Introduction to Controlled Vocabularies (Term / Code Lists)
Controlled Vocabularies What: list of standardised terms to choose from Aim: easier to transfer and interpret data, also allows automated interoperability MEDIN usage: Data Guidelines and Discovery Metadata Standard Vocabularies are available directly by manual lookup – e.g. SeaDataNet ‘served’ machine to machine - e.g. the NERC Vocabulary Server ReSTful interface
Example – Platform types Populates the platformType field in Detailed Metadata in Data Guidelines
Availability through website www.oceannet.org
SeaDataNet client http://seadatanet.maris2.nl/v_bodc_vocab_v2/welcome.asp Instruments, platforms, sea areas, geometries etc
MEDIN Keywords Keywords describe certain aspects of your dataset MEDIN recommends “BODC Parameter Discovery Vocabulary” – P02
SeaDataNet hierarchies Parameter relationships and discovery How best to choose your P02 term?
NERC Vocab Service: Located at: http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/ Uses Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) concepts to build URLs: Format is: http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/collectionID/collectionVersion/status/ Example: http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P02/current/accepted/ Fully computer readable. Output in XML
Other Useful Vocabularies http://www.epsg.org/ http://www.marinespecies.org/msbias/index.php http://www.ices.dk/datacentre/reco/
How to add? E-mail Sean Gaffney sgaf@bodc.ac.uk - check with appropriate governance group.
Practical Aim – to familiarise yourself with different controlled vocabularies Navigate to the MEDIN webpage for controlled vocabularies www.oceannet.org 2) Find: Two different area codes for the Irish Sea (use SeaDataNet vocabularies) The AphiaID for UK species ‘Mytilus edulis’ (use MSBIAS) Code for the horizontal coordinate reference system WGS 84 [2D projection, world] (use EPSG) The entrykey, vocabulary name and associated date for a Keyword for “Man-made Structure” WIN AN AMAZING PRIZE
Answers a)1_4 (using SeaVoX gazeteer) [or 19 using SeaDataNet sea areas] * b)140480 c) EPSG: 4326 d) MMST SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary date last modified 2008-01-30 * - SeaVoX, not SeaDataNet sea areas, is the agreed MEDIN vocabulary for water bodies