Provenance Data Models and Assertions: A Demonstrative Approach
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5.2 PROV-N, PROV-O, PROV-XML
PROV-N stands for the provenance notation. PROV-N is a language that enables
ease of learning, discussing, illustrating, and formalizing all issues concerning
provenance. Simple and easy to use syntax, interoperability with parsers, ease of
understanding, and implementing.
PROV-O and PROV-XML are various serializations of the PROV-DM thus enable
easy transfer of provenance information across all syntaxes. PROV-XML has been
proposed to support users and applications that deploy XML for data interchange and
PROV-O is used to express PROV-DM using the OWL-2 Web Ontology Language
[26]. PROV-N, PROV-O, PROV-XML serializations permit sets of classes, attributes,
and constraints that support the creation and transfer of information created by various
semantic agents across multiple domains.
5.3 PROV-CONSTRAINTS and PROV-SEM
A concerning issue with PROV-DM is that it permits users to define different entities
that refer to different aspects of the same thing. These entities are termed as alternate entities. PROV-CONSTRAINTS layer concentrates on developing valid PROV
instances by incorporating constraints and thus limiting the problem of alternate
entities. PROV instances are validated to ensure that they refer to the same objects
at a given time period and can be used for logical reasoning and drawing inferences
[22].
A document changed multiple times by numerous authors can be represented using
different entities for the various versions which are distinguished based on their generation derivation and invalidation events. This creates ambiguity hence the PROVCONSTRAINTS layer can be used to place constraints on replications/alternate
entities. Provenance instances can be validated through the process of normalization.
PROV-SEM the semantic layer assists the PROV-CONSTRAINTS layer. PROVSEM layer interprets the PROV-DM statements as atomic formulas and maintains
that instances can be validated by applying the principles of definition, inferences,
and constraints on the atomic formulas specified by the layer itself. PROV-SEM
layer ensures that an atomic formula can be further divided into Entity formula, relationship formula, and auxiliary formulas for easily establishing and understanding
relationships that exist between entities, agents, and objects [28].
5.4 PROV-DICTIONARY and PROV-LINKS
PROV–DICTIONARY layer allows users to consolidate provenance information
into a specialized structure that is a dictionary. A dictionary is a specialized form of
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