Three Recommendations were published today to enhance data interoperability, especially in government data. Each one specifies an RDF vocabulary (a set of properties and classes) for conveying a particular kind of information:

The Data Catalog (DCAT) Vocabulary is used to provide information about available data sources. When data sources are described using DCAT, it becomes much easier to create high-quality integrated and customized catalogs including entries from many different providers. Many national data portals are already using DCAT.

The Data Cube Vocabulary brings the cube model underlying SDMX (Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange, a popular ISO standard) to Linked Data. This vocabulary enables statistical and other regular data, such as measurements, to be published and then integrated and analyzed with RDF-based tools.

The Organization Ontology provides a powerful and flexible vocabulary for expressing the official relationships and roles within an organization. This allows for interoperation of personnel tools and will support emerging socially-aware software.

All three vocabularies have been developed by the Government Linked Data Working Group, but they are applicable beyond just government data. For a list of data sources or software known to be using these vocabularies, see the “Implementation Report” linked from each document. Learn more about the Data Activity.