Linked Art aims to enhance cultural heritage data through a standards-based metadata profile that emphasizes usability, sustainability, and interoperability. It defines a conceptual model and vocabulary for entities related to cultural heritage, encouraging both human and machine usability. The initiative focuses on providing accessible, reusable, and findable data to facilitate research and user engagement in cultural heritage contexts.

1. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Linked Art:
Sustainable Cultural Knowledge
through Linked Open Usable Data
https://linked.art/
Robert Sanderson
Director for Cultural Heritage
Metadata
robert.sanderson@yale.edu
@azaroth42

2. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Why do we need Linked Art?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/usability
Cultural Heritage data needs to be FAIR:
• Findable – Persistent identifier and metadata
• Accessible – (Persistently) retrievable
• Interoperable – Uses shared standards, links out
• Reusable – Accurate, open license and standards
Linked Art provides a Standards based metadata profile
Linked Art is designed for Usabilty and ease of
implementation, which are prerequisites for Sustainability

3. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
What is Data Usability?
… usability is the degree to which [a thing]
can be used by specified consumers to
achieve [their] quantified objectives with
effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction
in a quantified context of use.
who
what
how
where
Usability is dependent on the Audience
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/usability
“ ”

4. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
With thanks to Patrick Hochstenbach, @hochstenbach
Who is the Audience for LOD?

5. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
LOUD: Easy to Use … by Developers!

6. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
The API is the Developers’ User Interface
When it comes to APIs, developers are
your users. The same principles of user-
centred-design apply to the development
and publication of APIs (simplicity,
obviousness, fit-for-purpose etc)
http://apiguide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/principles/empathy.html
“ ”

7. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
W3C Priority of Constituencies
In case of conflict, consider …
https://www.w3.org/TR/html-design-principles/
“
”
users …
over authors …
over implementers …
over theoretical purity.
Developers
Data Editors
Tool Builders
Ontology

8. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Trade Off: Usable vs Complete

9. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Target Zone

10. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Sustainability: Progressive Enhancement

11. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Progressive Enhancement
• Data for: Humans - Strings
• Separate entities, with searchable textual descriptions
• Data for: Machines - Structured
• Entities with machine-processable, comparable values
• Data for: The Graph - d’Stributed
• Entities are connected (within and across systems)
• Data for: Research - Stringent
• Sufficient accuracy and comprehensiveness to answer
research questions from aggregated data
Human
Machine
Graph
Research

12. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
• Conceptual Model
• Abstract way to think about the world,
holistically, consistently and coherently
• Ontology
• Shared set of terms to encode that thinking
in a logical, machine-actionable way
• Vocabulary
• Curated set of sub-domain specific terms,
to make the ontology more concrete
encodes
refines
Model
Ontology
Vocabulary
Abstraction Standards

13. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
encodes
refines
specialized by available by
Model
Ontology
Vocabulary
Profile
API
Implementation Standards
A Profile is a selection of
appropriate abstractions,
to encode the scope of
what can be described.
An API is a selection of
appropriate technologies,
to give access to the data
managed using the profile.

14. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Linked Art Profile
• Domain: Cultural Heritage, especially Artworks
• Model: CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model
• Ontology: RDF encoding of CRM 7.1, plus extensions
• Vocabulary: Getty AAT, plus minimal extensions
• Format: JSON-LD with 10 primary document boundaries
• Target: 90% of the use cases with 10% of the effort
https://linked.art/

15. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Conceptual Model From 50,000 Feet
what
when
who
where
/
how

16. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
5 “Main” Entity Types
• Human Made Object:
A distinct physical thing that could be touched
• Linguistic Object:
Content in a human language that could be read/heard
• Visual Item:
Content with an identified appearance that can be seen
• Digital Object:
A digital thing that exists on a computer
• Set:
An identifiable grouping of zero or more entities

17. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
5 “Connected” Entity Types
• Person:
A human, alive or dead
• Group:
One or more Persons, or other Groups, that act collectively
• Place:
A geospatial extent, describable with coordinates
• Concept:
A conceptual thing, often used to characterize or classify
• Events, Provenance, Exhibitions:
An event or activity that occurred at some point in time

18. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Model by Example

19. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

20. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Object Type

21. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

22. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Title

23. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

24. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Identifier / Accession Number

25. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

26. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Dimension Statement

27. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

28. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Data for Machines: Comparable Values

29. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

30. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

31. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

32. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

33. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Data for the Graph: Linking Entities

34. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

35. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

36. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu

37. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Why?
How did European Artists paint the
American West during the 1800s?
Yosemite
Valley,
Glacier
Point
Trail,
Albert
Bierstadt,
1873
https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/4964

38. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Model

39. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Values from Data

40. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Reconciled Entities

41. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Enriched from External Authorities

42. Introduction
to
Linked
Art
@azaroth42
robert.
sanderson
@yale.edu
Thank You!
Discussion?