Custom SKOS integration
Appfront builds integrations with SKOS, the standard for publishing and sharing concepts, thesauri and taxonomies as Linked Data. In the Netherlands, the NL-SBB standard from Geonovum describes how concepts are recorded, with a link to SKOS. We make sure your concept framework is used in your own systems: to label documents, to improve search, and to share concepts with other organisations.
What is a SKOS integration?
SKOS, the Simple Knowledge Organization System, is a W3C standard for describing concepts, thesauri and taxonomies and publishing them as Linked Data on the web. Each concept receives a stable reference, labels and a definition, and relationships to other concepts: broader, narrower or related. In the Netherlands, NL-SBB from Geonovum, the standard for describing concepts, sets out how concepts are unambiguously recorded, linked to SKOS.
Many organisations have a concept framework, thesaurus or list of keywords but don't use it in their systems. Documents are tagged with free-text terms, so the same subject appears under three names. Search fails to find a document because the searcher used a different word. And when two organisations discuss the same concept, they don't point to the same definition.
We build custom solutions because every framework and system is different: where your concepts are managed, which systems they need to work in, and whether they should be published for others. The standards are maintained by the W3C and Geonovum; we make sure your concepts genuinely work with them in your systems.
Published to the standard
Concepts with a stable reference, labels, definition and relationships, in SKOS and according to NL-SBB.
Across all your systems
The same concept framework used for tagging, search and navigation in your own systems.
Shared with others
References to concepts from other organisations, so everyone uses the same definition.
How we build your SKOS integration
We start with your concepts: where they are managed, which systems they need to work in, and whether they should be published. Sometimes a framework already exists in SKOS; sometimes it lives in a spreadsheet or document. In the latter case we convert it first, and together we check which concepts lack a definition or appear more than once.
Your framework, its management, the systems, and who uses the concepts.
Concepts with labels, definitions and relationships in SKOS, according to NL-SBB.
The framework in your systems for tagging, search and navigation.
Publication for others, references, versions, and ongoing management.
What a SKOS integration actually does
The components below feature in almost every SKOS integration. Which ones you need depends on your framework.
Import
Importing concept schemes and thesauri in SKOS.
Publishing
Publishing your vocabulary as Linked Data.
Relationships
Broader, narrower and related concepts.
Tagging
Tagging documents and data with concepts.
Search
Searching with synonyms and broader concepts.
Validation
Checking the structure and missing definitions.
Who we build SKOS integrations for
This integration is for organisations that want to use and share concepts consistently.
Government bodies
Publishing and sharing concepts. The standard is at the core.
Knowledge organisations
A large volume of documents and subjects. Tagging matters most.
Libraries and archives
A thesaurus in use. Search is what's needed.
Software suppliers
Concepts within your own product. Importing is at the core.
Technology and integrations
This page is about concepts under SKOS. For information models, see our page on MIM integration, for the Environment and Planning Act, our page on IMOW integration, and for archiving, our page on Archiving Act software. You can read about our way of working at getting software built.
Why choose Appfront for your SKOS integration?
A subject that appears under three names is missed in two out of three cases. That's where we come in: concepts according to the standard, the same vocabulary across all your systems, and definitions you can share.
Easier to find
Searching with synonyms and broader concepts.
Consistently tagged
Documents are tagged with concepts from the same vocabulary.
Shared language
Organisations refer to the same definition.
Security and privacy in a SKOS integration
A vocabulary is often public, but the documents and data tagged with it are not always. Access to the tagged data follows the permissions in your own systems.
The integration runs in a European data centre or in your own environment, with encrypted storage and daily backups.
Frequently asked questions about a SKOS integration
Questions organisations ask before they get started.
The Simple Knowledge Organization System is a W3C standard for describing concepts, thesauri and taxonomies and publishing them as Linked Data. Each concept receives a fixed reference, labels, a definition and relationships with other concepts.
SKOS is the international standard for publishing concepts. NL-SBB is the Dutch standard from Geonovum for describing concepts unambiguously, with a link to SKOS. Together they ensure that concepts are well described and can be shared effectively.
No. You can use your SKOS vocabulary internally only, or publish it so that others can refer to it. What fits depends on your purpose. Government organisations often publish their concepts so that legislation, information models and systems can refer to the same definitions.
Through synonyms and broader and narrower concepts, the search function also finds documents that use a different word from the one the searcher entered. Someone searching for a broader concept also finds the narrower ones.
Yes. If another organisation publishes its own concepts, you can refer to them instead of creating your own definition. That way, both of you are talking about the same concept.
Concepts are versioned. A change is recorded, and documents tagged with the old concept remain findable, so nothing is lost. A concept that is no longer used can be marked as deprecated, with a reference to the concept that replaces it.
For organisations with a concept vocabulary or thesaurus that they want to use or publish within their own systems, and for suppliers who want to support SKOS in their product.
One concept vocabulary across all your systems?
Tell us which concept framework you have, where it is managed and which systems it needs to work in. We'll show you what the integration will look like.