Benefits and limitations of linked data approaches for road modeling and data exchange

The paper advocates the use of Linked Data approaches as a means of overcoming the limitations of conventional monolithic data modeling in the context of the de-facto heterogeneity of information systems and data models in the diverse fields of the digital built environment. It enriches the discussion by focusing on one specific sub-domain – the application of digital methods in road design, construction and operation which involves the exchange, management and querying of spatio-semantic data that typically stems from different data sources and involves diverse software systems and data models. It argues that semantic web techniques significantly simplify the integration of heterogeneous data models. In a case study, the German road data exchange standard OKSTRA is linked with the Dutch CB-NL and RWS object type libraries. Doing so, it is shown how nationally well-established and widespread standards can be integrated in order to perform cross-country querying of road data. As a basis for the cases study, OKSTRA was transferred into an OWL-based data format, resulting in the creation of okstraOWL. The paper discusses in detail strategies for realizing semi-automated mapping with the Dutch CB-NL and RWS object type library, including a detailed analysis of the advantages and limitations of the different options. Major emphasis is placed on finding spatially related entities. Finally, the paper discusses the capabilities of linking the data sets by presenting a number of exemplary SPARQL queries for answering real-world questions that require the integrated analysis of data sets in different data models.