Backbone Model

Intro

Figure BO: Overview of the main classes and relations in the Backbone Model

The Backbone Model of this Supermodel is the core model that all Component Model instances must conform to. This means that all data in all Component Model instances must pass the Backbone Model validator.

This model is mostly just a profile of particular Background Models, that is, it doesn't introduce much novel modelling but instead mainly selects elements from existing models and mandates particular patterns of use, such as requiring certain properties to be present.

For example, this Model profiles GeoSPARQL, a well-known model used to model spatial objects, and indicates that instances of GeoSPARQL's Feature class are modelled to be collected in FeatureCollection classes.

This model only introduces two novel classes at the highest level:

Geological Feature
- A geospatial Feature that is defined by its geological properties
Geological Property
- An observable quality (property, characteristic) of a Geological Feature

Specialised parts of the total modelling regime within this Supermodel are handled by Component Models, not this Backbone Model. For example, specialised types of man-made Feature are defined in the Sites & Admin Features component model.

Examples

An example of dummy data that is valid according to this BackBone Model's validator:

# this is a Geological Feature
<http://example.com/gf/0001>
    a gswa:GeologicalFeature ;
.

# the Feature above is part of a Collection
<http://example.com/col/ABC>
    rdfs:member <http://example.com/gf/0001>
.

# the Collection above is part of a Dataset
# which is themed as being about Geochronology
<http://example.com/dataset/X>
    rdfs:member <http://example.com/col/ABC> ; 
    # Geochronology
    dcat:theme <https://linked.data.gov.au/def/anzsrc-for/2020/370502> ;
.

An example of invalid dummy data:

# this is a Geological Feature
<http://example.com/gf/0001>
    a gswa:GeologicalFeature ;
.

# the Feature is indicated as being a member of a Dataset
# but no Feature Collection instances are given
<http://example.com/dataset/X>
    rdfs:member <http://example.com/gf/0001> ;
.

Profile Definition

This model is formally defined as a profile of a number of standards in the profile definition:

Backbone Model Profile Declaration

This can be summarised like this:

The Backbone Model is a profile of SOSA, GeoSPARQL, AnzGeoDCAT & VocPub and, through them, DCAT, SKOS. All of these are, in turn, profiles of OWL
1. see the figure below
It contains multiple profile resources:
1. see the table below

This model's profile hierarchy is as follows:

Figure BP: The Standards profiles by this Backbone Model.

The profile resources and their roles are as follows:

Resource	Role
Profile Declaration	profile definition
Validator	Validation
Compounded Validator	Validation
this documentation	Specification & Guidance

Validator

Backbone Model validator

This validator only tests for specific rules encoded within this Backbone Model.

To test data for full conformance to this Backbone Model and all the things that this Backbone Model profile, such as GeoSPARQL, VocPub etc., use the compounded validator:

Backbone Model compounded validator

This validator contains the Backbone Model validator and all dependent validators too.

Requirements

This Backbone Model ensures that the following requirements of data are met:

ID	Title	Description
R01	Individually managed collection. of data must be modelled as dcat:Dataset instances	Datasets are defined, described and registered in a catalogue
R02	Datasets must have basic metadata	Datasets, modelled as dcat:Dataset instances, must have the following properties recorded: dcterms:title, dcterms:description, dcterms:created , dcterms:modified, dcat:contactPoint, dcterms:publisher (this will usually be GSWA)
R03
...
RXX	Geospatial objects must be modelled as geo:Feature instances	Features have spatial projections as Geometries and may have spatial relations to other Features as well as non-spatial relations to other class instances