In conjunction with the Linked Data for Libraries-Labs (LD4L-Labs) project, Harvard will focus on two specialized domains:

Cartographic Materials

Overview

Harvard will explore best practices for creating native Linked Data descriptions for library cartographic resources including printed maps, atlases, digital geospatial datasets, and other cartographic information resources. The project will evaluate BIBFRAME’s effectiveness as a data model for describing cartographic materials for research needs and will compare BIBFRAME’s effectiveness versus other available Linked Data descriptive schemas. In addition the group will evaluate the thesauri and controlled vocabularies associated with the description of cartographic resources to identify those vocabularies best suited to describe cartographic resources in a linked data environment.

The LD4L-Labs portion of this project (5.1 Geospatial Datasets and Geospatial Images) will focus on converting a subset of OpenGeoMetadata metadata records from the Harvard Geospatial Library, Stanford EarthWorks, and the Cornell University Geospatial Information Repository (where they are now represented using the geospatial community standard Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) schema, ISO 19139) into linked data descriptions.

Objectives / Deliverables

• Identify library cartographic resources metadata use cases, user stories, and research needs.
• Evaluate the existing BF schema for suitability for describing cartographic resources.
• Evaluate other available LOD vocabularies for describing properties of cartographic resources.
• Develop and document a BF profile for the description of cartographic resources.
• Engage with cartographic resources community to develop BF best practices for description of cartographic resources.
• Catalog and convert a representative selection of cartographic resources using the developed BF profile (rare materials to born-digital, varying languages) and contribute descriptions to project triple store.
• Develop a set of mapping rules for Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) geospatial metadata standards to linked data
• Work with LD4L-Labs to convert a set of OpenGeoMetadata records to linked data descriptions using the cartographic material ontology; reconcile linked data entities in the source metadata for Originators, Place and Theme keywords, and series works; and publish the descriptions to a linked data triplestore.
• Inform the development of metadata production tools to ensure compatibility for describing cartographic resources.
• Inform the development of a cartographic materials metadata visualization tool.
• Evaluate results of project and share set of recommendations for further research and development.
• Present project findings to appropriate library and linked data communities such as the ALA Map and Geospatial Information Round Table (MAGIRT), Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), DLF, Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations.

Community