RDF representation (Encoding) of the DDI 4 Model (prototype) - seeking review

= Review announcement of the DDI 4 model including the RDF representation =

This review period is through the end of March. This preliminary version is not intended for production but provides an opportunity to test and provide feedback on DDI 4.

*** The download package of this prototype release is available at https://ddi-alliance.atlassian.net/wiki/download/attachments/531136529/ddi-4-prototype.7z. see below for manifest.
*** Please file any comments at the related JIRA site: https://ddi-alliance.atlassian.net/projects/TC (click on "+" in the left column) or send an email to ddisecretariat@umich.edu.

The RDF representation of the DDI 4 model is part of the DDI 4 specification. It is intended to make DDI 4 instance data available on the Semantic Web.

The RDF representation captures the DDI 4 model according to a set of rules which are documented in a separate document ("mapping from UML models to RDF models" in folder ddi-4-prototype/bindings/rdf of the download package). The RDF representation of this prototype release doesn't use any other RDF vocabularies. Future RDF representations will include the usage of common and common RDF vocabularies, e.g. DCAT, in areas where a mapping of DDI 4 classes to classes of other RDF vocabularies make sense.

The whole DDI 4 model is expressed in a monolithic OWL ontology and ShEx schema. Future RDF representations might include ways for defining subsets of the model for specific purposes (functional views).

A set of RDF examples is provided to illustrate the usage of the model for specific purposes ( see ddi-4-prototype/bindings/rdf/RDF_Examples in the download package). The examples are generated on the basis of the hand-written XML examples. The OWL, XML and ShEx schemas provide instance validation as well as a solid basis for transforming metadata between XML and RDF.

For this release, we would appreciate suggested mappings to popular ontologies and comments on the OWL ontology, transformation rules, RDF examples, and roundtrip of metadata between XML and RDF.
  
Furthermore, review comments are sought on any or all of the following aspects of DDI4:
  * UML model
  * XML representation
  * Documentation content and structure
  * Functional Views - concept and implementation (ddi-4-prototype/documentation/html/View/index.html)
  * Patterns - concept and implementation of Collections, Process, Methodology, and Signification (ddi-4-prototype/documentation/html/userguides/patterns.html)
  * Overall development process
  * Coverage (ddi-4-prototype/documentation/html/Introduction/mappings.html)
  * Specific regions of the model (i.e. conceptual and representation) (ddi-4-prototype/documentation/html/Package/Conceptual/index.html, ddi-4-prototype/documentation/html/Package/Representations/index.html)

*** Further information on DDI and this prototype release

DDI 4 has potential as a metadata standard for cross-domain research data. Large parts of DDI 4 are independent from the social science domain. Especially in the areas of data description, conceptual, and workflows (for process description), DDI 4 will be useful for a cross-domain approach. The DDI 4 data description is based on two powerful techniques: first, the datum-based approach which enables the description of data in many forms (also data lakes and legacy forms); second, the variable cascade which links conceptual definitions down to the instance variable.

Work Products of the DDI Alliance: http://www.ddialliance.org/about/work-products-of-ddi-alliance

The DDI Alliance released a prototype of DDI 4. DDI 4 is a large UML model library for describing research and other data. Subsets of the library — called views — are provided for specific user perspectives. Encodings in other technologies, XML Schema and OWL/RDF, are available as well.

Existing versions of DDI (DDI Codebook and DDI Lifecycle) have been used extensively to describe the data produced by surveys and other observational methods in the social, behavioral, economic, and health sciences. They can document and manage different stages in the research data lifecycle, such as conceptualization, collection, processing, distribution, discovery, and archiving.

For DDI Codebook and DDI Lifecycle, see: http://www.ddialliance.org/explore-documentation


= The 7zip Manifest =
  binding - representations in OWL/RDF and XML Schema
    rdf
      OWL Representation.pdf - Purpose and focus of the RDF representation in the DDI 4 prototype
      DDI_4-DR0.2-OWL.xml - ontology (as XML) for the whole DDI 4 model
        This file can be explored for example in the software Protégé (https://protege.stanford.edu/).
      DDI4 Schema.html - OWL documentation (as HTML) (related directory "DDI4 Schema_files")
      RDF_Examples - generated from the files in ../xsd/XML_examples 
      DDI_4-DR0.2.shex - ShExC file (for validation purposes)
      README on Shape Expressions.html
      mapping from UML models to RDF models.html - The documentation on the transformation rules from the DDI 4 model (as Canonical XMI) to OWL
    xsd - XML Schemas
      XML_Examples
  documentation
    html/index.html - entry point for documentation including high-level and class-level documentation, and class diagrams
  source - UML as XMI
    canonical - portable UML model for import into UML tools and related documentation
      DDI4_PIM_canonical.xmi
-- 
-eric

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Received on Wednesday, 20 February 2019 15:25:24 UTC