A semantically enabled metadata repository for scientific data

The LASP Extended Metadata Repository (LEMR) is a semantically enabled repository of information (metadata) about the scientific datasets that LASP offers to the public. The repository enables the provision of consistent, current, verified metadata to our users. It serves as a Single Source of Truth for this information, enabling more rigorous metadata management and addressing problems related to duplication of information. The linked open data aspect of the repository allows interlinking of concepts both within and across organizations and web sites. Associated interfaces allow users to browse and search the metadata. This information can be dynamically incorporated into web pages, so web page content is always up-to-date and consistent across the lab. With this information we can generate metadata records in a variety of schemas, such as ISO or SPASE, allowing federation with other organizations interested in our data. We leveraged open source technologies to build the repository and the dynamic web pages that read from it. VIVO, an open source semantic web application, provided key capabilities such as ontology and triple store management interfaces. AngularJS, an open source JavaScript framework for building web dynamic applications, was also invaluable in developing web pages that provide semantically enabled public interfaces to the metadata. In this paper we discuss our use of these tools and what we had to craft in order to meet our lab-specific needs.