Custom Ontology

By Daniel Berthereau Create specific classes and properties to describe resources when no standard ontologies can be used.
Download 3.4.5.1

Custom Ontology (module for Omeka S)

New versions of this module and support for Omeka S version 3.0 and above are available on GitLab, which seems to respect users and privacy better than the previous repository.

Custom Ontology is a module for Omeka S that allows to create specific classes and properties to describe resources when no standard ontologies are available, in particular on LOV, schema.org, W3C, and in many other places. It is useful to manage internal properties, or for researchers who are creating new data. The properties and classes are available via the standard api of Omeka S too, like any other ontology.

In fact, this module is a replacement of an existing feature on Omeka Classic, where it was allowed to edit and create item types, equivalent of resource classes and resource templates, and to create new elements, equivalent of properties. In Omeka S, in order to share data and to follow the standards of the semantic web, this feature was not ported.

Note that it is always recommended to search and use existing ontologies first, because it will be simpler to share data and to link them semantically. If the properties are known only by you and are not described anywhere, it will be hard to match them and to make relations with other.

This module avoids to create a specific rdf vocabularies, turtle or n3 files too, so anybody can use Omeka S like wished, with any documents or resources.

Installation

Uncompress files and rename module folder CustomOntology. Then install it like any other Omeka module and follow the config instructions.

See general end user documentation for Installing a module.

Usage

Simply click on the menu Custom Ontology and create your ontology, your resources classes and/or your properties following the instructions.

Once the form is filled, just import it directly via the Submit button.

You can add new classes and properties into previously imported ontologies, but you cannot update existing ones from the form. Nevertheless, you still can use the turtle file to upgrade the vocabulary later, like for any other vocabularies, at the core admin page admin/vocabulary.

When the custom ontologies are named as proposed (Omeka url + /ns/prefix), they will be publicly listed at https://example.org/ns and available as turtle, (a common simplified Notation3 format), at their namespace uri, and as a web page at https://example.org/ns/{prefix}?format=html.

Warning

Use it at your own risk.

It’s always recommended to backup your files and your databases and to check your archives regularly so you can roll back if needed.

Troubleshooting

See online issues on the module issues page on GitLab.

License

This module is published under the CeCILL v2.1 license, compatible with GNU/GPL and approved by FSF and OSI.

In consideration of access to the source code and the rights to copy, modify and redistribute granted by the license, users are provided only with a limited warranty and the software’s author, the holder of the economic rights, and the successive licensors only have limited liability.

In this respect, the risks associated with loading, using, modifying and/or developing or reproducing the software by the user are brought to the user’s attention, given its Free Software status, which may make it complicated to use, with the result that its use is reserved for developers and experienced professionals having in-depth computer knowledge. Users are therefore encouraged to load and test the suitability of the software as regards their requirements in conditions enabling the security of their systems and/or data to be ensured and, more generally, to use and operate it in the same conditions of security. This Agreement may be freely reproduced and published, provided it is not altered, and that no provisions are either added or removed herefrom.

Copyright

  • Copyright Daniel Berthereau, 2018-2021 (see Daniel-KM on GitLab)
Version Released Minimum Omeka version
3.4.5.1January 09, 2023 [info]^3.1.0 || ^4.0.0
3.3.5.1January 04, 2021 [info]^3.0.0
3.3.5October 19, 2020 [info]^3.0.0
3.0.5October 27, 2019 [info]^1.0.0 || ^2.0.0
3.0.4September 09, 2018 [info]^1.0.0