SKOS Format

The SKOS format enables import and export of controlled vocabularies and taxonomies using the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) standard in Turtle syntax.

Overview

The SKOS format (identifier: skos) supports bi-directional transformation between Mauro models and SKOS vocabularies. SKOS is a W3C standard for representing knowledge organization systems such as:

  • Controlled vocabularies
  • Taxonomies
  • Thesauri
  • Classification schemes
  • Subject heading lists

Format Identifier

Format: skos

File Extension: .ttl (Turtle)

MIME Type: text/turtle

Direction Support

Direction Supported Version
Import Yes 1.1.0
Export Yes 1.1.0

Parameters

Parameter Direction Type Default Description
baseIri Both String http://example.org/ Base IRI for concept URIs
includeMetadata Export Boolean true Include SKOS metadata properties (created, modified, contributor)
siblingPolicy Import Choice Warn How to handle sibling concepts: Allow, Warn, Error
generateScheme Export Boolean true Generate skos:ConceptScheme for the model

SKOS Mapping

Mauro model elements are mapped to SKOS as follows:

DataModel
Maps to skos:ConceptScheme
DataClass
Maps to skos:Concept with broader/narrower relationships
DataElement
Maps to skos:Concept properties or related concepts
Metadata
Maps to SKOS annotation properties (skos:note, skos:definition)

Import SKOS Vocabulary

MauroImportExport.Cli import skos vocabulary.ttl model.json \
    --param baseIri=http://terminology.example.org/

Export to SKOS

MauroImportExport.Cli export skos model.json vocabulary.ttl \
    --param baseIri=http://example.org/terms/ \
    --param includeMetadata=true

Convert Between SKOS and JSON

MauroImportExport.Cli convert skos json input.ttl output.json \
    --param baseIri=http://example.org/vocab/

SKOS Properties Supported

The SKOS format handler supports the following SKOS properties:

  • Lexical labels: skos:prefLabel, skos:altLabel, skos:hiddenLabel
  • Documentation: skos:definition, skos:note, skos:scopeNote, skos:example
  • Semantic relations: skos:broader, skos:narrower, skos:related
  • Concept schemes: skos:inScheme, skos:topConceptOf
  • Mapping properties: skos:exactMatch, skos:closeMatch, skos:relatedMatch

Best Practices

  • Use stable, dereferenceable IRIs as base URIs
  • Include metadata for provenance and versioning
  • Use skos:broader/narrower for hierarchical relationships
  • Provide both prefLabel and definition for clarity
  • Use skos:related for non-hierarchical associations
  • Validate SKOS output using SKOS validators

W3C Standards

The SKOS format complies with:

  • SKOS Simple Knowledge Organization System Reference (W3C Recommendation)
  • SKOS Primer (W3C Note)
  • RDF 1.1 Turtle syntax