Ontologies for e-Government


What is oeGOV?

oeGOV is making and publishing W3C OWL ontologies for eGovernment. This initiative is born out of the idea: "Use small OWL ontologies to model recovery and deploy across all government" posted at TheNationalDialogue.org and Tim Berners-Lee's vision of "Linked Open Data".

The blog for oeGOV is www.oegov.us/blog

Why build ontologies for eGovernment?

By having ontologies for eGovernment we enable:

  1. distributed creation and maintenance of information on data, about where it is used, and the government data itself;

  2. standardization of neutral models for data exchange and transformation;

  3. aggregation of data through the use of RDF/OWL formats;

  4. interpretation of data through precise semantics and controlled vocabularies, including geospatial and temporal aspects;

  5. navigation over who is publishing what in what format;

  6. provenance and trust in the sources of data;

  7. correlations and comparisons of data;

  8. accountability of the political process with policy making;

  9. transparency of government efficiencies and effectiveness;

  10. citizen awareness and appreciation of government initiatives.

Who is oeGOV?

oeGOV is an initiative started by TopQuadrant. As far back as 2003 we have been building ontologies for eGovernment. TopQuadrant was co-organizer of the first eGovernment conference at the White House Conference Center on the importance of Semantic Web Technologies for the sharing of data using the web infrastructure.

The first eGovernment ontologies were the FEA Ontologies. Currently the focus is on ontologies of Government, datasets of US Government branches, agencies, departments, offices and state governments, and an ontology of data.gov.

oeGOV invites others to participate in these efforts. We are keen to have participation from US Government Agencies.

If you are interesting in participating please send an email to rhodgson AT topquadrant.com

Where can I access the oeGOV Ontologies?

The first set of oeGOV Ontologies were published at the oeGOV blog site this site on August 1, 2009 - "Data Independence Day".

The current versions of the oeGOV Ontologies can be accessed using the tables below:

Overview

oeGOV is made up of schemas and several datasets. The Ontology Architecture is based on Modular Component Ontologies using "Named Graphs". See this post for more details. A consistent convention has been used for Names and Identifers, as documented on the "Guidelines" page.

Schemas

The following Ontologies make up the oeGOV Schemas:
Schema Title Details
cc Creative Commons (in RDF)

Namespace URI: http://creativecommons.org/ns#

RDF Format: http://creativecommons.org/schema.rdf

Dependencies: none

dc Dublin Core

Namespace URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/

Dependencies: none

oecc Creative Commons Ontology
Description:

OWL Extensions to the Creative Commons RDF (cc).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.org/core/owl/cc#
N3 Format:cc.n3
RDF/OWL Format:cc
Dependencies:cc, dc
gc Government Core Ontology
Description:

The Government Core (gc) Ontology establishes a foundation for all oegov ontologies.

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.org/core/owl/gc#
N3 Format:gc.n3
RDF/OWL Format:gc
Dependencies:cc, dc, oecc
geopolitical Geopolitical Ontology
Description:

The FAO geopolitical ontology facilitates data exchange and sharing in a standardized manner among systems managing information about countries and/or regions.

Namespace URI:http://aims.fao.org/aos/geopolitical.owl#
RDF/OWL Format:http://aims.fao.org/aos/geopolitical.owl
Dependencies:
gov Government Ontology
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about Government.

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.org/core/owl/cc#
N3 Format:oe1gov.n3
RDF/OWL Format:oe1gov
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, oecc
oe2gov Government Ontology
Description:

Level 2 Ontology about Government. Imports 'geopolitical'.

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.org/core/owl/cc#
N3 Format:oe2gov.n3
RDF/OWL Format:oe2gov
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov
usgov U.S. Government Ontology
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the U.S. Government.

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.org/core/owl/cc#
N3 Format:us1gov.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1gov
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc

Foundation for U.S. Government Bodies

Built on the oegov schemas is a foundation ontology for U.S. Government Bodies


Graph Description Details
us1gov-bodies U.S. Government Ontology
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the U.S. Constitution.

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.org/core/owl/cc#
N3 Format:us1gov-bodies.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1gov_bodies
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov

U.S. Constitution Ontology

The level 1 Ontology of the U.S. Constitution is a model of the Bill of Rights with articles and amendments

Graph Description Details
us1constitution U.S. Constitution Ontology
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the U.S. Government.

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.org/core/owl/cc#
N3 Format:us1constitution.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1constitution
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov

Government Agency Ontologies

Each Government Agency has its own Named Graph or "DataSet". The following named graphs make up the current oeGOV datasets for Government Agencies:

DHS, DOC, DOE, DOI, DOL, DOJ, DOS, DOT, ED, EPA, GSA, HHS, HUD, NARA, NASA, NOAA, TREASURY, USDA, VA, WH

The following Aggregation Graphs are available:

  1. Civil Agencies

Department of Homeland Security

Blog Page Type Details
DHS gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/dhs#
N3 Format:us1gov_dhs.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1dhs
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

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Department of Commerce

Blog Page Type Details
DOC gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Commerce (DHS).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/doc#
N3 Format:us1gov_doc.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1doc
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

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Department of Energy

Blog Page Type Details
DOE gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Energy (DOE).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/doe#
N3 Format:us1gov_doe.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1doe
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

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Department of Interior

Blog Page Type Details
DOI gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Interior (DOI).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/doi#
N3 Format:us1gov_doi.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1doi
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

Department of Justice

Blog Page Type Details
DOJ gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Justice (DOJ).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/doj#
N3 Format:us1gov_doj.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1doj
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

Department of Labor

Blog Page Type Details
DOL gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Labor (DOL).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/dol#
N3 Format:us1gov_dol.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1dol
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

Department of State

Blog Page Type Details
DOS gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of State (DOS).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/dos#
N3 Format:us1gov_dos.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1dos
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

Department of Transportation

Blog Page Type Details
DOT gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Transport (DOT).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/dot#
N3 Format:us1gov_dot.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1dot
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

Education Department

Blog Page Type Details
ED gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Education (ED).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/ed#
N3 Format:us1gov_ed.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1ed
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

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Environment Protection Agency

Blog Page Type Details
EPA gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Environment Protection Agency (EPA).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/epa#
N3 Format:us1gov_epa.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1epa
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

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General Service Administration

Blog Page Type Details
GSA gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the General Services Administration (GSA).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/gsa#
N3 Format:us1gov_gsa.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1gsa
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Blog Page Type Details
HHS gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/dol#
N3 Format:us1gov_hhs.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1hhs
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Blog Page Type Details
HUD gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/hud#
N3 Format:us1gov_hud.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1hud
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

National Archives Administration (NARA)

Blog Page Type Details
NARA gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about The National Archives Administration (NARA).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/nara#
N3 Format:us1gov_nara.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1nara
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Blog Page Type Details
NASA gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/dol#
N3 Format:us1gov_nasa.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1nasa
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Blog Page Type Details
NOAA gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/dol#
N3 Format:us1gov_noaa.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1noaa
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

Treasury

Blog Page Type Details
Treasury gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the Treasury (TREASURY).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/tres#
N3 Format:us1gov_treasury.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1treasury
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Blog Page Type Details
USDA gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/usda#
N3 Format:us1gov_usda.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1usda
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Blog Page Type Details
VA gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the Veterans Affairs (VA).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/va#
N3 Format:us1gov_va.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1va
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

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Whitehouse

Blog Page Type Details
WH gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Ontology about the Whitehouse (WH).

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/wh#
N3 Format:us1gov_wh.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1wh
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

[Back]

Aggregation Graphs

An aggregation graph is used to collect a set of ontologies together in one merged graph.

Civil Agencies"

Blog Page Type Details
us1civil gov:CivilAgency,
gov:ExecutiveAgency
Description:

Level 1 Aggregation of Civil Agencies.

Namespace URI:http://www.oegov.us/democracy/us/federal/agency/owl/us1civil#
N3 Format:us1gov_civil.n3
RDF/OWL Format:us1civil
Dependencies:cc, dc, gc, gov, oecc, usgov, usgov-bodies

Screenshots

The following image shows the class 'gov:Body' and some of its sub-classes and associations.

oeGOV Model Sample

Some 500 US Government bodies have been represented in OWL. The image below shows the Departments of the US Executive Branch.

U.S. Executive Branch


Last Updated June 4, 2010

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