BBF RFC 30: Draft of an RDF-based framework for the exchange and integration of Synthetic Biology data

Abstract

This Request for Comments (RFC) suggests a framework for the description, exchange and interlinking of Synthetic Biology data. The framework would create an open process for the evolution and “rolling” standardization of data models. It describes how data and data models are to be published, how they are exchanged and integrated between different parties, and how they can be extended, corrected and interlinked in a decentralized fashion. These goals are achieved by embracing the RDF (Resource Description Framework), a set of W3C standards. A one-sentence summary of this proposal would there- fore be: “Use RDF according to the W3C standards.” The PoBoL pro ject (Provisional BioBrick Ontology Language, http://pobol.org) is based on this idea. This RFC does not describe a data model per se but only outlines a possible architecture and rules of data exchange.