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Semantics and the EPA System of Registries

Semantics and the EPA System of Registries. Gail Hodge IIa/ Consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 22 June 2007. EPA’s System of Registries. A series of registries that help manage key metadata, data standards, business objects, and terminology Some are authority files

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Semantics and the EPA System of Registries

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  1. Semantics and the EPA System of Registries Gail Hodge IIa/ Consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 22 June 2007

  2. EPA’s System of Registries • A series of registries that help manage key metadata, data standards, business objects, and terminology • Some are authority files • Chemicals and substances • Facilities • XML Schema/Tags • EPA Data Registry – 11179 metadata reg. • Newly added Environmental Terminology System and Services (ETSS) primarily addresses topical terminology

  3. ETSS and the System of Registries EPA System of Registries Portal Registry of EPA Applications and Databases (READ) Substance Registry System (SRS) Environmental Data Registry (EDR) ETSS Facility Registry System (FRS) Service Component Registry and Repository (SCRR) Develop Terminology Discover Terminology Read-Only Interface under development Launches directly to Synaptica

  4. Why Terminology? • So that we know what we mean • Key business terms and acronyms • So we can find stuff • Indexing, cataloging, keyword management • Others are counting on us • Emergency response • Other Federal Gov’t • International efforts Gary Larson – The Far Side

  5. What Is the ETSS? • Search & Discovery Portal – a tool to find, use, and download terminology • Terminology Management – a repository of important terms with user interfaces for creation, storage, maintenance, harmonization, and distribution of various types of terminology • Automated Services – Web interfaces and services to allow exchanges of terminologies with Agency and partner systems • Collaborative Stewardship – a framework for the development of vocabulary-specific workflows and processes

  6. Key ETSS Customers • Human Customers • EPA vocabulary developers like the Web Taxonomy Project • Policy makers defining terms in regulations • System developers selecting XML tags and defining data elements • Program managers and researchers seeking terms and glossaries perhaps via the portal • Non-EPA vocabulary developers interested in environmental terms • People trying to use terms and definitions consistently • Stakeholders, partners and the public • System Customers • Search engines – to expand searches or provide the basis for taxonomies or folders • Enterprise content management – source of value domains and controlled vocabularies • Other systems that use pick lists

  7. ETSS homepage

  8. Part of the Web Taxonomy as Viewed through Synaptica

  9. ETSS Implementation Where We’re At • Synaptica KMS software from Dow Jones was selected • Editorial system in production as of early April • Over 250 vocabularies and 11,000 terms migrated from TRS • Training sessions held for editors • New Web Taxonomy created and maintained • Read-only interface for staff and public under development Next Steps • Implement read-only interface for EPA staff, public and partners • Establish governance and workflow for vocabulary development • Integrate with SOR and other systems • Develop strategy for moving toward a concept-based system

  10. What is Concept Management? • Organizing terms around core concepts in a business, domain or enterprise • Goals:* • Articulate clear and concise meanings of business domain concepts • Achieve a shared understanding of the concepts among relevant stakeholders, and • Guard the stability of a concept’s meaning during system development • Major activities:* • Scoping the environment of discourse • Concept specification, integration and enforcement *Bleeker, et al “The Role of Concept Management in System Development – A Practical and Theoretical Perspective” 2003. http://www.cs.ru.nl/Research/reports/full/NIII-R0330.pdf

  11. Concept Management and the Semantic Web The Semantic Web is an extension of the current web in which information is given well-defined meaning, better enabling computers and people to work in cooperation. It is all about: • Managing concepts • More explicit meaning • Structure and standards • Tools and infrastructure

  12. Where do we want to go? • ETSS supports the ability to connect multiple vocabularies: • Put an umbrella concept system over all the vocabularies to which the individual terms can be linked • Increase the links between terms, including across vocabularies • Create richer relationships between terms • Continue to add definitions • Develop tools for comparing terms and definitions

  13. System manuals Semantic grids Data dictionaries Key Semantic Services Enabler! Semantics services (SSOA) 11179 E1 XMDR Project XML & related standards 11179 E2 11179 E3 Terminologies, ontologies, etc. Complex semantics management Data engineering/XML Data Semantics management for data Data Standards/Data Administration

  14. For More Information Contact either: Linda Spencer EPA Office of Information Collection spencer.linda@epa.gov (202) 566-1651 Michael Pendleton EPA Office of Information Collection pendleton.michael@epa.gov (202) 566-1658 “Commentary.” Government Computer News – August 14, 2006

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