lists
• Main editors:
- Alistair Miles, STFC Rutherford Appleton Lab
- Sean Bechhofer, University of Manchester
• Main technical reference:
https://www.w3.org/TR/skos-reference/
Berlin Semantic Web MeetUp – SKOS Introduction

5. Technische Hochschule Brandenburg · Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences Page 5
18.05.2017
SKOS Model
scopeNote
ConceptScheme
Concept
semanticRelation
hasTopConceptinScheme
Collection
OrderedCollection
rdf:List
memberList
Documentation
historyNote
example
editorialNote
definition
changeNote
member
note
member
Labeling
hiddenLabel
altLabel
prefLabel
Notation
notation
Semantic
related
narrower
broader
broaderTransitive
narrowerTransitive
Mapping
relatedMatch
narrowMatch
broadMatch
closeMatch
exactMatch
Application
Creme X0815
Beauty Products
Creme Y1345
Liquid Products
broader
closeMatch
broadMatch
Beauty Creme X
(alternativeLabel)
Source:
Sean Bechhofer „SKOS: Past, Present and
Future. ESWC 2010.
Berlin Semantic Web MeetUp – SKOS Introduction

6. Technische Hochschule Brandenburg · Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences Page 6
18.05.2017
SKOS XL
Berlin Semantic Web MeetUp – SKOS Introduction
SKOS eXtension for Labels –
allows treating labels as nodes
with metadata
Source:
Jonas Jetschni: Konzeption eines Knowledge Graphen für
den Service-Desk zur Unterstützung von wissensinten-
siven Prozessen in einem großen Softwareunternehmen.
Master Thesis. TH Brandenburg, 2017.

7. Technische Hochschule Brandenburg · Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences Page 7
Thank you for your attention!
More Information at: http://bmake.th-brandenburg.de
Prof. Dr. Vera G. Meister ∙ E-Mail: vera.meister@th-brandenburg.de
Head of BMaKE Research Group