Presentation of the knowledge graph for NFDI4Objects

Integrated research data for cultural heritage

On 23 May 2025, the N4O Graph was presented at the consortium’s round table by Verbundzentrale Göttingen, co-applicant in our Task Area 5. The presentation entitled** N4O Graph: Integrated research data for cultural heritage** can be found at Zenodo: https://zenodo.org/records/15573880.

The Knowledge Graph is the central infrastructure for the integration of research data on material legacies of human history in the consortium and serves as a central access point for object-oriented research data in the field of cultural heritage in accordance with the FAIR principles. Its core function is data integration, whereby decentralised research data from various repositories and specialised portals (such as KENOM and objekte-im-netz.fau.de) are brought together in a uniform RDF database. Proven standards such as CIDOC-CRM as the basic ontology, LIDO for object descriptions, and X3ML for data mapping as well as controlled vocabularies (including Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names Online, Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus, Wikidata, GND, VIAF) are used.

The graph enables event-centred modelling of object lifecycles, from data creation to use to current research, including provenance and change of ownership. The system is explicitly designed for modelling incomplete information and contradictory data, which is typical for cultural-historical research. The core infrastructure is operational, initial data imports have been completed and SPARQL endpoints are available. Future developments include improved QGIS integration, natural language interfaces, automated import processes and integration into the wider NFDI infrastructure.

Further information on the N4O Knowledge Graph can be found here on our website.