Open Repository of Semantic Linkages

Abstract

The growing use of the CRIS-CERIF concept in combination with the natural development of research information systems de facto leads to a certain standardization of the systems, e.g. concerning content, a set and a structure of information objects that they are operating with. Modern research information systems operate with virtually the same set of objects: "person", "organization", "project", "research output/outcome", "event" and some others. This allows us: (a) to consider the public information objects maintained within independent local CRIS, as objects of a common research Data and Information Space (DIS), and (b) to create tools and services for the re-use of these information objects in some new ways. Proposed open repository of semantic linkages enables scientists to express in a computer-readable form their opinions about multiple scientific relationships that can exist between research objects. Technically it means an establishing of a multi-layer network of semantic linkages over all DIS content. Local CRIS can use some API associated with the repository to visualize semantic linkages for the objects from their content. Semantic vocabularies, used when scientists are creating linkages, are open to the completion and development by the community. The repository is supplemented by some services like monitoring, notifications and scientometrics. Using this semantic linkages open repository (SLOR) the scientific community can get multiple benefits and makes one more step to a universal interoperability on the CRIS-CERIF model base.