URI Scheme for RDF namespaces – selecting the URI scheme

[jechterhoff]

Description

RDF vocabularies representing INSPIRE application schemas need to have unique namespaces. INSPIRE application schemas already contain tagged values (called "targetNamespace") with namespace URIs to use in the GML/XML Schema representation. An example of such a namespace is http://inspire.ec.europa.eu/schemas/el-bas/3.0 for the “ElevationBaseTypes” application schema. These namespaces are created based on a URI scheme that uses codes to identify the application schema.

We propose the following URI scheme for INSPIRE RDF vocabularies (which is similar but not equal to the URI scheme of INSPIRE GML Schemas): http://inspire.ec.europa.eu/ont/{app-schema-code}

NOTE 1: Re-using the XML Schema namespace URIs for the INSPIRE RDF vocabularies has been considered. However, such an approach can lead to URI resolution conflicts (when trying to access an XML Schema and RDF vocabulary at the exact same URI) and has therefore been rejected.

NOTE 2: ISO 19150-2 specifies a pattern for namespaces of RDF vocabularies using a combination of a base URI and the schema package name (e.g. http://def.isotc211.org/iso19107/2003/geometryroot#). While this pattern can be used to automatically derive an RDF namespace from the application schema package name, the proposed URI scheme leads to namespaces that:

• Are shorter
• Are more aligned with the already established namespaces for GML/XML Schema
• Are independent of the package structure within the application schema
• Can convey the version of the application schema that the vocabulary represents, but can also omit it

  Discussion Item

Any comments to the proposed URI scheme?

[jechterhoff]

The proposal has been implemented. If necessary, this issue can be re-opened in the future.