RADAR Software Release (Versions 1.17.4 and 1.17.5)

Published: 06.07.2023

We have further optimized RADAR's Schema.org conformance in the most recent, short successive RADAR software releases v 1.17.4 and v 1.17.5 in June 2023.

In order for research data to be used in the best possible way for new research questions, it should be equally discoverable, usable and interoperable for humans and machines. The labeling of data sets according to Schema.org is of great importance in this context. Schema.org is a joint initiative of Google, Bing, Yahoo! and Yandex. It was launched in 2011 with the aim of creating, maintaining and promoting schemas for structured data on the Internet (e.g. on web pages) and thus improving the search and understanding of Internet content by search engines. For research data, too, the Schema.org type "dataset" provides a structured and machine-readable vocabulary with definitions for e.g. properties, attributes and linking options. Schema.org thus also contributes to the implementation of FAIR principles, in particular to facilitate the search, integration, and analysis of metainformation about research datasets.

In v 1.17.4, we have replaced the previous Schema.org integration in the RADAR landing pages in RDFa format (Resource Description Framework in Attributes) with the integration in JSON-LD format (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data). Its advantages include easier readability and a clear, standardized structure for the data. JSON-LD is therefore also one of the recommended methods for adding structured data to a web page.

In addition, we also further optimized the markup and mapping of RADAR metadata on Schema.org. These changes have significantly improved the discoverability and interpretability of all research data published in RADAR by Internet search engines.

In v 1.17.5, we further optimized the markups introduced in the previous release by incorporating the URI of the data package (instead of the DOI) as well as including the markup of the BagIt tar file - both in accordance with FAIR principles (F.3 / A.1).

We also further extended the Linked Open Data (LOD) approach to optimize the interoperability of the data deposited in RADAR: In addition to the Schema.org markup embedded in the HTML code in JSON-LD format, a markup of the RDF graph in Turtle format (.ttl) can now be retrieved for each RADAR landing page. By using Turtle, the semantics and structure of Schema.org resources can be represented in a precise and compact manner. Both data formats (JSON-LD and Turtle) contain machine-readable code elements in terms of LOD.

Examples (retrievable e. g. via Chrome browser):

Markup in JSON-LD format: https://radar4chem.radar-service.eu/radar/id/kHzoAZDAxAfOuOgK.jsonld
Markup in Turtle format: https://radar4chem.radar-service.eu/radar/id/kHzoAZDAxAfOuOgK.ttl

We are confident that the current changes will further promote the visibility, discoverability, and interoperability of research data published in RADAR. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to exchange ideas with us.

A hint for the benefit of all of us:

At this point, we would also like to point out that the usability as well as the "machine-actionabililty" of a dataset's metadata is closely associated with the use of standardized vocabularies, especially persistent standards data identifiers. Metadata enriched with unique and persistent identifiers simplify the readability and processability of metainformation for humans and machines and also enable the creation of semantic knowledge graphs.

We therefore encourage data providers to make use of the standardized and normalized vocabularies (e.g. ORCID, ROR, GND, Crossref Funder Registry) built into the RADAR metadata schema whenever possible. These vocabularies are integrated in the metadata editor in a user-friendly way via typeahead and selection lists.

Note: This software release also affects the community-specific publication services for research data based on RADAR:

RADAR4Chem, funded by NFDI4Chem (DFG Project Number 441958208)
RADAR4Culture, funded by NFDI4Culture (DFG Project Number 441958017)