Explore the Oslo Standard and Linked Data: A Beginner's Guide

The purpose of the Oslo Standard

In Flanders, there are numerous government services that use various software applications. However, data in these systems often follows specific perspectives, which hampers reuse in various applications. To do something about this, the Flemish government is promoting OSLO (Open Standards for Linked Organizations), an information-sharing standard. OSLO ensures coherence, increases understanding and improves the findability of information and services. It is in line with the “don't ask what you already know” principle of the “Flanders Radical Digital” plan.

This standardized approach starts with international guidelines set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines are then refined and integrated into the EU ISA CORE Vocabularies at the European level. Finally, Flanders aligns these standards to its specific regional needs, resulting in the development of OSLO. This progressive approach ensures alignment with broader international and European standards, while also taking into account local requirements and practices.

Facilitating interconnection with Linked Data

Linked Data provides a standardized method for publishing and connecting information on the web. The four Linked Data principles used in the OSLO standard include:

1. Persistent Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs): Ensuring that each source has a unique and persistent identifier, vital to the long-term information infrastructure.
2. Traceable HTTP URIs: URIs that provide direct access to the source they identify.
3. Standardised Information (RDF): Use of standardized data representation formats, which improves machine comprehensibility.
4. Links to other information: Connect data sets to enable seamless navigation and discovery.

In addition to these principles, there is the Flemish URI standard for data, which serves as the primary standard that applies to everyone. This document describes the guidelines and principles for creating and using Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) for data in Flanders to ensure consistency and interoperability between different applications and systems. In addition, the URI guidelines for Data.Vlaanderen.be a practical example of the application of the URI standard within the Data.Vlaanderen.be domain. While these guidelines are not a stand-alone standard, they serve as a reference implementation that illustrates how URI standards can be effectively implemented within the context of Data.Vlaanderen.be.‍

In today's world, governments need to share their data in a way that's easy for everyone to understand. Data.vlaanderen.be is where Digital Flanders shares its data, according to the rules of the Flemish URI standard. In addition to data, Data.Vlaanderen.be also offers access to guidelines, tools and other tools that help people work with data more easily.

An example: the object type librabry standard for Building Information Management

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Providing stakeholders with training and resources

It Oslo Standards Register provides a comprehensive overview of ongoing and completed initiatives under OSLO and is a valuable resource for understanding and implementing OSLO standards.

In addition, Oslo offers training materials to support stakeholders in understanding and implementing these standards. Information Flanders offers profile-based guidelines and various sources, including vocabularies, that serve as a toolkit of terms that can be combined into application profiles.

In conclusion, the Oslo Standard, combined with Linked Data principles, is a crucial step in achieving seamless data integration, interoperability and reuse in the digital age. By embracing these standards, the Flemish government lays the foundation for a connected, efficient and citizen-oriented governance model. Through standardized data exchange, Flanders can achieve its vision of a true digital society, where information is accessible, reusable and meaningful for everyone.