Marine biodiversity data is collected and described using a range of standards, languages and specifications. Improving the semantic interoperability of these datasets can support their discovery, integration and reuse across distributed marine data repositories.
This technical deliverable presents guidelines for the semantification of some biodiversity data exchange standards, focusing on the systematic transformation of part of the EML 2.x specifications and some DwC-A elements into Resource Description Framework (RDF)-based facts modelled according to both well-established metadata and domain-known ontologies, chosen according to the type of data to be represented.
The core of this work is a concrete, element-by-element mapping of these standards to RDF-based data models, ensuring that each term, attribute and relationship being selected is formally defined and linked to relevant ontologies and vocabularies. By doing so, we enable enhanced data discovery, integration and reasoning across distributed marine data repositories.
By linking selected DwC-A elements to established ontologies and vocabularies, the work supports their semantic integration into the Marine Science Backbone, helping connect biodiversity data with other marine data domains. The deliverable is available in two complementary formats: a narrative document presenting the approach and guidelines, and a spreadsheet containing the detailed element-by-element mappings.
The documents are available in the Reports section of the EMODnet website or via the direct links to the narrative and spreadsheet.
