KRSMS Semantic Annotation Language

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KR/SMS Semantic Types

A semantic type is meant to classify and constrain the semantic, as opposed to structural, interpretation of a resource. Datasets, actors (also known as services), and actor input and output ports are examples of resources that can have semantic types.

We define semantic types as sets containing one or more semantic annotations. A semantic annotation assigns one or more objects of a resource (possibly including the resource itself) a "meaning" specified via an ontology expressions (using ontology terms). A semantic annotation serves to "link" or "glue" a portion of a resource to a portion of an ontology. Thus, the semantic interpretation of a resource (its semantic type) is built of the annotations of its parts.

Semantic types can be expressed using the following XML representation:

<sms:SemanticType ID="...">
 
   <sms:Label name="..." resource="..."/>

   ...

   <sms:Annotation object="..." meaning="..."/>

   ...

</sms:SemanticType>

A semantic type is required to have a unique identifier, given using the ID attribute. The identifier should (preferably) be represented as an LSID, and the semantic type as LSID data.

Labels

Labels within semantic-type descriptions provide a mechanism to name certain resources and ontology terms. The Label element assigns the name attribute value as the name, or "tag" for the associated resource given by the resource attribute value (this attribute value is an identifier for a resource). A label name is used within an annotation to describe a resource. Each Label tag is required to have exactly one name and object attribute. A SemanticType element must have at least one Label sub-element. Further, no two Label elements within a semantic type may have the same value for the name attribute.

Annotations

• How to give the annotation of a resource as a dl-style expression, preferably in the same language
• Discuss/explain what a resource dentoes, e.g., is it a name that denotes a set of instances (e.g., a dataset/table name denotes a set of instances, where an instance is a row in the table). What about for actors?
• Discuss/explain that the "structure" language is generic and can represent many data models (ptolemy types, relational, even xml).
• Describe the language step-by step, without a grammar :)

Examples