Linked Data Cookbook for Government Agencies, SemTech East, Washington DC 1-Dec-2011

A Linked Data Cookbookfor Government Agencies

Semantic Technology Conference, Washington DC 01-Dec-2011 8:30AM

Bernadette HylandCEO, 3 Round Stones &

co-chair W3C Government Linked Data Working [email protected]

Twitter @BernHyland

Monday, November 28, 11

mailto:[email protected]


• Linked Data is about publishing and consuming data using international data standards

• Based on 20 year old idea

• Goal is to solve organizational issues related to data silos, requirements for faster data integration and an environment of reduced IT budgets


Linking Government Data

• 42 contributors• ...from 8 countries• 10 chapters• Publication date:

November 2011

3


Agenda• Why publishing Linked Open Data matters

• What governments are doing today

• How government use of Open Standards & Open Source Software saves lives and money

• Social contract as a government publisher

• Next steps


Two sides of the Open Government Coin

#1 Short and long term public interests

•Increasing transparency

•Helping with informed civic engagement

#2 Data sharing for informed research, policy & regulation

•My talk today focuses on #2


Why should we Care?• Reducing data silos has long been discussed ...

• Linked Data, based on international data exchange standards avoids vendor lock in

• Reduces the need to create & maintain data silos

• Encourages private and public partnerships

• Sows the seeds for economic growth from the top down and bottom up


17%

49%

16%

13%4%

6 months12 months18 months24 monthsMore than 24 months

ACCEPTABLE ROI FOR IT





GovernmentsGoals: Governmental transparency and/or improved

internal efficiencies (data warehouses)


PublishersGoals: Improve internal manuscript pipelines, expose

additional ways of finding and using content



Countries with Open Government Sites


Open Government Data Camp 2011


Open Government Data in 2011


Government LOD on CKAN


Largest Publisher of Government LOD


Where is Open Source deployed?International Standards and Open Source are the reason

• The Web has become the most extensible, robust information network ever created

• US Dept of Defense is big customer of commercially support Open Source software

• US Army cites Open Source is saving lives and hundreds of millions of dollars.

• 100k instances deployed in missile defense systems & armored personnel carriers


In 3 brief years ...• Starting in 2008, a few heads of state directed open

government data to be published on the Web ...

• Three months ago (September 2011), Presidents Obama (USA) and Rousseff (Brazil) endorsed the Open Government Partnership, along with 7 other nations

• Each launched their government’s National Plans during the meeting of the UN General Assembly


World changing phenomenon• Using Linked Data approach, we can begin to

address data silos and interoperability using data exchange standards

• We can combine information sources

• The W3C has defined standards that enable interoperability and allow us to freely move data



•We’re already seeing signs of things to come.

• Structured data on the Web is becoming mainstream.

What is next?


Government Linked Data Working Group

• Started June 2011; runs to May 2013

• Chartered to provide standards & develop standards track documents to help all governments share their data as high quality (“5 star”) Linked Data

• 39 participants from 25 organizations

• 50% in non-US locations


http://www.w3.org/2011/gld/charterMonday, November 28, 11

http://www.w3.org/2011/gld/charter

http://www.w3.org/2011/gld/charter

DeliverablesCommunity Directory

Best Practices for Publishing Linked Data

• Procurement, vocabulary selection, URI construction, versioning, stability, legacy data issues

• Cookbook for Linked Open Data

Standard Vocabularies

• Metadata, Statistical “Cube” Data, People, Organizational structures


Beta: http://dir.w3.orgemail [email protected] for login to

add your organization’s detailsMonday, November 28, 11

http://www.w3.org/egov/directory/

http://www.w3.org/egov/directory/





A pragmatic approach to

publishing & consuming Linked Data


There is a Process

PublishConvertDescribeNameModelIdentify

Maintain


Reality ... We started with the usual CSV dump ... ugly, cumbersome data






Preparation1.Leverage what exists

• Request a copy of the logical and physical model of the database(s)

• Obtain data extracts (i.e., databases and/or spreadsheets) or create data in a way that can be replicated.


Model the data2. Model data without context to allow for

reuse and easier merging of data sets

•Traditional DBAs organize data for specified Web services or applications.

•With LD, application logic does not drive the data schema, concepts, etc.


Model the data3.Look for real world objects of interest (e.g.,

people, places, things, locations, etc.) and model them.

• Investigate how others are already modeling similar or related data.

• Look for duplication and normalize the data

•Use common sense to decide whether or not to make link


Model the data ...4. Connect data from different sources and

authoritative vocabularies (see list of popular vocabularies below).

•Use URIs as names for your objects


Model the data ...

•Put aside immediate needs of any application

•Don’t think about how an application will use your data

•Do think about time and how the data will change over time.


Convert, Publish & Maintain5.Write a script or process to convert the

data set repeatedly

6.Publish to the Web and announce it! (more details shortly)

7.Maintenance strategy (more details in the social contract at the end)


Take the plunge ... Be forgiving

•Simplistic data models can still be useful

•Better to make progress with something rather than do nothing because we cannot be comprehensive and complete


Take an iterative approach1. Review of modeling decisions

2. Review vocabularies chosen and developed

3. Modify/update data conversion scripts

4. Do a maintenance walk-through with real use cases

5. Show how to explore data with SPARQL and visualizations

6. Discuss a persistent identifier strategy (think PURLs)


Content Management Systems

•Wordpress

•Drupal

•Joomla!

•Others ...


Linked Data Management System•Callimachus (kəlĭm'əkəs) is a framework for data-driven

applications based on Linked Data principles.

•Callimachus allows Web authors to quickly and easily create semantically-enabled Web applications.


http://linkeddata.org/

http://linkeddata.org/

•Web 2.0 developers can create data driven application with templates in hours

•Triples up & down (no mySQL under the covers)

•Wiki editing of content

•Access control

•Collaboration via Web

•Change tracking (history)

•Page/form Templates












Join the Community•Callimachus has benefited from 2+ years of corporate support

•We’re using it for real world Web applications in environmental protection, finance and publishing

•Open Source project

•Visit callimachusproject.org


What we covered today• Why government authorities are publishing information as

Linked Open Data

• The process for converting data into RDF

• Using Open Standards and Open Source to publish Open Data

• Note: Commercial support & products are critical for government publishing & consumption of Open Data

• Announcing agency Open Data & your social contract


http://linkeddatabook.com/editions/1.0/

http://3roundstones.com/linking-enterprise-data/

Further Reading

http://www.linkeddatadeveloper.com/

http://3roundstones.com/linking-government-data/






http://www.linkeddatadeveloper.com

http://www.linkeddatadeveloper.com



LINKED GOVERNMENT DATA:

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PERSPECTIVES

Recommended talk Thursday, 1-Dec 2011 @ 9:30

by Michael Pendleton & David G. Smith, US EPA


This talk http://slideshare.net/3roundstones@BernHyland

[email protected], November 28, 11



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