Metadata models & schemas

Version 48.1 by lzehl on 2021/03/17 16:13

The openMINDS metadata models all consist of modular connectable metadata schemas. Each schema can be referenced by it's type and defines properties (including their expected value) for a set of related metadata.

A short overview for each openMINDS metadata model can be found below, including links to full HTML descriptions for all schemas and to available metadata instances for selected schemas.

Note that all metadata models are licensed under the MIT license.

openMINDS core

The openMINDS core metadata model contains schemas that you can use to describe the general origin, resource location, and content of your research products in the field of neuroscience. Currently ( Feb 2021) this metadata model comprises 37 usable schemas, grouped into five classes:

Click on a schema to discover its full HTML description.

In case of EBRAINS, metadata representations (instances) of a few selected schemas (ContentType, DititalIdentifierSchema, License) are centrally defined and maintained in a library on a separate openMINDS instances GitHub to guarantee more consistency across the database instances of the EBRAINS Knowledge Graph. Feel free to explore these instances and to use them also outside of the EBRAINS Knowledge Graph.

For details on, contributing to, or reviewing examples of the openMINDS core metadata model please checkout the dedicated GitHub repository:

https://github.com/HumanBrainProject/openMINDS_core

openMINDS SANDS

The openMINDS SANDS (Spatial Anchoring for Neuroscience Data Structures) metadata model contains schemas that you can use to capture the anatomical location of your neuroscience data as well as to identify and highlight commonly used reference brain atlases and coordinate spaces. Currently (Feb 2021) this metadata model comprises 12 metadata schemas:

Click on a schema to discover its full HTML description.

For details on, contributing to, or reviewing examples of the openMINDS SANDS metadata model please checkout the dedicated GitHub repository:

https://github.com/HumanBrainProject/openMINDS_SANDS

openMINDS controlledTerms

The openMINDS controlledTerms metadata model contains schemas that ensure consistent registration of well-defined terms, including linkages to existing ontological terms where applicable. Currently (Feb 2021) this metadata model comprises 38 nearly identical schemas:

Click on a schema to discover its full HTML description.

Except for TermSuggestion, the openMINDS controlledTerms metadata schemas differ only in their schema type which defines the terminology to which correspondingly created metadata representations (instances) belong to. In order to guarantee more consistency across the database instances of the EBRAINS Knowledge Graph, instances for all controlled terms are centrally defined and maintained in a library on the openMINDS controlledTerms GitHub under terminologies/. Feel free to explore these instances and to use them also outside of the EBRAINS Knowledge Graph.

We expect the list of controlled terms (schema as well as instances) to grow based on your feedback. You can provide this feedback directly through the schema TermSuggestion. If an important term is missing from our controlled library, this schema provides you with the possibility to define your own term and register it as a suggestion for the controlled library. For this purpose, the TermSuggestion schema has two more properties (**##"addExistingTerminology"##**, **##"suggestNewTerminology"##**) where you can state to which terminology the new suggested (not yet controlled) term should belong to. Within the EBRAINS Knowledge Graph, the metadata representations for TermSuggestion will be regularly reviewed by the openMINDS development team in order to integrate these community-driven suggestions into the controlledTerms terminologies and corresponding ontologies (where applicable).

For details on, contributing to, or reviewing examples of the openMINDS controlledTerms metadata model please checkout the dedicated GitHub repository:

https://github.com/HumanBrainProject/openMINDS_controlledTerms