Why specialized Reference Data?

The very moment that you write a specification ("data sheet") for a physical object (e.g. a compressor, or a dP-cell) you create a new instance of ClassOfInanimatePhysicalObject. Any materialized physical object that you buy against that spec will be asserted to be a member of that specified class.

Note: This also holds for things like a work flow definition, being an instance of ClassOfActivity. Any real-world activity instance that is executed against that work flow definition is a member of that specified class. If the rules have not been followed, that activity is "off-spec".

Other cases of specialized reference data are:

• supplier catalogs

• standards published by standardization bodies, such as ANSI, BS, DIN, etc

The following diagram may shed some light on this:

Specialized classes shall, directly or indirectly, explicitly be made a subClassOf a Part 4 class. This is illustrated with the code snippets below:

First a snippet from the ISO-standard for Part 4 Reference Data:

<rdf:RDF

    xml:base="http://rdl.rdlfacade.org/data"

    xmlns="http://rdl.rdlfacade.org/data#"

    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"

    xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#"

    xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#"

    xmlns:owl="http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#"

    xmlns:part2="http://dm.rdlfacade.org/data#"

    xmlns:part7="http://tpl.rdlfacade.org/data#">

    <owl:Ontology rdf:about="">

        <rdfs:comment xml:lang="en">snippet of the Ontology for Reference Data, according ISO 15926-7 and in OWL</rdfs:comment>

        <rdfs:label xml:lang="en">Ontology for Reference Data</rdfs:label>

        <owl:imports rdf:resource="http://dm.rdlfacade.org/data"/>

        <owl:imports rdf:resource="http://tpl.rdlfacade.org/data"/>

        <owl:versionInfo>March 2008</owl:versionInfo>

    </owl:Ontology>

. . .

    <part2:ClassOfInanimatePhysicalObject rdf:ID="RDS416834">

        <rdfs:subClassOf rdf:resource="#RDS432584"/>

        <rdfs:label xml:lang="en">CENTRIFUGAL PUMP</rdfs:label>

        <part2:definition xml:lang="en">

            A dynamic pump utilizing impellers provided with vanes generating centrifugal force to achieve the equired pressure head.

        </part2:definition>

    </part2:ClassOfInanimatePhysicalObject>

    <part2:ClassOfInanimatePhysicalObject rdf:ID="RDS6505302">

        <rdfs:subClassOf rdf:resource="#RDS416834"/>

        <rdfs:label xml:lang="en">SUBMERSIBLE CENTRIFUGAL PUMP</rdfs:label>

        <part2:definition xml:lang="en">

            A centrifugal pump where the pump and motor are intended to be immersed in the liquid to be pumped (wet pit).

        </part2:definition>

    </part2:ClassOfInanimatePhysicalObject>

. . .

</rdf:RDF>

<rdf:RDF

    xml:base="http://www.dickow.de/15926/catalog2008"

    xmlns="http://www.dickow.de/15926/catalog2008#"

    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"

    xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#"

    xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#"

    xmlns:owl="http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#"

    xmlns:part2="http://dm.rdlfacade.org/data#"

    xmlns:part4="http://rdl.rdlfacade.org/data#"

    xmlns:part7="http://tpl.rdlfacade.org/data#">

. . .

    <part2:ClassOfInanimatePhysicalObject rdf:ID="HDZ">

        <rdfs:label xml:lang="en">Series HDZ Pump</rdfs:label>

        <rdfs:subClassOf rdf:resource="http://rdl.rdlfacade.org/data#RDS6505302"/>

        <part4:definition xml:lang="en">Multistage Submersible Centrifugal Pump</part4:definition>

    </owl:Class>

    <part2:ClassOfInanimatePhysicalObject rdf:ID="HDZ-PTB">

       <rdfs:subClassOf rdf:resource="#Series HDZ Pump"/>

        <rdfs:label xml:lang="en">Type HZV-PTB Pump</rdfs:label>

        <part4:definition xml:lang="en">

              Explosion-proof submerged pump, approved by the German Authorities (PTB), complying with the EC-Flame Proofness Directive 94/9/EG and to be used for               service in the device group II, category 1.

        </part4:definition>

        <externalLibaryID>http://www.dickow.de/e/content/VerticalSubmersiblePump.asp</externalLibaryID>

    </<part2:ClassOfInanimatePhysicalObject>

. . .

</rdf:RDF>