Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
Tetherless World Constellation, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
Sci Data. 2022 May 27;9(1):239. doi: 10.1038/s41597-022-01352-z.
Graph databases capture richly linked domain knowledge by integrating heterogeneous data and metadata into a unified representation. Here, we present the use of bespoke, interactive data graphics (bar charts, scatter plots, etc.) for visual exploration of a knowledge graph. By modeling a chart as a set of metadata that describes semantic context (SPARQL query) separately from visual context (Vega-Lite specification), we leverage the high-level, declarative nature of the SPARQL and Vega-Lite grammars to concisely specify web-based, interactive data graphics synchronized to a knowledge graph. Resources with dereferenceable URIs (uniform resource identifiers) can employ the hyperlink encoding channel or image marks in Vega-Lite to amplify the information content of a given data graphic, and published charts populate a browsable gallery of the database. We discuss design considerations that arise in relation to portability, persistence, and performance. Altogether, this pairing of SPARQL and Vega-Lite-demonstrated here in the domain of polymer nanocomposite materials science-offers an extensible approach to FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) scientific data visualization within a knowledge graph framework.
图数据库通过将异构数据和元数据集成到统一表示中，捕获丰富链接的领域知识。在这里，我们展示了专用交互式数据图形（条形图、散点图等）在知识图的可视化探索中的使用。通过将图表建模为一组元数据，该元数据分别描述语义上下文（SPARQL 查询）和视觉上下文（Vega-Lite 规范），我们利用 SPARQL 和 Vega-Lite 语法的高级、声明性特性，简洁地指定了基于 Web 的交互式数据图形，这些图形与知识图同步。具有可解析 URIs（统一资源标识符）的资源可以在 Vega-Lite 中使用超链接编码通道或图像标记来放大给定数据图形的信息量，发布的图表填充了数据库的可浏览画廊。我们讨论了与可移植性、持久性和性能相关的设计注意事项。总的来说，SPARQL 和 Vega-Lite 的这种组合——在此聚合物纳米复合材料科学领域中得到了展示——为知识图框架内的 FAIR（可发现、可访问、可互操作、可重复使用）科学数据可视化提供了一种可扩展的方法。
