This presentation is focused on how the Credential Engine can access 3rd party resource data stores and recipes for mapping and publishing competency frameworks as Linked Data.

1. Concept Schemes &
Competency Frameworks
November 14, 2016
Stuart A. Sutton

2. Agenda...
Focus on CE resources accessing existing, 3rd party data stores
• Types (Classes) of resources in the context of Credential Engine and the CTDL
• Concept Schemes
• Competency Frameworks
• Description Languages:
• Simple Knowledge Organization Systems (SKOS) for Concept Schemes
• Achievement Standards Network Description Language (ASN-DL) for Competency
Frameworks
Upcoming In-Depth Sessions
• Webifying 3rd party unstructured concept scheme and competency framework data
• Webifying 3rd party structured concept scheme and competency framework data

3. Expressing Concept Schemes &
Competency Frameworks in CTDL

4. Credential Alignment Object Class
http://www.credreg.net/page/domainsviewer#CredentialAlignmentObject

5. "Concept" description using CTDL...[1]
"occupationType": [
{
"@type": "CredentialAlignmentObject",
"frameworkName": "O*NET-SOC Occupations",
"targetName": "Acute Care Nurses",
"targetDescription": "Provide advanced nursing care
for patients with acute conditions such as heart attacks,
respiratory distress syndrome, or shock. May care for pre-
and post-operative patients or perform advanced, invasive
diagnostic or therapeutic procedures."
}

6. "Concept" description using CTDL...[2]
"occupationType": [
{
"@type": "CredentialAlignmentObject",
"frameworkName": "O*NET-SOC Occupations",
"targetName": "Acute Care Nurses",
"framework": "http://exampleONet.org/occup/"
"targetDescription": "Provide advanced nursing care
for patients with acute conditions such as heart attacks,
respiratory distress syndrome, or shock. May care for pre-
and post-operative patients or perform advanced, invasive
diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.",
"targetUrl": "http://exampleONet.org/occup/29-1141-01"
}

7. "Competency" description using CTDL...[1]
"requires": [
{
"@type": "CredentialAlignmentObject",
"alignmentType": "Competency",
"frameworkName": "Degree Qualification Profile (DQP)",
"targetDescription": "Defines and explains the
structure, styles and practices of the field of study using
its tools, technologies, methods and specialized terms."
}

8. "Competency" description using CTDL...[2]
"requires": [
{
"@type": "CredentialAlignmentObject",
"alignmentType": "Competency",
"frameworkName": "Degree Qualification Profile (DQP)",
"framework": "http://exampleDPQ.org/sk/"
"targetDescription": "Defines and explains the
structure, styles and practices of the field of study using
its tools, technologies, methods and specialized terms.",
"targetUrl": "http://exampleDPQ.org/sk/sk8/"
}

9. U.S. data.gov RDF data sets......
In addition to Agency pilots, the semantic.Data.gov site will
leverage lessons learned from the United Kingdom’s version of
Data.gov ... which will be built entirely on semantic web
technologies. An ancillary benefit of piloting techniques like
unique identification and explicit relationships is that the
lessons learned will assist the more traditional
implementations of these techniques on Data.gov. It is
envisioned that as the benefits and applications based on
semantic Data.gov datasets increase, a migration and
transition plan will be developed to merge the efforts.
The evolution of Data.gov will include a progression towards
the semantic web, a fast moving space that will fundamentally
transform the web... An Agency that owns/defines
authoritative domain data will eventually be asked to put the
domain specifications (metadata) and the corresponding
instance data on the web using semantic techniques.
https://www.data.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/data_gov_conops_v1.0.pdf
Data.gov Concept of Operations
Ver. 1.0 (June 6, 1995)

10. "Concept Scheme" Data
Using Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS)

11. Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS)
• W3C Standard for representing concept schemes such as thesauri,
classifications, subject headings, taxonomies, and folksonomies
• North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS)
• O*Net Occupations
• Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)
• European Skills/Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO)
• Developed by the W3C Semantic Web Deployment Working Group
(SWDWG).
• Aligned to ISO 25964 Thesaurus Standard (2012-12-13)
https://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/

12. SKOS model...
Two-Entity Model:
Concept Scheme Entity
The concept scheme as a whole
including provenance information
Concept Entity
The individual concepts of which a concept
scheme is comprised
Each concept is declared as being "in
scheme"

13. SKOS properties...[1]
• Semantic Relationships
• Broader & Broader Transitive
• Narrower & Narrower Transitive
• Associative
• Top Concept
• In Scheme
• Notations (captions)
• In Scheme
• Labels
• Preferred Lexical Label
• Alternate Lexical Label
• Hidden Lexical Label
• Documentary Notes
• Scope Note
• Definition
• Example
• History Note
• Editorial Note
• Change Note

14. SKOS mapping properties...[2]
• Identity
• Close Match
• Exact Match
• Broad Match
• Narrow Match
• Related Match

15. Term: Economic cooperation
Used For:
Economic co-operation
Broader terms:
Economic policy
Narrower terms:
Economic integration
European economic cooperation
European industrial cooperation
Industrial cooperation
Related terms:
Interdependence
Scope Note:
Includes cooperative measures in banking, trade, industry etc., between and among
countries.
UK Archival Thesaurus (UKAT)

16. Example SKOS – UK Archival Thesaurus (UKAT)CONCEPT
Organisation for European Economic Co-operation
AUTHORIZED NAME
skos:prefLabel Organisation for European Economic Co-operation
VARIANT NAMES
skos:altLabel Organization for European Economic Cooperation
OTHER LINKED DATA SOURCES
skos:closeMatch http://viaf.org/viaf/272472185
skos:closeMatch http://isni-url.oclc.nl/isni/0000000123014008
skos:closeMatch http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79055341
skos:closeMatch http://rdf.freebase.com/ns/m/018cqq
TYPES
rdf:type dbpedia-owl:Organisation
rdf:type foaf:Agent
rdf:type foaf:Organization
rdf:type owl:Thing
rdf:type http://schema.org/Organization
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/ld/onld/00000589.html
UK Archival Thesaurus (UKAT)

17. Example SKOS - UKAT Mapped to VIAF

18. "Competency Framework" Data
Achievement Standards Network Description Language (ASN-DL)

19. ASN Description Language [1]
Developed through NSF funding between 1999-2013
What is ASN-DL intended to do?
• Designed to consistently describe any assertion of knowledge, skill, and ability.
• Serves as a data representation of the canonical (official) version.
• Supports the Semantic Web and Linked Data processes through its basis in W3C's Resource
Description Framework (RDF).
• Supports cross-framework comparison and linking by means of a common abstract data model.
• Supports design of profiles through refinement and extension:
• Refinement through creation of subproperties and subclasses to meet local/national needs;
• Extension thorough the judicious addition of new properties and classes.
• Express competencies at any (arbitrary) level of granularity.
Profiles exist for the U.S., Australia, and Canada—this work will be the CE-ASN Profile

20. ASN Description Language [2]
What ASN-DL is not intended to do
Not intended to satisfy all of the use cases of the canonical version
and
Not intended to support all the forms of narrative that may augment,
enrich, and contextualize the canonical framework.

21. ASN model...
Two-Entity Model:
Standards Document
The competency framework as a whole
including provenance information
Statement
The individual competencies of which a
competency framework is comprised
Each concept is declared using
"isPartOf" to be a member of one (or
more) competency frameworks.

22. * Includes additional core
properties from Dublin Core

23. Competency-to-Competency mapping...

24. Flat "list" concept scheme...

25. Flat "list" concept scheme...

26. One DQP taxon path...

27. ASN-US Profile at DesireToLearn

28. ASN-US Profile at DesireToLearn
http://asn.desire2learn.com/resources/D2663634

29. Common traits of ASN-DL and SKOS
SKOS ASN

30. Mapping from Legacy Data (to RDF)
From structured and unstructured data & upcoming webinars

31. Linked Data Publishing...
http://linkeddatabook.com/editions/1.0/
Upcoming Webinars
☞ On mapping structured data
☞ On mapping text data

32. Questions?