How to Register the PROV-O Ontology in Omeka S

Introduction

When building digital archives with Omeka S, using standard vocabularies for metadata description improves data interoperability. This article explains the steps to register PROV-O (PROV Ontology), developed by W3C, in Omeka S.

PROV-O is an ontology for describing provenance information about data and digital objects, allowing structured recording of “who,” “when,” and “how” data was created or modified.

Prerequisites

• Omeka S (version 3.0 or later) installed
• Logged in with administrator privileges
• Internet connection environment (required for importing from external URLs)

Registration Steps

1. Accessing the Vocabulary Management Screen

1. Log in to the Omeka S admin panel
2. Click “Vocabularies” from the left menu
3. Click the “Import new vocabulary” button in the upper right

2. Entering Basic Information

Enter the vocabulary basic information as follows:

Important: The namespace URI must end with # (hash). Forgetting this will prevent properties from being recognized correctly.

3. File Import Settings

Import type Selection

Select “URL” (it should be selected by default).

File URL Entry

Enter the following URL:

This URL supports content negotiation, and Omeka S will automatically fetch it in the appropriate format (Turtle).

File Format

“Turtle (.ttl)” will be automatically selected. No changes are needed.

4. Executing the Registration

1. Confirm the entered information
2. Click the “Import” button
3. Wait for processing to complete (a few seconds to a few tens of seconds)

5. Confirming the Registration

Once registration is complete, the PROV-O Ontology will appear in the vocabulary list.

Clicking to view details, the following classes and properties should be registered:

Key classes:

• prov:Entity - Entity (thing or concept)
• prov:Activity - Activity (process or action)
• prov:Agent - Agent (person, organization, software)

Key properties:

• prov:wasGeneratedBy - How it was generated
• prov:wasAttributedTo - Attribution target
• prov:wasAssociatedWith - Associated agent
• prov:used - Used entity

Usage Example

Example of metadata description for an item using PROV-O:

Troubleshooting

If an Import Error Occurs

1. Check the network connection

   • In environments that require proxy settings, check the Omeka S configuration

2. Verify the URL

   • Confirm that https://www.w3.org/ns/prov-o is correctly entered
   • If HTTPS is not accessible, try http://

3. Check the namespace URI

   • Verify that the trailing # is not forgotten

If Properties Are Not Displayed

• Check the “Properties” tab on the vocabulary detail page
• If necessary, delete the vocabulary and re-import

Alternative Import Method

If importing from URL does not work, import from a local file:

1. Download the PROV-O Turtle file:

2. Select “Upload” for Import type

3. Select the downloaded prov.ttl file and import

Summary

By registering the PROV-O ontology, you can describe data provenance information in a standard format in Omeka S. This provides the following benefits:

• Improved interoperability: Easier data exchange with other systems
• Ensuring transparency: Clear recording of data creation and modification history
• Improved reliability: Ability to trace data origin and processing history

In building digital archives, the quality of metadata is extremely important. By utilizing standard vocabularies, you can build more valuable archives.

Reference Links

• W3C PROV-O Official Specification
• Omeka S Official Documentation - Vocabularies
• PROV-O Primer Guide

Updated: August 2025