Linked Open Data Ecosystem for Heritage Data. Presentation held at the 5th Anniversary of the Swiss Open Cultural Data Hackathon on 29 February 2020 at the National Library in Bern.

1. Linked Open Data Ecosystem for Heritage Data
Prof. Beat Estermann, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Public Sector Transformation
GLAMhack 5th Anniversary Event, Bern, 29 February 2020
Photo: Swiss National Library, Bern, by Simon Schmid / SNL, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA 3.0.

2. From Performing Arts Data to
Heritage Data...
...let us inspire by the analogies!

3. Building a Worldwide Linked Open Data Ecosystem
for the Performing Arts
Photo: Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petesburg, by Alex ‘Florstein’ Fedorov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Source: https://linkeddigitalfuture.ca/

4. The Vision: Many Stakeholders – One Knowledge Base
Performing Arts Value Network International Knowledge Base for
the Performing Arts
Distributed
Architecture
Key Stakeholders
Usage Scenarios

5. Production
market
Based on: Bonet, L., & Schargorodsky, H. (2018). “Theatre management: models and strategies for cultural venues”. Policy, 23(2), 159-173.
Performing Arts Value Network

6. Stakeholder Requirements Regarding Data Coverage

7. Architecture of Platforms

8. Swiss Performing Arts Database
Wikidata / Wikimedia Commons
Culture Creates
concerts
State of Implementation

9. Databases
• ISNI
• VIAF
• MusicBrainz
• Discogs
• IMDb
• Songkick
• Wikidata
Relevant Base Registers / Authority Files
Entities
• Works (literary, musical, choreographic)
• Editions/Translations of Works
• Character Roles
• Performing Arts Buildings
• Humans (writers, composers, performing arts
professionals)
• Organizations (presenting organizations, musical
ensembles, theatre troupes, dance troupes)
Base registers and authority files
play a key role in
interlinking datasets
from various sources.
Some statistics (Wikidata, April 2019)
• 420’000 musical works
• 21’000 plays
• 820 choreographic works
• 11’000 character roles
• 20’000 performing arts buildings
• 260’000 musicians
• 250’000 actors/actresses
• 87’000 musical ensembles
• 5’000 theatre troupes
• 340 dance troupes
and steadily growing...
Databases
• ISNI
• VIAF
• MusicBrainz
• Discogs
• IMDb
• Songkick
• Wikidata

10. RIDEAU – Scène Pro
Scène Pro is a centralized information
system for the performing arts
production market.
Scène Pro enables re-use of the same
core data across a number of
business processes: showcase
application, event registration, and
block-booking.
Processes
database
OpenAPI
Primary
users /
contributors
Third parties
Core data
database
Metadata Metadata
Metadata

11. Culture Creates – Footlight
Source: Saumier-Finch (2019)

12. Artsdata.ca
Canadian Knowledge Graph for the Performing Arts

13. LDFI Conceptual Model / Sample Data
linkeddigitalfuture.ca

14. 1. Immediate focus should be placed on populating a Canadian performing arts
knowledge graph.
2. Wikidata is complementary to Artsdata.ca; efforts should therefore be undertaken
to contribute to its population with performing arts related data.
3. A data governance framework needs to be developed in cooperation with
representatives from across the arts sector to establish who is able to share what
type of data with whom, and who will have authority over which data/information.
4. Further research is needed to better understand user requirements with regard to
the adoption of linked open data practices in existing and emerging service
offerings.
5. Further effort is required to develop and describe novel business models that
leverage and maintain a well-functioning linked open data ecosystem for the
performing arts.
Advisory Committee – Recommendations

15. -
Creating a Linked Open Data Ecosystem
for Heritage Data – Some Elements

16. LOD Publication of Named Entities and Controlled Vocabularies
Study funded by E-Government Switzerland, 2019
▶ Great demand for base registers relating to territorial divisions, geographical location of
objects, identification of organizations.
▶ High demand for data from the Federal Statistical Office and Swisstopo;
the latter is doing a great job in publishing LOD, the former less so.
▶ Most data publishers require additional support in view of LOD publication of base
registers (tools, guidelines, consulting).
Potential for
Data Usage
Feasibility of
Data Publication
Readiness of Data
Providers
Goal:
All Important Base
Registers Published
as LOD
Prio 1
Source: Estermann, B., Gschwend, A., Haller, S., Parrales E. (2020): Basisregister und kontrollierte Vokabulare als Wegbereiter für Linked Open Data in der Schweiz.
Innovationsprojekt von E-Government Schweiz im Auftrag des Schweizerischen Bundesarchivs. Berner Fachhochschule, Institut Public Sector Transformation.

17. Authorities Files and Controlled Vocabularies Specific to the Heritage
Sector and the Digital Humanities
Authority File Data Publisher CH / Int
Gemeinsame Normdatei (GND) German National Library Int
Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Int
Inventories of Swiss Heritage Institutions Swiss National Library, Swissbib/UB Basel, Swiss Museums
Association, Association of Swiss Archivists
CH
Inventories of Cultural Properties in Switzerland Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection, cantonal and municipal
offices for monuments protection
CH
Swiss Photography Metadata Foto CH CH
Authority files on Swiss history histHub CH
Metadata of the Swiss Historical Dictionary Historisches Lexikon Schweiz (HLS) CH
Biographical catalogue of the SNL Swiss National Library CH
Metagrid (CH-related historical authority files) SAGW / Dodis CH
Union List of Artist Names (ULAN) Getty Research Institute Int
Inventory of CH-related artists SIK ISEA CH
Dewey Decimal Classification Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Int
Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) Getty Research Institute Int

18. Wikidata Hackday Series for Libraries
Second half of 2019
Swiss National Library, ETH Library, Zurich Central Library, OpenGLAM CH
Further Information: This Month in GLAM, January 2020 edition
Graph-based Query Expansion on Library Discovery System
Referencing Archival Fonds on Wikidata
Sum of All Swiss GLAMs

19. Pilot Project «Sum of All Swiss GLAMs»
OpenGLAM CH and partners, 2020

20. Pilot Project «Sum of All Swiss GLAMs» – Example Infoboxes
English Wikipedia
“Zentralbibliothek Zürich”
French Wikipedia
“Lavoslav Ružička”

21. -
Workshop

22. 1. Inventory of Swiss heritage institutions
2. Enhancing the findability of archival fonds
3. Linked data in the context of heritage data platforms: data provision
and semantic search
Workshop in Three Groups (45 minutes)
Some Guiding Questions
• Who are the key stakeholders? What are their usage / contribution scenarios?
What are user needs in terms of data and services?
• Which elements of the linked data ecosystem are you/we focusing on? What
are complementary elements in terms of value creation?
• What are meaningful next steps? (think of low hanging fruits)

23. Thank you for your attention !
Prof. Beat Estermann
Bern University of Applied Sciences
Institute for Public Sector Transformation
beat.estermann@bfh.ch
+41 31 848 34 38
https://linkeddigitalfuture.ca/