iSamples Vocabularies
Vocabularies for interoperable sample description
See the iSamples Metadata Model for the full schema documentation.
The authoritative versions of iSamples vocabularies are maintained as RDF/SKOS files in the iSamples GitHub repositories. Vocabulary terms are also registered with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) Research Vocabularies.
Core Vocabularies
One of the foundations for interoperability of iSamples material sample descriptions is the definition of vocabularies for the categorization of sample type. There are three core vocabularies for different aspects of sample type: material sample type, material type, and sampled feature type. Each vocabulary is maintained as an RDF file using the SKOS vocabulary, with hierarchical relationships using SKOS:broader. In order to be domain agnostic, these core taxonomies cover a small set of top level terms. The taxonomies may be extended as necessary to support more specialized domains by relating additional terms using SKOS:broader and SKOS:narrower.
| Vocabulary | Description |
|---|---|
| Specimen Type | Classifies what type of specimen the physical sample record represents |
| Material Type | Categorizes the composition of a physical sample |
| Sampled Feature Type | Indicates what the sample is representative of |
Extension Vocabularies
The core vocabularies can be extended for specialized domains. Extension vocabularies add narrower terms beneath the core concepts using SKOS:broader and SKOS:narrower. Domain-specific extensions are maintained in the following repositories: