Discover 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 different software applications. However, data in these systems often follow specific perspectives, which hinders reuse in different applications. To address this, the Flemish government is promoting OSLO(Open Standards for Linked Organizations), a standard for sharing information. OSLO provides consistency, increases understanding and improves the findability of information and services. It ties in with the "don't ask what you already know" principle of the "Flanders Radically Digital" plan.

This standardized approach begins with international guidelines established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines are then refined and integrated at the European level in the EU ISA CORE Vocabularies. Finally, Flanders tailors 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.

Facilitate Interconnection through Linked Data

Linked Data provide a standardized method of publishing and connecting information on the Web. The four principles of Linked Data used in the OSLO standard include:

1. Persistent Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs): Ensuring that each resource has a unique and persistent identifier, vital for long-term information infrastructure.
2. Redirectable HTTP URIs: URIs that provide direct access to the resource they identify.
3. Standardized information (RDF): use of standardized formats for data representation, which improves machine comprehensibility.
4. Links to other information: Connect datasets 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 applicable to all. 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 provide 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 is easy for everyone to understand. Data.Vlaanderen.be is the place where Digital Flanders shares its data, according to the rules of the Flemish URI standard. In addition to data, Data.Vlaanderen.be also provides access to guidelines, tools and other resources that help people work more easily with data.

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

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Providing stakeholders with training and resources

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

In addition, Oslo provides training materials to support stakeholders in understanding and implementing these standards. Information Flanders provides profile-based guidelines and various resources, 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 is laying the foundation for a connected, efficient and citizen-centric governance model. Through standardized data exchange, Flanders can realize its vision of a true digital society, where information is accessible, reusable and meaningful to all.