Fwd: [schemaorg/schemaorg] Improving Dataset descriptions (#1083)

Dear All,

The following discussion on the schema.org list looks to be relevant to our work on dataset descriptions for bioschemas.

Alasdair

> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> Subject: Re: [schemaorg/schemaorg] Improving Dataset descriptions (#1083)
> Date: Tue, 9 May 2017 13:52:03 -0700
> From: Simon Cox <notifications@github.com> <mailto:notifications@github.com>
> Reply-To: schemaorg/schemaorg <reply+006f662f151279cfcebafe2ed0ec66ef64ddac19901a875b92cf000000011529edf392a16> <mailto:reply+006f662f151279cfcebafe2ed0ec66ef64ddac19901a875b92cf000000011529edf392a16>
> To: schemaorg/schemaorg <schemaorg@noreply.github.com> <mailto:schemaorg@noreply.github.com>
> CC: CaroleGoble <carole.goble@manchester.ac.uk> <mailto:carole.goble@manchester.ac.uk>, Mention <mention@noreply.github.com> <mailto:mention@noreply.github.com>
> 
> BTW - the use of the word 'Measured' also has this problem - 'Measure' usually applies to data collection activities with quantitative, but not categorical results. So variableMeasured has the risk that it implicitly excludes datasets where the 'values' are catergories rather than numbers.
> 
> There are precedents from several scientific domains to use the more general term 'Observed' and 'Observation' (rather than Measured and Measurement) to allow for both categories and quantities. SSN [1] & O&M [2] use 'observedProperty' and OBOE [3] has 'ofCharacteristic'.
> 
> [1] http://w3c.github.io/sdw/ssn/ <http://w3c.github.io/sdw/ssn/>
> [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observations_and_Measurements <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observations_and_Measurements> https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/2.1.1142.3042 <https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/2.1.1142.3042>
> [3] https://dx.doi.org/10.5063/F11C1TTM <https://dx.doi.org/10.5063/F11C1TTM>
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Alasdair J G Gray
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Assistant Professor in Computer Science,
School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences
(Athena SWAN Bronze Award)
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh UK.

Email: A.J.G.Gray@hw.ac.uk <mailto:A.J.G.Gray@hw.ac.uk>
Web: http://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33 <http://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~ajg33>
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5711-4872 <http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5711-4872>
Office: Earl Mountbatten Building 1.39
Twitter: @gray_alasdair