Linked Data

Linked Data is about using the Web to connect related data that wasn't previously linked, or using the Web to lower the barriers to linking data currently linked using other methods. More specifically, Wikipedia defines Linked Data as "a term used to describe a recommended best practice for exposing, sharing, and connecting pieces of data, information, and knowledge on the Semantic Web using URIs and RDF." For more information about the global Linked Data initiative, visit linkeddata.org.

Linked Data in Finland

The Semantic Computing Research Group SeCo has been actively building the foundations for a national semantic web infrastructure in Finland in the FinnONTO project(s) from year 2003. In 2010 we organized together with the Ministry of Communication and Ministry of Finance the kick-off seminar Open Linked Data in Finland. WE participate in the W3C Library Linked Data Incubator Group.

One part of our work has been to create linked data for many domains including health, culture, media, government, business and other domains. In addition, methods for creating and using linked data have been major goals of FinnONTO.

We are now working on how to make both our own and our partners' linked data public and interlinked with the global web of (linked) data.

Datasets, Metadata Schemas, Ontologies, and Services

In our view, the key components of Linked (Open) Data are not only datasets (including data alignments), but also metadata schemas (including schema alignments) used for representing the data, ontologies (vocabularies) used in annotating the data, and services for creating, publishing, and maintaining these data resources. In below an overview of our ongoing work along these dimensions is presented.

1. Ontologies and Vocabularies

Ontologies and vocabularies are published as RDF and as services using the ONKI Ontology Library Service http://www.onki.fi

2. Metadata Schemas

Metadata schemas are published in RDF using a subdomain of the ONKI Service: http://schema.onki.fi

4. Datasets

Various datasets have been created in our application demonstrators, such as:

MuseumFinland -- Finnish Museums on the Semantic Web
CultureSampo -- Finnish Culure on the Semantic Web 2.0
HealthFinland
DataFinland -- Datasets on the Semantic Web
...

We are working on publishing open datasets at a subdomain of the ONKI Service: http://data.onki.fi

5. Services

Ontologies are provided as services in the living laboratory system ONKI.
DataFinland (DataSuomi in Finnish) is our demonstration of a distibuted content creation/publication channel and a semantic portal for datasets.
Annation is facilitated by the metadata editor SAHA Sandbox service, connected to ONKI.
Semantic content repositories are being opened as services. Most notably, the CultureSampo system can be used via APIs for implementing different views and applications to its vast collections cultural heritage content, Linked Open Data and other datasets. A major application of this is the BookSampo, Kirjasampo in Finnish), system, created by the Kirjastot.fi consortium of the public libraries of Finland in collobation with SeCo.
...