[dxwg] Formally align PROF to DCAT (#808)

nicholascar has just created a new issue for https://github.com/w3c/dxwg:

== Formally align PROF to DCAT ==
Formally include DCAT alignment in the Profiles Vocabulary. The alignment would be made like this: `prof:Profile rdfs:subClass of dcat:Resource .`

### Changes
* `prof:Profile rdfs:subClassof dcat:Resource .`
* `prof:hasArtifact` replaced by `dcat:downloadURL` and `accessURL`
* `prof:ProfileResource rdfs:subClassOf dcat:Distribution .`

NB : prof:hasResource is not a sub-property of dcat:distribution because the domain of dcat:distribution is dcat:Dataset.   Implementations may declare this is if required, to catalog profile descriptions using dcat:Dataset .  prof:Profile and dcat:DataSet are not disjoint.

#### Why now?
* DCAT had not previously defined abstract dcat:Resource
* It was not clear if something described in a document could be a dcat:Dataset
* It was open for debate whether a dcat:Distribution was “informationally equivalent” to a Dataset

### Pros
* Some PROF properties are able to be deprecated in favour of long-standing DCAT properties
* Other previously proposed PROF classes and properties can be interpreted in the light of DCAT classes and properties which are widely understood
* Use of DCAT indicates how to apply basic metadata properties to profiles since, if a prof:Profile is a dcat:Resource, then users would expect to see dtc:title etc. for it
dcat:downloadURL and accessURL is more nuanced that hasArtifact
* Resolves the debate about whether to force properties of distributions to be attached to the accessURL or allowed in the cataloged component (e.g. dct:format) 

### Cons
* PROF now has a dependency on DCAT (revised) which is a new (implication: somewhat un-tested) ontology
* PROF has to both differentiate its classes and properties from other DCAT classes and properties while still being DCAT-compatible

### Implications:
* Revisit if ProfileResource should be named more like Distribution (ProfileDistribution)





Please view or discuss this issue at https://github.com/w3c/dxwg/issues/808 using your GitHub account

Received on Thursday, 7 March 2019 22:04:33 UTC