Exploitation of FAIR principles (especially Findability) can be hampered by the lack of consistency in metadata used to annotate data records and search databases. Several small ontologies have been developed to facilitate consistent semantics for terms within the Photon and Neutron (PaN) domain by providing global persistent identifiers, community agreed labels and synonyms, and human-readable definitions, annotations and references. Crucially, each ontology is supported by a community maintenance process to allow a managed and agreed approach to modification and extensions in future development. PaN facilities serve diverse fields of science, and the ontologies are not specifically aimed at any one field.
ExPaNDS ontologies v1.0
With the primary goal of supporting PaN FAIR data catalogue services, the Horizon 2020 ExPaNDS project developed three ontologies: PaN experimental techniques (PaNET), an ontology of NeXus definitions (NeXusOntology), and a semantic integration ontology for the PaN domain (PaNmapping). The ontologies are presented as initial versions, supported by community development workflows.
Level at which the tool/solution/approach is intended to be used
- Institutional (e.g., RPOs, Universities)
- Data service provider (e.g., repositories, registry services)
Main users:
- Repository or Service Manager
Expertise needed:
- Awareness of nature and use of ontologies in general and for enhancing FAIR in particular. Familiarity with Photon and Neutron (PaN) techniques and standards.
