JOINING UP GOVERNMENTS EUROPEANCOMMISSION

Promoting (meta)-data standards

- The European Commission ISA Programme perspective

Workshop on Open Gov Data StandardisationKoblenz, 17/09/2013

vassilios.peristeras@ec.europa.eu

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Content

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Introduction and Background

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Cooperating partners with compatible visions, aligned priorities, and focused objectives

Political context

Semantic Interoperability in the European Interoperability Framework

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What is “Semantic Interoperability”

How to promote semantic interoperability? 

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Semantic Standards

Semantic Standards = common ways to describe information

• Generic and abstract data models (data patterns)

• Reference data (e.g. codelists, taxonomies, dictionaries, vocabularies)

Sharing and Reuse of semantic standards contributes to:

a) Reduce development costs, not reinventing the wheel

b) Reduce integration, and sharing of information costs

c) Increase interoperability between systems

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Content

ADMS & Catalogue of semantic standards

How to increase visibility of semantic standards

A large number of semantic standards already exists

These are scattered in numerous places linked with various initiatives

– Several national initiatives to create repositories/libraries/catalogs of semantic standards (e.g. Germany, Denmark, Finland, Estonia…)

– Standardization bodies and third party initiatives generate valuable and highly reusable specifications (e.g. OASIS, W3C, UN/CEFACT…)

– Independent projects make available semantic standards to their own websites

How could we promote reuse at a European level?

The need for federation

How could we promote use of semantic standards at a European level?

… by increasing the visibility of what already exists

…enabling a federation of semantic standards repositories

– Cross-querying and discovery should be supported

– Respect the autonomy of each repository

How to federate?

Common template (metadata) for describing semantic standards

Asset Description Metadata Schema (ADMS)

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16people

Member States representatives

Multi-disciplinary working group

Statistics October 2011-April 2012

Number of virtual meetings of ADMS Working Group

Number of messages on ADMS WG mailing list

Number of accesses to ADMS versions on Joinup

Number of public comments

Number of JIRA issues tracked and resolvedGovernment

Business

Academia Libraries

Repository owners

Standardisation bodies

Wide range of backgrounds

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295

> 2500

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232

ADMS Working Group in figures

ADMS endorsement

• May 2012: Endorsed by the EU member states (ISA Coordination Group)

ADMS implementation

• Semantic standards are described using ADMS

• Features simple and advanced search of semantic standards

• 2000+ semantic standards from 25 repositories are currently searchable through Joinup (Sep. 2013)

ADMS-based federation of semantic standards repositories

Catalogue of semantic standards

Since January 2013

ADMS as W3C Note

Core Vocabularies

ADMS & Catalogue of semantic standards

"…What has been discovered over the years is that there are a number of structures that are universal and applicable to all kinds of organizations, both private and public. There are four fundamental categories: People and Organizations, Geography, Physical Resources and Activities and Events"

David Hay, Describing the World: Data Patterns

Core Vocabularies

Core vocabularies

Simplified, re-usable, generic and extensible data models that capture the fundamental characteristics of a data entity in a context-neutral fashion.

CORE

VOCABULARY

PUBLICSERVICE

CORE

VOCABULARY

PUBLICSERVICE

Core Vocabularies

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Usage

- New systems: As default starting points for data modeling

- Existing systems: - As reference data models for integration and

information sharing- As export specifications for publishing open

data

Core Vocabularies

CORE

VOCABULARY

PUBLICSERVICE

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How ISA develops Core Vocabularies

Core Business TF: chaired by DG MARKT (European Business Registry project)

Core Location TF: chaired by EC Joint Research Centre/H6 (INSPIRE Directive)

Core Person TF: chaired by EUROJUST

Core Vocabularies Working Group

W3C methodology

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21people

Member States and the US, South Africa and Croatia

Multi disciplinary working group

+EU institutions

Standardization bodies

External experts/academia

ISA Open Metadata License v1.1

https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/category/licence/isa-open-metadata-licence-v11

License

Core Vocabularies specs

Core Vocabularies are available through the Join.up platform since April 2012

Core Vocabularies have been endorsed by the member states in the context of the ISA Coordination Group, May 2012

Core Business Vocabulary as W3C Note

Pilots using Linked Data technologies

Core Vocabularies

ADMS & Catalogue of semantic standards

5 Linked Data pilots featuring the Core Vocabularies

1) Interconnecting Belgian address data using the Core Location Vocabulary– In collaboration with AGIV, CIRB, bpost, FEDICT, SPW, 

NGI /IGN and EC INSPIRE team. – Pilot available at: http://location.testproject.eu/BEL/

2) Linking national plant protection products registers In collaboration with DG SANCO and agencies from 8 Member States, i.e. Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, The Netherlands and Sweden. • Pilot available at: http://health.tesproject.eu/PPP/ • using the Registered Organization Vocabulary

5 Linked Data pilots featuring the Core Vocabularies

3) Publishing organisational data as Linked Open Government Data– In collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Administrative

Reform and e-Government and Agenzia per l'Italia Digitale. – Pilot available at: http://org.testproject.eu/MAREG/

4) Reusable public service descriptions using the Core Public Service Vocabulary

– In collaboration with SPOCS and e-CODEX large scale pilots, Flemish Intergovernmental Product and Service Catalogue and DERI, National University of Ireland, Galway.

– Pilot available at: http://cpsv.testproject.eu/CPSV/

5 Linked Data pilots featuring the Core Vocabularies

5) Interconnecting maritime surveillance data using the Core Location and the Registered Organization Vocabularies – In collaboration with DG MARE, EMSA and the Spanish

Armada.– Pilot available at: http://maritime.testproject.eu/CISE/

(under development)

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6) eCodex LSP uses the Core Person vocabulary for exchanging judicial information amongst EU MSs

7) The Flemish Local Authority Association has used all Core Vocabularies and has created an extension to cover local authorities needs

8) eSENS LSP will use ADMS to document interoperability solutions across Europe

Core Vocabularies uptake

Guidelines & good practices

Pilots using Linked Data technologies

Core Vocabularies

ADMS & Catalogue of semantic standards

Re-useDo not

reinvent

More good practices & case studies

Guidelines & good practices

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Content

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Next Steps

• Raise awareness on semantic standards • Promote the use of Core Vocabularies and ADMS• Develop operational pilots using the core vocabularies and

linked data• Work towards metadata alignment in MSs and in EU

institutions• Support DGs and MSs in metadata, and reference data

management• Identify high value data and make it available as open and

linked data • Develop more core vocabularies

• Technical standards have contributed to mature solutions at the technical interoperability layer for decades

• Semantic standards are still missing to address semantic interoperability

• The EC ISA Programme has initiated work in this area to promote semantic standardization

Conclusions

References

• ISA Programme, Action 1.1 on semantic interoperability: http://ec.europa.eu/isa/actions/01-trusted-information-exchange/1-1action_en.htm

• Joinup platform: https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/

• Open Government Metadata: https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/elibrary/document/towards-open-government-metadata

• Core Vocabularies:

– http://joinup.ec.europa.eu/asset/core_business/description

– https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/asset/core_location/description

– http://joinup.ec.europa.eu/asset/core_person/description

– http://joinup.ec.europa.eu/asset/core_public_service/description

• DCAT-AP: http://joinup.ec.europa.eu/asset/dcat_application_profile/description

• ADMS: http://joinup.ec.europa.eu/asset/adms/description

• Federation of semantic assets repositories: http://joinup.ec.europa.eu/catalogue/all?current_checkbox=1

• ADMS promotion video: http://ec.europa.eu/isa/library/videos/isa_adms.mp4

Contact us

vassilios.peristeras@ec.europa.eu

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