Graves Ontology Specification - 0.2

An ontology to markup information on human remains, graves, cemeteries and cenotaphs.

Working Draft — 18 January 2012

This version:
http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves-20120118.html (owl)
Latest version:
http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves.html (owl)
Last Update: 0.2
Date: 16 January 2012
Authors:
Robert Warren, The Muninn Project
Contributors:
Mary Jackes, Department of Anthropology, University of Waterloo

Abstract

This specification defines a set of classes and properties that structure information about human remains.

Status of this Document

This document is a proposal based on some initial discussions at the LODLAM meeting in San Francisco and the email exchanges that followed. It is expected to change around the core of classes that are already in existence.

Comments are welcome at data@muninn-project.org.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
    1. Ontology Objectives
    2. Ontology Limitations
  2. Graves ontological constructs at a glance
  3. Ontology use cases
  4. Cross-reference for Graves classes and properties
  5. Conclusion and future work

1 Introduction

This project was created as a result of some of the data and modelling problems encountered in the Muninn WW1 Project with respects to the treatment of the remains of soldiers on the battlefield. The Great War was one of the first conflicts where an attempt was made to locate the final resting places of soldiers killed on the battlefield. The scope of the conflict was such that the registration and management of graves and cemeteries required (in the experience of the British Empire) the creation of a commission whose work is still ongoing in 2011.

The modelling of the processes of death, burial, reinterment as well of the erection of various monuments, markers and cenotaph became too complex for simple event-style data structures. Furthermore, a portable ontology unrelated to the original project goals became desirable to develop simple linkages to other projects.

Ontology Objectives

The initial design objectives for the ontology were:

  1. The ability to markup simple grave information without excessive overhead.
  2. Provide a framework to reference graves, cemeteries and remains within other data-sets.
  3. Enable a data provider to explicitly mark grave location information as being obfuscated for privacy reasons, as in the case of an active archaeological dig on private property.
  4. Provide an ontological structure that has the necessary hooks for future reasoning.

Ontology Limitations

The Graves ontology has a number of limitations that may not be easily addressable or/and that may not prove to be desirable to fix.

  1. The orientation of the remains within a grave is not currently recorded.
  2. The location property marks up arbitrary grid systems (as is sometimes used in an archaeological digs) and cemetery grave location keys as a String.
  3. Remains can be marked as being partial, where less than the complete skeleton is present within the grave. This deals neatly with mass graves but does not document what was actually found in the grave. A complete forensic description is beyong the scope of this ontology.

2. Graves ontological constructs at a glance

The philosophy of the graves ontology is to provide a basic set of classes that represent most of the information necessary to identify a grave of interest and describe its physical location.

Graves makes use of the OWL ontological markup and has four basic groups of objects: cemeteries and/or archaeological digs, graves, remains (skeletons or ashes) and monuments.

Cemeteries and archaeological digs are the primary location where graves and remains are to be found and the administrative unit that maintains them. Depending on the end application, these classes may be considered subclasses of geographical features, organisations or projects.

A grave is defined as a receptacle for human remains. Subclasses are used for cases of Empty Graves or Mass Graves.

Human remains are classes which deal with full skeletons, the partial remains of a human being (especially in the case of some arch digs) and their ashes after creation.

Lastly, most graves or death are commemorated in some way through the use of a Tombstone or some sort of Monument. In all cases, the ontology supports the description of the mouvement or rearrangement over time.

3. Grave ontology overview

Class, property and relation diagram of the ontology.

3.1. The Graves definitions presented here are:

Classes: Ashes, Burial_mound, Cemetery, Cenotaph, Container_for_human_remains, Crypt, Dead_people_place, Dig_site, Empty_grave, Grave, Gravestone, Headstone, Mass_grave, Monument, Partial_remains, Plaque, Remains, Sarcophagus, Shrine, Skeleton, Statue, Tombstone, Tumulus,

Properties: commemorated_by, commemorates, contains_grave, contains_remains, epitaph, grave_in, has_remains, id, location, monument_name, monument_title, moved_from, moved_to, obfuscated, remains_in, remains_of, site_name, when_moved,

3.2. Examples

Here is a very basic document describing a grave of an unknown soldier. It uses the geolocation vocabulary to locate the cemetery and the FOAF ontology to point to a picture of the grave.

      <graves:cemetery rdf:About="http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ww1/2011/11/11/location/22">
       <graves:id>22</graves:id> 
       <graves:site_name>Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery</graves:site_name>
       <graves:location>
        <geo:Point>
         <geo:lat>50.375833</geo:lat>
         <geo:long>2.7647</geo:long>
        </geo:Point>
       </graves:location>
       <graves:contains_grave>
        <graves:grave>
         <graves:id>2a88db3f8aeb87c9</graves:id> 
         <graves:location>C6</graves:location>
         <graves:commemorated_by>
          <graves:tombstone>
           <graves:memorial_name>A Canadian Soldier of the Great War</graves:memorial_name>
           <graves:epitaph>Known unto God</graves:epitaph>
           <foaf:depiction
            rdf:resource="http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ww1/2011/11/11/image/12"/>
          </graves:tombstone> 
         </graves:commemorated_by>
         <graves:id>22</graves:id>
         <graves:contains_remains>
          <graves:skeleton>
           <graves:remains_of>
            <!-- Don't know who, use blank node to state this. -->
            <graves:person/>
           </graves:remains_of>
          </graves:skeleton>          
         </graves:contains_remains>
        </graves:grave>
       </graves:has_grave>
      </graves:cemetery>
      

We can also use some creative owl statements to encode more knowledge within the markup. Taking the example of the grave on an unknown soldier, we can restrict the identity of the remains within the grave to one of two soldiers with no known graves. The markup gets rather ugly for large collections of potential people but it lends itself to processing with a reasonner.

      <graves:grave>
       <graves:id>2a88db3f8aeb87c9</graves:id> 
       <graves:location>C6</graves:location>
       <graves:commemorated_by>
        <graves:Tombstone>
         <graves:memorial_name>A Canadian Soldier of the Great War</graves:memorial_name>
         <graves:epitaph>Known unto God</graves:epitaph>
        </graves:Tombstone> 
       </graves:commemorated_by>
       <graves:id>22</graves:id>
       <graves:contains_remains>
        <graves:Skeleton>
         <graves:id>UNKNOWN001</graves:id>
         <graves:remains_of>
          <graves:Person>
           <owl:oneOf>
            <rdf:List>
             <rdf:first>http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ww1/2011/11/11/person/35628</rdf:first>
             <rdf:rest>
             http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ww1/2011/11/11/person/5642754</rdf:first>
             </rdf:rest>
           </rdf:List>
          </owl:oneOf>
         </graves:Person>
        </graves:remains_of>
       </graves:Skeleton>          
      </graves:contains_remains>
     </graves:grave>
    
      

The Canadian War Memorial in Ottawa would look like this and includes the grave of the unknown soldier.

      <graves:cenotaph>
       <owl:sameAs>
       http://dbpedia.org/resource/National_War_Memorial_%28Canada%28
       </owl:sameAs>
       <graves:location>
        <geo:Point>
         <geo:lat>45.424036</geo:lat>
         <geo:long>-75.695497</geo:long>
        </geo:Point>
       </graves:location>
       <graves:monument_name xml:lang="en">National War Memorial</graves:monument_name>
       <graves:monument_name xml:lang="fr">Monument commémoratif de guerre du Canada</graves:monument_name>
       <graves:epitaph></graves:epitaph>
       <graves:commemorates>
        <graves:Sarcophagus>
         <graves:contains_remains>
          <graves:Skeleton>
           <graves:remains_of>
            <graves:Person/>
           </graves:remains_of>
          </graves:Skeleton>  
         </graves:contains_remains>
        </graves:Sarcophagus>              
       </graves:commemorates>
       <graves:commemorates>
        <foaf:Group>
         <foaf:name>Canadian War Veterans<foaf:name>
        </foaf:Group>
       </graves:commemorates>         
      </graves:cenotaph>
      

A simple grave in the forest by itself, we known the name of the person as stated on the grave, but don't provide a Person instance for them.

      <graves:Grave> 
       <graves:location>The Green Forest</graves:location>
       <graves:commemorated_by>
         <graves:Tombstone>
          <graves:memorial_name>John Doe</graves:memorial_name>
          <graves:epitaph>Requiem Innes Patches</graves:epitaph>
         </graves:Tombstone>
        </graves:commemorated_by>  
        <graves:contains_remains> 
        <graves:Skeleton/>
       </graves:contains_remains>        
      </graves:Grave>
    

Cross-referencing Graves across datasets and knowledge repositories

The power of linked open data lies in the ability to cross-reference both classes and instances across RDF fragments across the internet. This means that you can leaverage the work done by other people in creating your own knowledge base.

Taking our previous example of a grave in the Green Forest, let's assume that a cemetary exists and is described by another rdf instance at another host, you can reuse their instances by referencing it:

      <graves:Grave> 
       <graves:grave_in>
       <graves:Cemetery rdf:about="https://example.com/cemetary#the_green_forest"/>
       </graves:grave_in>
       <graves:location>The Green Forest</graves:location>
       <graves:commemorated_by>
         <graves:Tombstone>
          <graves:memorial_name>John Doe</graves:memorial_name>
          <graves:epitaph>Requiem Innes Patches</graves:epitaph>
         </graves:Tombstone>
        </graves:commemorated_by>  
        <graves:contains_remains> 
        <graves:Skeleton/>
       </graves:contains_remains>        
      </graves:Grave>
    

4. Cross-reference for Graves classes and properties

Class: graves:Ashes

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Ashes

Human Ashes -

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Burial_mound

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Burial_mound

Burial_mound -

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Cemetery

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Cemetery

Cemetery - A collection of graves in a single administrative unit. Distinct from a mass-grave.

A cemetery is a collection of graves in a location under a common administration, past or present.

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Class: graves:Cenotaph

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Cenotaph

Cenotaph -

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Container_for_human_remains

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Container_for_human_remains

Container of human remains - A generic class to unify all containers of human remains.

in-domain-of:
graves:id
graves:moved_from
graves:moved_to
graves:contains_remains
graves:grave_in
graves:commemorated_by
in-range-of:
graves:remains_in
graves:contains_grave
graves:commemorates
A grave is a receptacle for the remains of human beings. Technically, this could be a funeral urn also.

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Class: graves:Crypt

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Crypt

Crypt -

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Dead_people_place

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Dead_people_place

Dead people - A physical and administrative place with dead people in it. Of the non-zombie kind.

in-domain-of:
graves:site_name
graves:id
graves:moved_from
graves:moved_to
graves:location
graves:contains_grave
in-range-of:
graves:grave_in
A rather poorly named class, this is the super-class of all other classes. It is not meant to be instantiated but groups the subclasses together in a common purpose. This should be the reverse of a populated place according to the Geonames ontology.

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Class: graves:Dig_site

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Dig_site

Archaeological dig site - A physical location under the administration of an Archaeological organization where graves are being exhumed.

This is to represent a specific archaeological dig site, active or suspended.

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Class: graves:Empty_grave

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Empty_grave

Empty Grave - True if the grave contains no humain remains.

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Grave

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Grave

Grave - A single or mass grave with the remains of human beings.

in-domain-of:
graves:location
A grave is a receptacle for the remains of human beings.

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Class: graves:Gravestone

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Gravestone

Gravestone - Convinience class - redirects to #tombstone.

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Headstone

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Headstone

Headstone - Convinience class - redirects to #tombstone.

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Mass_grave

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Mass_grave

Mass Grave - True if the grave contains more than the remains of one person. This limit is arbitrary and needs debate.

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Monument

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Monument

Monument - A physical feature commemorating something or someone.

in-domain-of:
graves:id
graves:moved_from
graves:moved_to
graves:location
graves:epitaph
graves:monument_title
graves:monument_name
graves:commemorates
in-range-of:
graves:commemorated_by

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Partial_remains

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Partial_remains

Partial remains - Set to True, False or nil (explicit don't know).

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Plaque

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Plaque

Commemorative plaque - A plaque commemorating a deceased person.

Plaques are often used to commemorate individuals where a new structure would not be practical. Here is an example of one of the plaques at Dalhousie University in the Hicks building. I used Dublin Core mark-up to record the year of unveiling of the plaque.
       <graves:plaque>
        <dc:date>1918</dc:date>
        <foaf:depiction rdf:resource="http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ww1/2011/11/11/image/14"/>
        <graves:location>
         <geo:Point>
          <geo:lat>44.636214</geo:lat>
          <geo:long>-63.593207</geo:long>
         </geo:Point>
        </graves:location>
        <graves:memorial_name xml:lang="en">Cambridge War Memorial</graves:memorial_name>
        <graves:epitaph> </graves:epitaph>
        <graves:commemorates>
         <foaf:Group>
          <foaf:name>Dalhousie students that died in the Great War<foaf:name>
          <foaf:member>
           <foaf:Person>
            <foaf:familyName>Carson</foaf:familyName>
            <foaf:givenName>John</foaf:givenName>
           </foaf:Person>
          </foaf:member>
          <foaf:member>
           <foaf:Person>
            <foaf:familyName>Grierson</foaf:familyName>
            <foaf:givenName>Vernonlt;/foaf:givenName>
           </foaf:Person>
          </foaf:member>
          <foaf:member>
           <foaf:Person>
            <foaf:familyName>Hyde</foaf:familyName>
            <foaf:givenName>Cyrilt;/foaf:givenName>
           </foaf:Person>
          </foaf:member>
          <foaf:member>
           <foaf:Person>
            <foaf:familyName>Moseley</foaf:familyName>
            <foaf:givenName>Henry;/foaf:givenName>
           </foaf:Person>
          </foaf:member>
         </foaf:Group>
        </graves:commemorates>
        <graves:epitaph>in proud remembrance of our classmates who gave their lives in the great war 1914 - 1918 Their name liveth for evermore</graves:epitaph>
       </graves:plaque>
      

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Class: graves:Remains

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Remains

Human remains -

in-domain-of:
graves:id
graves:moved_from
graves:moved_to
graves:remains_in
graves:remains_of
in-range-of:
graves:contains_remains
graves:has_remains

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Sarcophagus

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Sarcophagus

Sarcophagus -

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Shrine

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Shrine

Shrine -

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Skeleton

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Skeleton

Skeleton. - This property is meant to record that all of the larger bones of the skeleton were present. A body part seperatly buried or a skeleton missing a cranium would not be an instance of this property.

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Statue

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Statue

Statue -

See the Cambridge War Memorial example.

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Class: graves:Tombstone

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Tombstone

Tombstone -

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Class: graves:Tumulus

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#Tumulus

Tumulus - Tumulus is actually the Latin word, but unclear what the appropriate English label is here.

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:commemorated_by

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#commemorated_by

Commemorated by - Records any information as to the Person or Group being commemorated. Not suitable for Events.

Inverse:
graves:commemorates
OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/muninn#person
foaf:Agent
graves:Container_for_human_remains
Range:
graves:Monument

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:commemorates

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#commemorates

Commemorates - Records any information as to the Person or Group being commemorated. Not suitable for Events.

OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Monument
Range:
http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/muninn#person
foaf:Agent
graves:Container_for_human_remains
This property is an alternative means of creating a relationship between the monuments and the person(s) being remembered. This property is primarily meant to refer to people or groups of people, but referencing an event is also possible. Two examples dealing with memorials in Cambridge, England follow. The use of the depicts and depiction properties in this manner could possible confuse a reasoner.
       <graves:statue>
        <dc:date>1922</dc:date>
        <graves:monument_title>The Homecoming</graves:monument_title>
        <foaf:depiction rdf:resource="http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ww1/2011/11/11/image/16"/>
        <foaf:depicts>
         <foaf:Person>
          <foaf:familyName>Hamilton</foaf:familyName>
          <foaf:givenName>Kenneth</foaf:givenName>
         </foaf:Person>         
        </foaf:depicts> 
        <!--The use of the depicts and depiction properties in this manner  
could possibly confuse a reasoner? -->
        <graves:location>
         <geo:Point>
          <geo:lat>52.195005</geo:lat>
          <geo:long>0.131273</geo:long>
         </geo:Point>
        </graves:location>
        <graves:memorial_name xml:lang="en">Cambridge War Memorial</graves:memorial_name>
        <graves:epitaph>to the men of cambridgeshire. the isle of ely. the borough and university of cambridge who served in the great war 1914-1919 and in the world war 1939-1945 </graves:epitaph>
        <graves:commemorates>
         <foaf:Group>
          <foaf:name>Cambridgeshire Area War Veterans of the Great War<foaf:name>
         </foaf:Group>
        </graves:commemorates>
       </graves:statue>
      
Some memorials are problematic in that they reference organizations and buildings that no longer exist, such as the Cambridge Gas works. (The site is now occupied by a Tesco's)
       <graves:cenotaph>
        <graves:memorial_name xml:lang="en">Cambridge War Memorial</graves:memorial_name>
        <graves:epitaph>In remembrance of our fellow workers that fell in the Great War and in the Second World War</graves:epitaph>
        <graves:commemorates>
         <foaf:Group>
          <foaf:name>Cambridge Gas Works Employees<foaf:name>
         </foaf:Group>      
        </graves:commemorates>
        <graves:location>
         <geo:Point>
          <geo:lat>52.209986</geo:lat>
          <geo:long>0.144213</geo:long>
         </geo:Point>
        </graves:location>
       </graves:cenotaph>

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Property: graves:contains_grave

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#contains_grave

contains grave -

OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Dead_people_place
Range:
graves:Container_for_human_remains

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:contains_remains

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#contains_remains

Grave contains remains -

OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Container_for_human_remains
Range:
graves:Remains

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:epitaph

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#epitaph

Epitaph - The short text honoring the deceased person or persons.

OWL Type:
DatatypeProperty
Domain:
graves:Monument
Range:
xsd:string

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:grave_in

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#grave_in

Grave contained by -

Inverse:
graves:contains_grave
OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Container_for_human_remains
Range:
graves:Dead_people_place

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:has_remains

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#has_remains

Person has remains -

Inverse:
graves:remains_of
OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/muninn#person
foaf:Agent
Range:
graves:Remains

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:id

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#id

ID - Local ID number for non linked open data processing.

OWL Type:
DatatypeProperty
Domain:
graves:Dead_people_place
graves:Remains
graves:Container_for_human_remains
graves:Monument
Range:
xsd:string

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:location

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#location

Location - Location in terms of longitude, latitude or geonames or street address.

OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Dead_people_place
graves:Grave
graves:Monument
Range:
http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/muninn_location#location
http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos
http://www.geonames.org/ontology
xsd:string

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:monument_name

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#monument_name

Monument person name - The name of the person(s) being honored by the monument.

OWL Type:
DatatypeProperty
Domain:
graves:Monument
Range:
xsd:string

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:monument_title

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#monument_title

Monument title - The name of the monument; distinct from the inscription on it.

OWL Type:
DatatypeProperty
Domain:
graves:Monument
Range:
xsd:string

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:moved_from

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#moved_from

Moved from - Use this to relate a grave or remains to its original instance elsewhere. Use this for disinterments.

Inverse:
graves:moved_to
OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Dead_people_place
graves:Container_for_human_remains
graves:Remains
graves:Monument
Due to graves registration, redevelopment or archaeological research both graves and cemeteries are moved over time. The moved_from and moved_to ObjectProperties are used to indicate that the objects have been moved or the remains separated. Taking our previous examples about the Canadian War Memorial, the remains of the Unknown Soldier were actually moved from one of the graves in the Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez, France. We use the property to indicate the provenance of the grave.
      <graves:grave>
       <owl:sameAs> 
       http://dbpedia.org/resource/National_War_Memorial_%28Canada%28
       <owl:sameAs>
       <graves:location>
        <geo:Point>
         <geo:lat>45.424036</geo:lat>
         <geo:long>-75.695497</geo:long>
        </geo:Point>
       </graves:location>
       <graves:cenotaph>
        <graves:memorial_name xml:lang="en">National War Memorial</graves:memorial_name>
        <graves:memorial_name xml:lang="fr">Monument commemoratif de guerre du Canada</graves:memorial_name>
        <graves:epitaph></graves:epitaph>
       </graves:tombstone> 
       <graves:skeleton>
        <graves:moved_from>
         <graves:when>Oct 21, 2011<graves:when>
         <graves:remains>
         <graves:grave>         
          <graves:location>Plot 8, Row E, Grave 7</graves:location>
          <graves:cemetery rdf:About="http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ww1/2011/11/11/location/22">
           <graves:site_name>Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery</graves:site_name>
            <graves:location>
             <geo:Point>
              <geo:lat>50.375833</geo:lat>
              <geo:long>2.7647</geo:long>
             </geo:Point>
            </graves:location>
           </graves:cemetery>
          </graves:grave>
         </graves:remains>
        </graves:moved_from>
       </graves:skeleton>
       </graves:cenotaph>
      </graves:grave>
      
Similarly, in the case we wanted to record the provenance of partial humain remains from a dig site near the Red Deer River into a fictitious museum catalog:
 <rdf:RDF>
  <museum:artifact>
   <dc:title>Partial skeleton of an adult male.<dc:title>
   <dc:reference>FD344-34459-32</dc:reference>
   <dc:date>
    <time:before>
     <time:instant><time:year>-3500<time:year></time:instant>
    </time:before>
   </dc:date>
   <graves:partial_remains>
    <graves:grave>
     <graves:dig_site>
      <graves:location>
       <gn:Feature rdf:about="http://sws.geonames.org/6118186/"/>
       </graves:obfuscated>
      </graves:location>
     </graves:dig_site>     
    </graves:grave>
   </graves:partial_remains>
  </museum:artifact>
 </rdf:RDF>
  

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Property: graves:moved_to

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#moved_to

Moved from - Use this to relate a grave or remains to its original instance elsewhere. Use this for disinterments.

OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Dead_people_place
graves:Container_for_human_remains
graves:Remains
graves:Monument

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:obfuscated

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#obfuscated

Location obfuscated - The precision of the location informaton has been degraded but the data owner has the original information.

OWL Type:
DatatypeProperty
Domain:
graves:Location
In certain circumstances it desirable that the location of the grave or dig site remain hidden to prevent souvenir hunters or sightseers from harassing the land owner. However, this same location information forms part and parcel of the identity of many cemetery or graves: "Peking Man", "The Frog Lake Grave" or "The Red River Dig". The obfuscated property allows the data owner to publish a complete description, retain a partial description of the location and state that a precise location is known but not published. Please note that the obfuscation is meant to be in the precision and not accuracy. The location data is expected to be accurate in that the right country might be provided as a location but without an exact location within the country. In the following example, we define a dig site near the Red Deer River using the Geonames database in Alberta but not exactly where. By using the obfuscated property we indicate that we are aware of the exact location of the site but aren't revealing it.
  <graves:dig_site>
   <graves:site_name>Red River </graves:site_name>
   <graves:location>
    <gn:Feature rdf:about="http://sws.geonames.org/6118186/"/>
    <graves:obfuscated/>
   </graves:location>
   <graves:contains_grave>
    <graves:grave>
    .....
    </graves:grave>   
   </graves:contains_grave>
  </graves:dig_site>
 
The property is also useful in identifying information which is not known to the data owner. In this other example, we reference the grave of a soldier who is known to have died in a battle in France (location in France Unknown) but who's grave remains to be found:
  <graves:grave>
   <graves:grave_id>2a88db3f8aeb87c9</graves:grave_id> 
   <graves:location>France</graves:location>
   <graves:contains_remains>
    <graves:human_remains>
     <graves:person rdf:about="http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ww1/2011/11/11/person/35628"/>
    </graves:human_remains>          
   </graves:contains_remains>
  </graves:grave>
 

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Property: graves:remains_in

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#remains_in

Remains are in Grave -

Inverse:
graves:contains_remains
OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Remains
Range:
graves:Container_for_human_remains

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:remains_of

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#remains_of

Remains of this Person - A place holder for any information related to the identity of the remains.

OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:Remains
Range:
http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/muninn#person
foaf:Agent
Means to assign identity to the human remains.

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Property: graves:site_name

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#site_name

Cemetery Name - The name of the cemetery.

OWL Type:
DatatypeProperty
Domain:
graves:Dead_people_place
Range:
xsd:string

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Property: graves:when_moved

URI: http://rdf.muninn-project.org/ontologies/graves#when_moved

Moved on -

OWL Type:
ObjectProperty
Domain:
graves:moved_from
graves:moved_to
Range:
http://www.w3.org/TR/owl-time#TemporalEntity

No detailed documentation for this term.

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Conclusion and Future Work

The graves ontology is an initial attempt at documenting graves and sites containing human remains. Please feel free to email comments and concerns.

Version History

TODO