Notes, Definitions, Examples and Depictions ...

There are seven note properties in SKOS Core, explained with simple examples below.

See also the section [advanced notes] later in this guide.

Scope Note

A scope note is a piece of text that helps to clarify the meaning of a concept.

For example (adapted from the GCL [ref] and AAT [ref] respectively):

<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
         xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#">

  <skos:Concept rdf:about="http://my.example.org/GCL/702#concept">
    <skos:prefLabel>Competitiveness</skos:prefLabel>
    <skos:scopeNote>The ability of businesses to compete in local, national or international markets.</skos:scopeNote>
  </skos:Concept>

  <skos:Concept rdf:about="http://my.example.org/AAT/300020656#concept">
    <skos:prefLabel>European</skos:prefLabel>
    <skos:scopeNote>Refers to the cultures of the continent of Europe, which is in the northern hemisphere, is bounded by the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea, and is generally considered to be delimited on the east by the Ural Mountains.</skos:scopeNote>
  </skos:Concept>

</rdf:RDF>

Definition

A definition is an attempt to make a complete explanation of the meaning of a concept.

For example (adapted from CALD [ref]):

<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
         xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#">

  <skos:Concept rdf:about="http://my.example.org/knowledgebase/concept#banana">
    <skos:prefLabel>banana</skos:prefLabel>
    <skos:definition>A long curved fruit with a yellow skin and soft, sweet white flesh inside.</skos:definition>
  </skos:Concept>

  <skos:Concept rdf:about="http://my.example.org/knowledgebase/concept#bananarepublic">
    <skos:prefLabel>banana republic</skos:prefLabel>
    <skos:definition>A small country, especially in South and Central America, that is poor and often badly and immorally ruled.</skos:definition>
  </skos:Concept>

</rdf:RDF>

Example

An example is any instance of the use of a concept, that helps to illustrate its meaning and intended usage. For example:

<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
         xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#">

  <skos:Concept rdf:about="http://my.example.org/knowledgebase/concept#banana">
    <skos:prefLabel>banana</skos:prefLabel>
    <skos:example>a bunch of bananas</skos:example>
    <skos:example>banana milkshake</skos:example>
  </skos:Concept>

</rdf:RDF>

History Note

A history note describes information about the past form, meaning and/or use of a concept. For example:

<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
         xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#">

  <skos:Concept rdf:about="http://my.example.org/knowledgebase/concept#notebookcomputer">
    <skos:prefLabel>notebook computers</skos:prefLabel>
    <skos:historyNote>Introduced 1999; prior to that use âlaptop computersâ.</skos:historyNote>
  </skos:Concept>

</rdf:RDF>

See also the section on [scheme versioning].

Editorial Note

An editorial note is any note intended for the internal use of the editor and/or editorial team. For example:

<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
         xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#">

  <skos:Concept rdf:about="http://my.example.org/knowledgebase/concept#notebookcomputer">
    <skos:prefLabel>notebook computers</skos:prefLabel>
    <skos:editorialNote>Scope has been queried by Mr Smith. To be reviewed at meeting on 2004-10-20.</skos:editorialNote>
  </skos:Concept>

</rdf:RDF>

Public Note

A public note is a general note intended for public consumption. The skos:publicNote property may be used directly, but it is primarily intended to be used as the root of a property hierarchy: skos:scopeNote, skos:definition, skos:example, skos:historyNote are all sub-properties of skos:publicNote.

See the section [extended note properties] for more information on creating custom extensions of the SKOS Core note properties.

Private Note

A private note is a general note NOT intended for public consumption. The skos:privateNote property may be used directly, but it is primarily intended to be used as the root of a property hierarchy: skos:editorialNote is a sub-propertiy of skos:privateNote.

See the section [extended note properties] for more information on creating custom extensions of the SKOS Core note properties.

Depiction

To describe a link between a concept, and an image depicting that concept, you can use the foaf:depiction property. For example:

<rdf:RDF 
  xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#" 
  xmlns:skos="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#"
  xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/">

  <skos:Concept rdf:about="http://my.example.org/knowledgebase/biology#spottedbowerbird">
    <skos:prefLabel>Spotted Bowerbird</skos:prefLabel>
    <skos:altLabel>Chlamydera maculata</skos:altLabel>
    <foaf:depiction rdf:resource="http://my.example.org/depictions/spottedbowerbird1.jpg"/>
  </skos:Concept>
  
</rdf:RDF>

The Friend of a Friend (FOAF) vocabulary [ref] is another RDF vocabulary, with classes and properties for describing people and social networks. The foaf:depiction property is a general purpose property for describing a link between a resource and an image depicting that resource, and so is suitable for the purpose described here.

The SKOS Core vocabulary tries not to duplicate classes or properties already present in other well established RDF vocabularies.

End section