1.1 The term “Linked Data” refers to a set of practices for publishing and linking structured data on the Internet. Data that is Linked Data is linked to other data and can in turn be linked to from other data. It is also data that is published in a machine-readable way meaning all terms used are explicitly defined both in formats and meaning. As Linked Data technologies advance and become more common place, it will be necessary for Government to become responsive to the needs of both its public, as well as its own entities.
1.2 Predefining standards for guidance and establishing technical mechanisms for Linked Data implementations will ensure individuals, businesses and organisations can benefit from the opportunities these technologies offer.
1.3 Established in August 2012, the Australian Government Linked Data Working Group exists with support from the agencies that have signed the MOU. Furthermore, CSIRO and the Department of Finance, Online Services Branch who are responsible for the open data policy also provide support. The Working Group’s 2018 MOU saw the relationship between the Digital Transformation Agency and the Working Group become formalized, providing surety that any domain name change would be completed in negotiation with the Working Group in recognition of the Working Group’s role in maintaining Persistent IDs on behalf of the Australian Government. Its participating members have been drafting policy and technical guidance on the implementation of Linked Data for the Australian Government.
The Australian Government Linked Data Working Group aims to:
2.1 Establish technical guidance for Australian Government agencies on publishing Australian Government public sector information using Linked Data as a delivery technology
2.2 Determine governance rules and processes for the effective management of Australian Government Linked Data
2.3 Promote and explain Linked Data and, in particular, the work of the group across the Australian Government
2.4 Engender the development of fundamental infrastructure and Linked Data implementations
The Australian Government Linked Data Working Group (AGLDWG, the Working Group) will work to:
3.1 Develop technical guidelines and best practices on the publication of ‘Linked Data’ by Australian Government (AG) agencies
3.2 Develop technical guidelines and best practice to encourage the use of ‘Linked Data’ by individuals, businesses and organisations including AG agencies
3.3 Promote the benefits and encourage adoption of ‘Linked Data’ for publishing AG Public Sector Information (PSI) and Open Data
3.4 Collaborate with Australian interest groups and communities of practice relevant to government Linked Data
3.5 Provide advice relating to the development of data.gov.au as a platform for publishing AG PSI and Open Data
3.6 Where appropriate, undertake specific activities and coordinate projects in pursuit of these objectives
3.7 Contribute to relevant international working groups and committees (e.g. ISO, OGC, W3C) as appropriate The group should actively work to develop stronger networks across all levels of government and engender recognition and use of Linked Data
The Working Group shall operate under a Chair (or more than one co-Chair) and a Secretariat who are responsible for:
4.1.1 providing strategic direction across the Working Group in line with government priorities and policy;
4.1.2 addressing cross-agency issues and conflicts referred to it by Working Group Members and recommending corrective action through appropriate negotiation and/or escalation;
4.1.3 addressing items of risk and other issues as referred by the Working Group Members and recommending action;
4.1.4 monitoring and reviewing the working group work plan implementation against the terms of reference on a regular basis. 4.2 The working group will be responsible for:
4.2.1 Office Bearers 4.2.1.1 will comprise two annual positions; Chair (or co-Chairs) and Secretariat, where one position shall be held by an Australian Government agency representative
4.2.1.2 are determined by a vote of the formal membership of the working group
4.2.2 Sub-working groups
4.2.2.1 to focus on delivering key elements required for the implementation of Linked Data
4.2.2.2 will report on progress to the Chair
4.3 Annual General Meeting
4.3.1 There shall be an Annual General Meeting in the first quarter of each financial year where:
4.3.1.1 Office bearers shall be voted for and
4.3.1.2 changes to this Terms of Reference, if any, shall be discussed, voted on and then referred to the Core Working Group for finalisation.
4.3.1.3 Each formal member organisation shall be represented at the meeting and
4.3.1.4 a majority voting rule shall apply, with one vote per member organisation, cast by a nominee of that organisation.
5.1 Visibility sub-group
5.1.1 Attendance and presentations to relevant forums, and/or workshops.
5.1.2 Development of a communication strategy and calendar of events each year.
5.1.3 Blog entries, newsletters, APS notification, etc.
5.2 Recommendations sub-group
5.2.1 Development of guidelines, guidance and ontologies.
5.2.2 Publishing outputs in accessible web space.
5.2.3 Review and maintenance of guidelines and ontologies in the context of other initiatives such as W3C Data On the Web Best Practices (http://w3c.github.io/dwbp/bp.html)
5.3 Solutions sub-group
5.3.1 To develop technological solutions to assist with the implementation of and compliance with guidelines and ontologies prepared by the Recommendations sub-group.
5.3.2 Assist data.gov.au in implementing the necessary policies for Linked Data uploads to data.gov.au.
5.3.3 Implementation of Linked Data instance examples in specific domain spaces.
5.4 Governance sub-group
5.4.1 Works to develop governance patterns to allow different entities to participate and contribute linked data resources in a way that encourages reuse across domains.
5.4.2 Manages PID URI allocation process. This process can be found on the AGLDWG website’s governance page
5.4.3 The Governance subgroup is also waiting for Office of the National Data Commissioner feedback on the AGLDWG’s application to become a release authority for linked data resources.
6.1.1 Managing the general interactions with members and provide a point of contact for the Working Group enabling inter-group communication for each of the sub-groups (where applicable).
6.1.2 Management and adherence to the Terms of Reference The administration of the group will be shared across each of the co-chairs.
7.1 Formal membership
7.1.1 Formal membership is determined by: attendance of more than three general meetings in the period between two annual general meetings;
7.1.2 Formal members gain their status of membership by complying with 7.1.1.1 and being Australian Government Corporate Entity organisations
7.2 Working Group
7.2.1 The Working Group membership consists of:
7.2.1.1 Formal Members – Australian Government Corporate Entity organisations with voting rights
7.2.1.2 Informal Members – non-voting members, including non-Government organisations or individuals
7.2.2 The positions are to be filled annually by a majority vote by Formal Members at the AGLDWG AGM.
7.2.3 Additional Formal or Informal Members may be invited following approval of the current Formal Members of the Working Group.
7.2.4 Meetings may be attended by one or more nominees of member organisations with an expectation of active participation in Working Group activities and regular meeting attendance.
7.2.5 As part of granting membership to Informal Members the current members will need to be informed of potential conflicts of interest, particularly where new members are engaged from potential service providers.
7.2.6 Working group decisions will be taken by majority vote, following the voting procedure defined in Clause 4.3.1.4
7.3 Formal Members as of August 2019, are the following Commonwealth Corporate Entities:
7.3.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics 7.3.2 Australian National University 7.3.3 CSIRO 7.3.4 Department of Finance 7.3.5 Department of Human Services 7.3.6 Geoscience Australia 7.3.7 National Archives of Australia 7.3.8 DTA 7.3.9 PM&C 7.3.10 Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines
7.4 Informal Members as of August, 2019, are: 7.4.1 7.4.2 NCI 7.4.3 ARDC 7.4.4 University of Queensland
8.1 The formal office bearer positions for the group, as of August 2019, are:
8.1.1 Co-Chairs: Nicholas Car (QLD Department of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines), Armin Haller (ANU), Brigette Metzler (DHS), John Machin (Department of Finance)
8.1.2 Secretary: Gavin Walker (CSIRO)
9.1 Working Group Meeting Schedule
9.1.1 Monthly meetings
9.1.1.1 The full AGLDWG membership and guests will be invited to attend a regular monthly in-person and video/tele-conference meeting to be organised by the Secretariat.
9.1.1.2 Notifications for meetings will be sent via the AGLDWG’s email list and through maintenance of the GovTeams website
10.1 Federal Register – Transparency and Open Government, http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2009/01/26/E9-1777/ transparency-and-open-government 10.2 PUTTING THE FRONTLINE FIRST: smarter government, http://www.hmg.gov.uk/media/52788/smarter-government-final.pdf
10.3 Government Response to the Report of the Government 2.0 Taskforce, http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/ govresponse20report/index.html 10.4 Engage: Getting on with Government 2.0, http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/gov20taskforcereport/index.html
10.5 Declaration of Open Government, http://www.finance.gov.au/e-government/strategy-and-governance/gov2/declaration-of-open-government.html
10.6 Principles on open public sector information, http://www.oaic.gov.au/publications/agency_resources/principles_on_psi_short.html
10.7 Linked Data – Design Issues, http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html
10.8 Designing URI Sets for the UK Public Sector, http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/designing-uri-sets-uk-public-sector
10.9 A Proposal for Governmental Data URIs, http://data-gov.tw.rpi.edu/wiki/A_Proposal_for_Governmental_Data_URIs
10.10 223 Best Practices URI Construction, http://www.w3.org/2011/gld/wiki/223_Best_Practices_URI_Construction
10.11 Government Linked Data (GLD) Working Group Wiki, http://www.w3.org/2011/gld
10.12 Defra, UK - Linked Data, http://location.defra.gov.uk/resources/linked-data/