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Data Model: Time-sensitive Data

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Sometimes certain facts were true only for a certain period of time. For example, a woman's name usually changes after she gets married. Or a person may not hold the same occupation their entire life.

This time-sensitive data can be modeled as a graph with an attached time-span, like so:

<#timeSensitiveData> {
    <#person> gc:name "Mary Flatley"
}

<#timeSensitiveData> gc:duration <#interval> .
<#interval>
    rdf:type time-entry:Interval ;
    time-entry:begins <#start> ;
    time-entry:ends <#end> .

etc.

The OWL-Time (the time-entry prefix) ontology appears to assume the Gregorian calendar, however. With genealogy it seems that we should support any calendar system.

Also, it may be useful to use an event as the start or end of an interval, or to state that an event occured before, after, or during an interval. For example, a woman's name prior to marriage could be demarcated by her gc:Birth and gc:Marriage events. It appears that OWL-Time has some support for this if we use it for events also.

Similar concept: Conditions

[edit] OWL-Time

I've found these two diagrams helpful in understanding the OWL-Time ontology:

Here is another useful resource:

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