Metadata models & schemas

Version 51.1 by lzehl on 2021/04/08 10:43

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 further details on this metadata model, please check out the openMINDS core GitHub repository.

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 further details on this metadata model, please check out the openMINDS SANDS GitHub repository.

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 (except TermSuggestion) are centrally defined and maintained in a library on a separate openMINDS instances GitHub. 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. For instances within the EBRAINS Knowledge Graph that are entries for the property "study target", you can provide this feedback directly through the schema TermSuggestion. For all other instances (e.g., of type Technique or BehavioralTask) or if you work independent of the EBRAINS Knowledge Graph, please provide your feedback through the openMINDS instances GitHub Issue Tracker. The openMINDS development team reviews all your feedback regularly, in order to integrate these community-driven suggestions into the openMINDS_controlledTerms and openMINDS_instances (where applicable). In addition, your term suggestions will be evaluated as possible extensions for the SciGraph ontologies, powered by the FAIR Data Informatics (FDI) Lab - SciCrunch Infrastrucutre and the INCF Knowledge Space team.

For further details on this metadata model, please check out the openMINDS controlledTerms GitHub repository.