Knowledge Modeling Process model

Linked Open Terms

Publishes controlled terms with stable HTTP IRIs, definitions, relations, and versioning.

Linked Open Terms combines vocabulary governance with Linked Data principles. Every term receives a dereferenceable IRI, human- and machine-readable representation, status, and provenance.

Core question

How do we publish each term stably, understandably, linked, and versionable?

Plan Linked Open Terms Method guide

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Participants: 2-8
Time: Wochen bis Monate

Linked Open Terms uses HTTP IRI, SKOS/RDF description, content negotiation, provenance, and deprecation policy. Assessments remain justified and context-bound.

Paper illustration of Linked Open Terms with its method-specific working model.

Model term
Model term
Define description, labels, status, and relations in SKOS/RDF.
Assign IRI
Assign IRI
Assign a stable HTTP IRI under a documented namespace policy.
Publish
Publish
Serve dereferenceable HTML and RDF with licence and provenance.
Govern lifecycle
Govern lifecycle
Govern change, deprecation, replacement, and changelog.

Update after new evidence or a material context change and retain the previous version.

A good fit when

For cross-organisational terms that should be citable and technically linkable.

Ideal for

Industrial ontology projects
Linked data vocabularies
Iterative knowledge graph engineering
Teams with a software engineering background

Not good for

Sehr einmalige interne Schemas
Reine Datenmodellierung ohne semantischen Anspruch

Outputs

linked term registry
linked term registry with traceable sources, assumptions, and domain decisions.
Decision and review trail
Owners, dates, and next review for linked term registry.

linked term registry

Fictional worked example

HTTP IRI, SKOS/RDF description, content negotiation, provenance, and deprecation policy as a precise working structure with a fictional example.

IRI

HTTP IRI · namespace · stability

…/action-status/open.

Semantics

Type · definition · labels · relations

skos:Concept; prefLabel de/en.

Publication

HTML · RDF · licence · provenance

Turtle + HTML via negotiation.

Lifecycle

Status · replaced by · changelog

deprecated; dcterms:isReplacedBy.

The example demonstrates the domain logic of Linked Open Terms; worksheets remain blank.

W3C: Best Practices for Publishing Linked Data

First step

Start with the core question: How do we publish each term stably, understandably, linked, and versionable?

Open the method guide

Good to do first

Knowledge Modeling

Ontology Design Patterns

Supplies adopted patterns that are published as vocabulary.

Where to go next?

Knowledge Modeling

Property Graph Schema Design

Uses the published vocabulary as the basis for node and relationship types.

Knowledge Modeling

Shape-First Modeling

Uses the published vocabulary for validation rules on the RDF data.

Deep dive

Purpose

Linked Open Terms connects terminology work with linked-data thinking and makes terminology technically connectable. Vocabulary, meanings, and references can thereby be maintained consistently.

How it works

The team first defines the relevant terms, labels, and relationships. Open links, identifiers, and reuse options are then checked so that concepts remain consistent and connectable. In the end, a terminology framework remains that brings modeling and publication together.

In detail

Linked Open Terms works well because terminology, identity, and reuse are thought about together, turning isolated terms into connectable references. The approach holds up over time when labels, definitions, relationships, and external references are maintained as part of the same work on meaning. What matters are stable identifiers, precise boundaries, and traceable provenance, so that vocabulary keeps growing consistently over the long term and stays publicly usable.

Facilitation

Start with a tightly scoped term space and clarify early which external sources should actually be authoritative. The decisive moment comes with near-identical terms carrying different meanings; there, clean definitions and clear linking rules are needed. End with a small core vocabulary, unambiguous URIs, and open test cases for the next round.

The method guide walks execution through 4 phases, timing, 4 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.

Open method guide

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Sources and topics

Topics

Ontology Methodology Agile Semantic

Sources

W3C: Best Practices for Publishing Linked Dataw3.orgW3C Government Linked Data Working Group; a best-practice guide with ten steps for publishing linked open data.

Artifact templates

Linked Open Terms: WorksheetPlan Linked Open Terms around its domain steps and the concrete decision question.

markdown

linked-open-terms-working-template.md

Plan Linked Open Terms around its domain steps and the concrete decision question.

Linked Open Terms: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Establish and review the practice Time: Initially 1–3 days; ongoing governance

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

Materials: approved vocabulary, namespace policy, licence and governance, shared workspace, source links, and decision log.
Roles: Vocabulary steward · domain owner · linked data engineer · publisher
Advance information: Collect approved vocabulary, namespace policy, licence and governance in advance and mark open assumptions.
Overall time needed: Initially 1–3 days; ongoing governance
Setup: Prepare HTTP IRI, SKOS/RDF description, content negotiation, provenance, and deprecation policy visibly and calibrate assessment terms before starting.