Recommendations: URIs

There has been a small group working on defining the LLD Issues[1] for  
our report, followed by the Recommendations[2]. Since these are both  
long and complex wiki pages, we felt it would be better to post  
individual topics for discussion here on the list (although it would  
probably be a good idea for everyone to give a quick glance at the ToC  
of each page to get an overview and context for the discussion).

To start, here are three recommendations relating to use of  
identifiers and in particular URIs, that we can discuss as a unit:


*Create URIs for library resources in good time*

Library data cannot be used in a linked data environment if URIs for  
specific resources and the concepts of library standards are not  
available. The official owners of resource data and standards should  
assign URIs in good time, as application developers and other users of  
such data will not delay their activities. They are more likely to  
assign URIs themselves, outside of the owning institution. When owners  
are not able to assign URIs in good time, they should be prepared to  
allow others to do so, to avoid proliferation of URIs for the same  
thing and encourage re-use of URIs already assigned.

*Develop policies for namespaces*

Organizations and individuals who create and maintain URIs for  
resources and standards will benefit if they develop policies for the  
namespaces used to derive those URIs. Policies might cover

     * Use of patterns to design URIs, based on good practice guidelines.
     * Persistence of URIs.
     * Good practice guidelines and recipes for constructing  
ontologies and structured vocabularies.
     * Version control for individual URIs and the namespace itself.

*Declare namespaces and URIs in metadata registries*

Owners of namespaces will benefit if they declare URIs and associated  
data in one or more metadata registries, although this is not a  
requirement for effective use of linked data. Registries make it  
easier for potential users to find, identify, select, and obtain URIs  
for their own applications. They can store information about a  
namespace as a whole, including intended audience, context, and  
ownership. Registries may provide additional facilities for  
maintaining a namespace, including editing screens, version control,  
and change notification. Registries bring namespaces from different  
sources together and help encourage mixing and matching of URIs to  
suit specific purposes, and thus encourage re-use of existing URIs.

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Please post any comments, suggestions, etc., that you have!

kc

[1] http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/lld/wiki/Draft_issues_page
[2] http://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/lld/wiki/Draft_recommendations_page

-- 
Karen Coyle
kcoyle@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net
ph: 1-510-540-7596
m: 1-510-435-8234
skype: kcoylenet

Received on Friday, 22 April 2011 16:16:55 UTC