SEMIC.EU: Towards Linked Government Metadata

Vassilios PeristerasEC, DG DIGIT, ISA Unit

vassilios.peristeras@ec.europa.eu

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1. SEMIC.EU overview

2. Core Concepts and Core Vocabularies

3. Linked Government Metadata

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1SEMIC.EU Overview

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SEMIC.EU – Scope

SEMIC.EU is a platform (www.semic.eu)and a set of services around this platform

to promote semantic interoperability in EU Member States

SEMIC.EU was initiated in 2007 and it has been included as one of the “larger” actions in the new ISA Programme (2010-2015)

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SEMIC.EU – Scope

InteroperabilityAssets

12 April 2023

Communitybuilding

Taxonomies

Code listsMethods and

Concepts

Coaching &

Community building

Governance and Clearing Process

Communication Management

SEMIC.EU Platform Administration

Coordination and Project Management

Stakeholder Involvement

Guidelines and Studies

Yearly Conference

SEMIC.EU Road Show

Platform Extension

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Achievements of SEMIC.EU

> 1.200 Users> 1.200 Users> 80 Projects> 80 Projects

CommunitiesCommunities>500 Assets>500 Assets

Visible in Europe

Visible in Europe

Partner for eGovernment

Partner for eGovernment

Quality CentreSemantic

interoperability

Quality CentreSemantic

interoperabilityKnowledge base

for semanticsKnowledge base

for semantics

Sustainable Service for eGovernment

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SEMIC.EU next steps:

To enable access to national repositories of semantic assets from a single point (federation)

To identify a small set of Core Concepts (e.g. 20-30) to be developed through the harmonization of existing assets and with the involvement of MSs

Create an EU Semantic Interoperability Community of Practice (EU/SICoP) where MSs representatives discuss issues and share experiences in semantic interoperability

SEMIC.EU future directions (2011-2015)

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2SEMIC.EU Core Concepts and Core Vocabularies

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Core Concept – Vision

Semantic definitions should be commonly agreed

on fundamental, highly reusable concepts

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Core Concept – Challenges

Is it possible to define an entity (concept) in a way that remains relevant in different contexts?

Is it possible for 27 MSs to agree on common semantics?

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Core Concept - Definition

A Core Concept is a simplified data model that captures the minimal, global, generic, country and

domain neutral characteristics/properties of an entity.

A Core Concept can be represented as Core Vocabulary using various formalisms (e.g. XML, RDF)

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Core Concept - Definition

• Definitions could first be agreed on fundamental concepts (Core), where diverged and/or conflicting views are less intense.

• A Core Concept/Vocabulary

Is highly reusable: the specification is simple and captures basic and generic characteristics of an information entity, regardless of the context this entity is used

Is extensible: domain specific specializations can be drafted on top of the core representation.

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Core Concept – The Core Person Example

Core Vocabulary• Identification of a person in

eGovernment context• Based on the evaluation of 4

assets (Person models of Austria, Denmark, France and Germany)

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Core Concept – Core Person Instantiations

Core Patient Core Voter Core Employee Core Student

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CorePerson – Initial Implementations

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Implementations and mappings

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Core Concepts - Principles of development

1. Share ownership and involve the MSs

2. Identify 20-30 top reusable conceptse.g. Person, Vehicle, Building, Company, Project

3. Reuse existing vocabularies/definitions

4. Use a minimalistic approach Minimize the number of attributes, keep schemas simple.

5. Draft semantic documentation… to guarantee the proper reuse of a schema.

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3SEMIC.EU Linked Government Metadata

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Linked eGovernment Metadata

Core Concepts as Linked eGovernment Metadata

a) provide the core concepts as metadata schemas in open formats (e.g. xml, csv) including rdfs

b) link and reuse terms from existing rdf vocabularies

c) provide URIs for the new terms introduced

Core Concepts as Linked eGovernment Metadata

a) provide the core concepts as metadata schemas in open formats (e.g. xml, csv) including rdfs

b) link and reuse terms from existing rdf vocabularies

c) provide URIs for the new terms introduced

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Linked eGovernment Metadata Repository

XML

JSONRDF

UML

CSV

Linked Government Metadata Repository

Linked Government Metadata Repository

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Draft Time Plan

Q2/2011 Q3/2011 Q4/2011 Q1/2012

Identification of Core Concepts

Core Concepts Development and Review

Vocabularies development

Vocabulary Platform Implementation

Q2/2012

Vassilios PeristerasEC, DG DIGIT, ISA Unit

vassilios.peristeras@ec.europa.eu

SEMIC.EU: Towards Linked Government Metadata