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> PropertyDomainsAndRanges

DC property domains and ranges

This document is part of the [Self]Usage Board Wiki. It is currently under development. Comments should be sent to the [WWW]dc-architecture@jiscmail.ac.uk mailing list.

Introduction

This document indicates the domains and ranges that apply to all DCMI properties. The relationships between domains, ranges and properties are as follows:

In practice, this means that the domain indicates the class of resources that the property should be used to describe, while the range indicates the class of resources that should be used as values for that property.

Classes

This section lists the classes that are needed in order to assign domains and ranges to the existing DCMI properties.

AccrualMethod

A method by which Resources are added to a Collection.

Agent

A Resource that acts or has the power to act (e.g. a person, organization or software agent).

AgentClass

A class of Agents (e.g. students, women, charities, lecturers).

BibliographicResource

A book, article or other published Resource.

BibliographicReference

Information which identifies a BibliographicResource.

Class

A group containing members that have attributes, behaviours, relationships or semantics in common; a kind of category.

Collection

An aggregation of Resources. (Note: this is the same as the DCMIType definition.)

DigitalResource

Something that is stored or transmitted as a sequence of discrete symbols from a finite set, usually binary data, represented using electronic or electromagnetic signals.

Duration

The time taken to view, play, execute, or interact with a DigitalResource or PhysicalResource (e.g. in hours/minutes/seconds).

Extent

A Size or Duration.

FileFormat

A DigitalResource format (e.g. as defined by the list of Internet Media Types).

Frequency

A rate at which something recurs.

InstructionalMethod

A process that is used to engender knowledge, attitudes and skills.

Jurisdiction

The extent or range of judicial, law enforcement, or other authority.

Language

A human language.

License

A legal document giving official permission to do something with a Resource.

Location

A place or geographical region.

LocationPeriodOrJurisdiction

A Location, Period or Jurisdiction.

MediaType

A FileFormat or PhysicalMedium.

MediaTypeOrDimensions

A MediaType or Dimensions.

Period

A date or date range.

PhysicalMedium

A material or physical carrier of a PhysicalResource (e.g. paper, canvas, etc.).

PhysicalResource

A material thing.

Policy

A plan or course of action, as of a government, political party, or business, intended to influence and determine decisions, actions, and other matters.

ProvenanceStatement

A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of a Resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity and interpretation.

Reference

A Resource identifier that is unambiguous in a given context (e.g. a URI).

Resource

Anything.

RightsStatement

A statement about the intellectual property rights (IPR) held in or over a Resource, or a statement about access rights.

Size

The dimensions of a DigitalResource or PhysicalResource (e.g. length/width/breadth, number of pages, etc.).

Standard

A basis for comparison; a reference point against which things can be evaluated.

class-hierarchy-new-3.jpg
Figure 1 - class diagram

The relationships between the classes associated with the DC Format property are particularly complex and are shown in more detail below.

class-hierarchy-format-new.jpg
Figure 2 - classes related to DC Format

Domains and ranges of DC properties

The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set

contributor
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/contributor

Definition: An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource.

Comment: Examples of a Contributor include a person, an organization, or a service. Typically, the name of a Contributor should be used to indicate the entity.

Domain: Resource

Range: Agent

coverage
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/coverage

Definition: The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant.

Comment: Spatial topic may be a named place or a location specified by its geographic coordinates. Temporal period may be a named period, date, or date range. A jurisdiction may be a named administrative entity or a geographic place to which the resource applies. Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as the Thesaurus of Geographic Names [TGN]. Where appropriate, named places or time periods can be used in preference to numeric identifiers such as sets of coordinates or date ranges.

References: [TGN] http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/tgn/index.html

Domain: Resource

Range: LocationPeriodOrJurisdiction

creator
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/creator

Definition: An entity primarily responsible for making the resource.

Comment: Examples of a Creator include a person, an organization, or a service. Typically, the name of a Creator should be used to indicate the entity.

Domain: Resource

Range: Agent

date
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Definition: A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource.

Comment: Date may be used to express temporal information at any level of granularity. Recommended best practice is to use an encoding scheme, such as the W3CDTF profile of ISO 8601 [W3CDTF].

References: [W3CDTF] http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-datetime

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

description
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/description

Definition: An account of the resource.

Comment: Description may include but is not limited to: an abstract, a table of contents, a graphical representation, or a free-text account of the resource.

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

format
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/format

Definition: The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource.

Comment: Examples of dimensions include size and duration. Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as the list of Internet Media Types [MIME].

References: [MIME] http://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/

Domain: Resource

Range: MediaTypeOrExtent

identifier
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/identifier

Definition: An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to identify the resource by means of a string conforming to a formal identification system.

Domain: Resource

Range: Reference

language
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/language

Definition: A language of the resource.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as RFC 3066 [RFC3066].

References: [RFC3066] http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3066.txt

References: [ISO639] http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/

Domain: Resource

Range: Language

publisher
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/publisher

Definition: An entity responsible for making the resource available.

Comment: Examples of a Publisher include a person, an organization, or a service. Typically, the name of a Publisher should be used to indicate the entity.

Domain: Resource

Range: Agent

relation
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Definition: A related resource.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to identify the related resource by means of a string conforming to a formal identification system.

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

rights
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/rights

Definition: Information about rights held in and over the resource.

Comment: Typically, rights information includes a statement about various property rights associated with the resource, including intellectual property rights.

Domain: Resource

Range: RightsStatement

source
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/source

Definition: The resource from which the described resource is derived.

Comment: The described resource may be derived from the related resource in whole or in part. Recommended best practice is to identify the related resource by means of a string conforming to a formal identification system.

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

subject
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/subject

Definition: The topic of the resource.

Comment: Typically, the topic will be represented using keywords, key phrases, or classification codes. Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary. To describe the spatial or temporal topic of the resource, use the Coverage element.

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

title
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title

Definition: A name given to the resource.

Comment: Typically, a Title will be a name by which the resource is formally known.

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

type
URI: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/type

Definition: The nature or genre of the resource.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to use a controlled vocabulary such as the DCMI Type Vocabulary [DCMITYPE]. To describe the file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource, use the Format element.

References: [DCMITYPE] http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-type-vocabulary/

Domain: Resource

Range: Class

Other Elements and Element Refinements

abstract
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/abstract

Definition: A summary of the content of the resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/description

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

accessRights
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/accessRights

Definition: Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status.

Comment: Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security or other regulations.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/rights

Domain: Resource

Range: RightsStatement

accrualMethod
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/accrualMethod

Definition: The method by which items are added to a collection.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to use a value from a controlled vocabulary.

Domain: Collection

Range: AccrualMethod

accrualPeriodicity
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/accrualPeriodicity

Definition: The frequency with which items are added to a collection.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to use a value from a controlled vocabulary.

Domain: Collection

Range: Frequency

accrualPolicy
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/accrualPolicy

Definition: The policy governing the addition of items to a collection.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to use a value from a controlled vocabulary.

Domain: Collection

Range: Policy

alternative
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/alternative

Definition: Any form of the title used as a substitute or alternative to the formal title of the resource.

Comment: This qualifier can include Title abbreviations as well as translations.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

audience
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/audience

Definition: A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful.

Comment: A class of entity may be determined by the creator or the publisher or by a third party.

Domain: Resource

Range: AgentClass

available
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/available

Definition: Date (often a range) that the resource will become or did become available.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

bibliographicCitation
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/bibliographicCitation

Definition: A bibliographic reference for the resource.

Comment: Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible, whether or not the citation is in a standard form.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/identifier

Domain: BibliographicResource

Range: BibliographicReference

conformsTo
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/conformsTo

Definition: A reference to an established standard to which the resource conforms.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Standard

created
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/created

Definition: Date of creation of the resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

dateAccepted
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/dateAccepted

Definition: Date of acceptance of the resource (e.g. of thesis by university department, of article by journal, etc.).

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

dateCopyrighted
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/dateCopyrighted

Definition: Date of a statement of copyright.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

dateSubmitted
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/dateSubmitted

Definition: Date of submission of the resource (e.g. thesis, articles, etc.).

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

educationLevel
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/educationLevel

Definition: A general statement describing the education or training context. Alternatively, a more specific statement of the location of the audience in terms of its progression through an education or training context.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/terms/audience

Domain: Resource

Range: AgentClass

Note: proposed range is in line with desire for educationLevel to be a sub-property of audience BUT it doesn't fit with the current wording of the definition.

Proposed definition: An audience, defined in terms of its progression through an educational or training context, for whom the resource is intended.

extent
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/extent

Definition: The size or duration of the resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/format

Domain: Resource

Range: Extent

hasFormat
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/hasFormat

Definition: The described resource pre-existed the referenced resource, which is essentially the same intellectual content presented in another format.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

hasPart
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/hasPart

Definition: The described resource includes the referenced resource either physically or logically.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

hasVersion
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/hasVersion

Definition: The described resource has a version, edition, or adaptation, namely, the referenced resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

instructionalMethod
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/instructionalMethod

Definition: A process, used to engender knowledge, attitudes and skills, that the resource is designed to support.

Comment: Instructional Method will typically include ways of presenting instructional materials or conducting instructional activities, patterns of learner-to-learner and learner-to-instructor interactions, and mechanisms by which group and individual levels of learning are measured. Instructional methods include all aspects of the instruction and learning processes from planning and implementation through evaluation and feedback.

Domain: Resource

Range: InstructionalMethod

isFormatOf
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/isFormatOf

Definition: The described resource is the same intellectual content of the referenced resource, but presented in another format.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

isPartOf
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/isPartOf

Definition: The described resource is a physical or logical part of the referenced resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

isReferencedBy
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/isReferencedBy

Definition: The described resource is referenced, cited, or otherwise pointed to by the referenced resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

isReplacedBy
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/isReplacedBy

Definition: The described resource is supplanted, displaced, or superseded by the referenced resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

isRequiredBy
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/isRequiredBy

Definition: The described resource is required by the referenced resource, either physically or logically.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

issued
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/issued

Definition: Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

isVersionOf
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/isVersionOf

Definition: The described resource is a version, edition, or adaptation of the referenced resource. Changes in version imply substantive changes in content rather than differences in format.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

license
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/license

Definition: A legal document giving official permission to do something with the resource.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to identify the license using a URI. Examples of such licenses can be found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/rights

Domain: Resource

Range: License

mediator
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/mediator

Definition: A class of entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful.

Comment: The audiences for a resource are of two basic classes: (1) an ultimate beneficiary of the resource, and (2) frequently, an entity that mediates access to the resource. The mediator element refinement represents the second of these two classes.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/terms/audience

Domain: Resource

Range: AgentClass

medium
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/medium

Definition: The material or physical carrier of the resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/format

Domain: PhysicalResource

Range: PhysicalMedium

modified
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/modified

Definition: Date on which the resource was changed.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

provenance
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/provenance

Definition: A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity and interpretation.

Comment: The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.

Domain: Resource

Range: ProvenanceStatement

references
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/references

Definition: The described resource references, cites, or otherwise points to the referenced resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

replaces
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/replaces

Definition: The described resource supplants, displaces, or supersedes the referenced resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

requires
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/requires

Definition: The described resource requires the referenced resource to support its function, delivery, or coherence of content.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/relation

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

rightsHolder
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/rightsHolder

Definition: A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.

Comment: Recommended best practice is to use the URI or name of the Rights Holder to indicate the entity.

Domain: Resource

Range: Agent

spatial
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/spatial

Definition: Spatial characteristics of the intellectual content of the resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/coverage

Domain: Resource

Range: Location

tableOfContents
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/tableOfContents

Definition: A list of subunits of the content of the resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/description

Domain: Resource

Range: Resource

temporal
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/temporal

Definition: Temporal characteristics of the intellectual content of the resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/coverage

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

valid
URI: http://purl.org/dc/terms/valid

Definition: Date (often a range) of validity of a resource.

Refines: http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/date

Domain: Resource

Range: Period

The links below provide access to the UML class diagrams shown above in a form suitable for loading into [WWW]UMLet (the tool that was used to create them).