SSN Ontology
type: Ontology
version IRI: http://ontology.eil.utoronto.ca/icity/SSN/1.0/
imports: sosa
imports: ssn
description: Ontology to capture concepts related to sensors and their observations. Directly reuses the SSN Ontology; adds classes and properties for organization of terms.
created: 2017-04-17
creator: W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
license: Software
license: copyright-software-and-document
rights: Copyright 2017 W3C/OGC.
title: Semantic Sensor Network Ontology
title: Sensor, Observation, Sample, and Actuator (SOSA) Ontology
preferred namespace prefix: ssn

acts on property
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: is acted on by
domain includes: Actuation
range includes: Actuatable Property
comment: Relation between an Actuation and the property of a FeatureOfInterest it is acting upon.
example: In the activity (Actuation) of automatically closing a window if the temperature in a room drops below 20 degrees Celsius, the property on which the Actuator acts upon is the state of the window as it changes from being open to being closed.

has feature of interest
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: is feature of interest of
domain includes: Actuation
domain includes: Observation
domain includes: Sampling
range includes: Feature Of Interest
range includes: Sample
comment: A relation between an Observation and the entity whose quality was observed, or between an Actuation and the entity whose property was modified, or between an act of Sampling and the entity that was sampled.
example: For example, in an Observation of the weight of a person, the FeatureOfInterest is the person and the property is its weight.

has result
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: is result of
domain includes: Actuation
domain includes: Observation
domain includes: Sampling
range includes: Result
range includes: Sample
comment: Relation linking an Observation or Actuation or act of Sampling and a Result or Sample.

has sample
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: is sample of
type: InverseFunctionalProperty
domain includes: Feature Of Interest
range includes: Sample
comment: Relation between a FeatureOfInterest and the Sample used to represent it.

hosts
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: is hosted by
property chain axiom: in deployment
property chain axiom: deployed system
domain includes: Platform
range includes: Actuator
range includes: Platform
range includes: Sampler
range includes: Sensor
comment: Relation between a Platform and a Sensor, Actuator, Sampler, or Platform, hosted or mounted on it.

is acted on by
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Actuatable Property
range includes: Actuation
comment: Relation between an ActuatableProperty of a FeatureOfInterest and an Actuation changing its state.
example: In the activity (Actuation) of automatically closing a window if the temperature in a room drops below 20 degrees Celsius, the property on which the Actuator acts upon is the state of the window as it changes from being open to being closed.

is feature of interest of
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Feature Of Interest
domain includes: Sample
range includes: Actuation
range includes: Observation
range includes: Sampling
comment: A relation between a FeatureOfInterest and an Observation about it, an Actuation acting on it, or an act of Sampling that sampled it.

is hosted by
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Actuator
domain includes: Platform
domain includes: Sampler
domain includes: Sensor
range includes: Platform
comment: Relation between a Sensor, Actuator, Sampler, or Platform, and the Platform that it is mounted on or hosted by.

is observed by
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: observes
domain includes: Observable Property
range includes: Sensor
comment: Relation between an ObservableProperty and the Sensor able to observe it.

is result of
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Result
domain includes: Sample
range includes: Actuation
range includes: Observation
range includes: Sampling
comment: Relation linking a Result to the Observation or Actuation or act of Sampling that created or caused it.

is sample of
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain includes: Sample
range includes: Feature Of Interest
comment: Relation from a Sample to the FeatureOfInterest that it is intended to be representative of.

made actuation
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: made by actuator
domain includes: Actuator
range includes: Actuation
comment: Relation between an Actuator and the Actuation it has made.

made by actuator
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Actuation
range includes: Actuator
comment: Relation linking an Actuation to the Actuator that made that Actuation.

made by sampler
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: made sampling
domain includes: Sampling
range includes: Sampler
comment: Relation linking an act of Sampling to the Sampler (sampling device or entity) that made it.

made by sensor
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: made observation
domain includes: Observation
range includes: Sensor
comment: Relation between an Observation and the Sensor which made the Observation.

made observation
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Sensor
range includes: Observation
comment: Relation between a Sensor and an Observation made by the Sensor.

made sampling
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Sampler
range includes: Sampling
comment: Relation between a Sampler (sampling device or entity) and the Sampling act it performed.

observed property
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Observation
range includes: Observable Property
comment: Relation linking an Observation to the property that was observed. The ObservableProperty should be a property of the FeatureOfInterest (linked by hasFeatureOfInterest) of this Observation.

observes
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: for property
domain includes: Sensor
range includes: Observable Property
comment: Relation between a Sensor and an ObservableProperty that it is capable of sensing.

phenomenon time
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
domain includes: Actuation
domain includes: Observation
domain includes: Sampling
range includes: TemporalEntity
comment: The time that the Result of an Observation, Actuation or Sampling applies to the FeatureOfInterest. Not necessarily the same as the resultTime. May be an Interval or an Instant, or some other compound TemporalEntity.

used procedure
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
property chain axiom: made by actuator
property chain axiom: implements
property chain axiom: made by sampler
property chain axiom: made by sensor
domain includes: Actuation
domain includes: Observation
domain includes: Sampling
range includes: Procedure
comment: A relation to link to a re-usable Procedure used in making an Observation, an Actuation, or a Sample, typically through a Sensor, Actuator or Sampler.

deployed on platform
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: in deployment
comment: Relation between a Deployment and the Platform on which the Systems are deployed.

deployed system
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: has deployment
comment: Relation between a Deployment and a deployed System.

detects
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: A relation from a Sensor to the Stimulus that the Sensor can detect. The Stimulus itself will be serving as a proxy for some ObservableProperty.
comment: A relation from a Sensor to the Stimulus that the Sensor detects. The Stimulus itself will be serving as a proxy for some ObservableProperty.

for property
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: A relation between some aspect of an entity and a Property.
example: For example, from a Sensor to the properties it can observe; from an Actuator to the properties it can act on; from a Deployment to the properties it was installed to observe or act on; from a SystemCapability to the Property the capability is described for.

has deployment
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: Relation between a System and a Deployment, recording that the System is deployed in that Deployment.

has input
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: Relation between a Procedure and an Input to it.

has output
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: Relation between a Procedure and an Output of it.

has property
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: is property of
comment: Relation between an entity and a Property of that entity.

has subsystem
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: Relation between a System and its component parts.

implemented by
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
inverse of: implements
comment: Relation between a Procedure (an algorithm, procedure or method) and an entity that implements that Procedure in some executable way.
example: For example, the relationship between a scientific measuring Procedure and a sensor that senses via that Procedure.

implements
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: Relation between an entity that implements a Procedure in some executable way and the Procedure (an algorithm, procedure or method).
example: For example, the relationship between a sensor and the scientific measuring Procedure via which it senses.

in deployment
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: Relation between a Platform and a Deployment, meaning that the deployedSystems of the Deployment are hosted on the Platform.
example: For example, a relation between a buoy and a deployment of several Sensors.

is property of
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: Relation between a Property and the entity it belongs to.

is proxy for
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
comment: A relation from a Stimulus to the Property that the Stimulus is serving as a proxy for.
example: For example, the expansion of quicksilver is a stimulus that serves as a proxy for some temperature property. An increase or decrease in the velocity of spinning cups on a wind sensor is serving as a proxy for the wind speed.

was originated by
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: ssnObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
comment: Relation between an Observation and the Stimulus that originated it.

has simple result
type: DatatypeProperty
sub property of: ssnDataProperty
domain includes: Actuation
domain includes: Observation
domain includes: Sampling
comment: The simple value of an Observation or Actuation or act of Sampling.
example: For instance, the values 23 or true.

result time
type: DatatypeProperty
sub property of: ssnDataProperty
range: dateTime
domain includes: Actuation
domain includes: Observation
domain includes: Sampling
comment: The result time is the instant of time when the Observation, Actuation or Sampling activity was completed.

Actuatable Property
type: Class
subclass of: Property
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is acted on by
  all values from: Actuation
comment: An actuatable quality (property, characteristic) of a FeatureOfInterest.
example: A window actuator acts by changing the state between a frame and a window. The ability of the window to be opened and closed is its ActuatableProperty.

Actuation
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: acts on property
  all values from: Actuatable Property
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has feature of interest
  all values from: Feature Of Interest
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has result
  all values from: Result
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made by actuator
  all values from: Actuator
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: used procedure
  all values from: Procedure
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: acts on property
  min cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has result
  min cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has feature of interest
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made by actuator
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: result time
  cardinality: 1
comment: An Actuation carries out an (Actuation) Procedure to change the state of the world using an Actuator.
example: The activity of automatically closing a window if the temperature in a room drops below 20 degree Celsius. The activity is the Actuation and the device that closes the window is the Actuator. The Procedure is the rule, plan, or specification that defines the conditions that triggers the Actuation, here a drop in temperature.

Actuator
type: Class
subclass of: System
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made actuation
  all values from: Actuation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: for property
  all values from: Actuatable Property
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: implements
  min cardinality: 1
comment: A device that is used by, or implements, an (Actuation) Procedure that changes the state of the world.
example: A window actuator for automatic window control, i.e., opening or closing the window.

Feature Of Interest
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has sample
  all values from: Sample
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has property
  all values from: Property
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has property
  min cardinality: 1
comment: The thing whose property is being estimated or calculated in the course of an Observation to arrive at a Result or whose property is being manipulated by an Actuator, or which is being sampled or transformed in an act of Sampling.
example: When measuring the height of a tree, the height is the observed ObservableProperty, 20m may be the Result of the Observation, and the tree is the FeatureOfInterest. A window is a FeatureOfInterest for an automatic window control Actuator.

Observable Property
type: Class
subclass of: Property
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is observed by
  all values from: Sensor
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: observed property
  all values from: Observation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: is proxy for
  all values from: Stimulus
comment: An observable quality (property, characteristic) of a FeatureOfInterest.
example: The height of a tree, the depth of a water body, or the temperature of a surface are examples of observable properties, while the value of a classic car is not (directly) observable but asserted.

Observation
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has feature of interest
  all values from: Feature Of Interest
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has result
  all values from: Result
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made by sensor
  all values from: Sensor
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: observed property
  all values from: Observable Property
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: used procedure
  all values from: Procedure
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: was originated by
  all values from: Stimulus
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has result
  min cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has feature of interest
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made by sensor
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: observed property
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: phenomenon time
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: was originated by
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: result time
  cardinality: 1
comment: Act of carrying out an (Observation) Procedure to estimate or calculate a value of a property of a FeatureOfInterest. Links to a Sensor to describe what made the Observation and how; links to an ObservableProperty to describe what the result is an estimate of, and to a FeatureOfInterest to detail what that property was associated with.
example: The activity of estimating the intensity of an Earthquake using the Mercalli intensity scale is an Observation as is measuring the moment magnitude, i.e., the energy released by said earthquake.

Platform
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: hosts
  all values from: System
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: in deployment
  all values from: Deployment
comment: A Platform is an entity that hosts other entities, particularly Sensors, Actuators, Samplers, and other Platforms.
example: A post, buoy, vehicle, ship, aircraft, satellite, cell-phone, human or animal may act as platforms for (technical or biological) sensors or actuators.

Procedure
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has input
  all values from: Input
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has output
  all values from: Output
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: implemented by
  all values from: System
comment: A workflow, protocol, plan, algorithm, or computational method specifying how to make an Observation, create a Sample, or make a change to the state of the world (via an Actuator). A Procedure is re-usable, and might be involved in many Observations, Samplings, or Actuations. It explains the steps to be carried out to arrive at reproducible results.
example: The measured wind speed differs depending on the height of the sensor above the surface, e.g., due to friction. Consequently, procedures for measuring wind speed define a standard height for anemometers above ground, typically 10m for meteorological measures and 2m in Agrometeorology. This definition of height, sensor placement, and so forth are defined by the Procedure.
note: Many observations may be created via the same Procedure, the same way as many tables are assembled using the same instructions (as information objects, not their concrete realization).

Result
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is result of
  min cardinality: 1
comment: The Result of an Observation, Actuation, or act of Sampling. To store an observation's simple result value one can use the hasSimpleResult property.
example: The value 20 as the height of a certain tree together with the unit, e.g., Meter.

Sample
type: Class
subclass of: Feature Of Interest
subclass of: Result
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is result of
  all values from: Sampling
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is sample of
  all values from: Feature Of Interest
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is result of
  min cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is sample of
  min cardinality: 1
comment: A Sample is the result from an act of Sampling.
comment: Feature which is intended to be representative of a FeatureOfInterest on which Observations may be made.
comment: Physical samples are sometimes known as 'specimens'.
comment: Samples are artifacts of an observational strategy, and have no significant function outside of their role in the observation process. The characteristics of the samples themselves are of little interest, except perhaps to the manager of a sampling campaign. A Sample is intended to sample some FatureOfInterest, so there is an expectation of at least one isSampleOf property. However, in some cases the identity, and even the exact type, of the sampled feature may not be known when observations are made using the sampling features.
example: A 'station' is essentially an identifiable locality where a sensor system or Procedure may be deployed and an observation made. In the context of the observation model, it connotes the 'world in the vicinity of the station', so the observed properties relate to the physical medium at the station, and not to any physical artifact such as a mooring, buoy, benchmark, monument, well, etc.
example: A statistical sample is often designed to be characteristic of an entire population, so that observations can be made regarding the sample that provide a good estimate of the properties of the population.
note: A transient sample, such as a ships-track or flight-line, might be identified and described, but is unlikely to be revisited exactly.

Sampler
type: Class
subclass of: System
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made sampling
  all values from: Sampling
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: implements
  min cardinality: 1
comment: A device that is used by, or implements, a Sampling Procedure to create or transform one or more samples.
example: A ball mill, diamond drill, hammer, hypodermic syringe and needle, image Sensor or a soil auger can all act as sampling devices (i.e., be Samplers). However, sometimes the distinction between the Sampler and the Sensor is not evident, as they are packaged as a unit. A Sampler need not be a physical device.

Sampling
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has feature of interest
  all values from: Feature Of Interest
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has result
  all values from: Sample
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made by sampler
  all values from: Sampler
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: used procedure
  all values from: Procedure
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has result
  min cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has feature of interest
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made by sampler
  cardinality: 1
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: result time
  cardinality: 1
comment: An act of Sampling carries out a sampling Procedure to create or transform one or more samples.
example: Crushing a rock sample in a ball mill.
example: Digging a pit through a soil sequence.
example: Dividing a field site into quadrants.
example: Drawing blood from a patient.
example: Drilling an observation well.
example: Establishing a station for environmental monitoring.
example: Registering an image of the landscape.
example: Selecting a subset of a population.
example: Sieving a powder to separate the subset finer than 100-mesh.
example: Splitting a piece of drill-core to create two new samples.
example: Taking a diamond-drill core from a rock outcrop.

Sensor
type: Class
subclass of: System
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: made observation
  all values from: Observation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: observes
  all values from: Observable Property
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: detects
  all values from: Stimulus
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: implements
  min cardinality: 1
comment: Device, agent (including humans), or software (simulation) involved in, or implementing, a Procedure. Sensors respond to a stimulus, e.g., a change in the environment, or input data composed from the results of prior Observations, and generate a Result. Sensors can be hosted by Platforms.
definition: Device, agent (including humans), or software (simulation) involved in, or implementing, a (Sensing) Procedure. Sensors respond to a stimulus, e.g., a change in the environment, or input data composed from the results of prior Observations, and generate a Result. Sensors can be hosted by Platforms.
example: Accelerometers, gyroscopes, barometers, magnetometers, and so forth are Sensors that are typically mounted on a modern smart phone (which acts as Platform). Other examples of sensors include the human eyes.

Deployment
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: deployed on platform
  all values from: Platform
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: deployed system
  all values from: System
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: for property
  all values from: Property
comment: Describes the Deployment of one or more Systems for a particular purpose. Deployment may be done on a Platform.
example: For example, a temperature Sensor deployed on a wall, or a whole network of Sensors deployed for an Observation campaign.

Input
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: has input
  all values from: Procedure
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: has input
  min cardinality: 1
comment: Any information that is provided to a Procedure for its use.

Output
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: has output
  all values from: Procedure
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: has output
  min cardinality: 1
comment: Any information that is reported from a Procedure.

Property
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is property of
  all values from: Feature Of Interest
comment: A quality of an entity. An aspect of an entity that is intrinsic to and cannot exist without the entity.

Stimulus
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is proxy for
  all values from: Observable Property
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: detects
  all values from: Sensor
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: was originated by
  all values from: Observation
comment: An event in the real world that 'triggers' the Sensor. The properties associated to the Stimulus may be different to the eventual observed ObservableProperty. It is the event, not the object, that triggers the Sensor.

System
type: Class
subclass of: SSNThing
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is hosted by
  all values from: Platform
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has deployment
  all values from: Deployment
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: has subsystem
  all values from: System
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: implements
  all values from: Procedure
subclass of: Restriction
  on property:
    inverse of: has subsystem
  all values from: System
comment: System is a unit of abstraction for pieces of infrastructure that implement Procedures. A System may have components, its subsystems, which are other systems.
comment: System is a unit of abstraction for pieces of infrastructure that implements Procedures. A System may have components, its subsystems, which are other systems.

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group
type: Agent

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group

W3C/OGC Spatial Data on the Web Working Group

pattern: ---(0[1-9]|[1-9][0-9])(Z|(\+|-)((0[0-9]|1[0-3]):[0-5][0-9]|14:00))?

pattern: -?([1-9][0-9]{3,}|0[0-9]{3})(Z|(\+|-)((0[0-9]|1[0-3]):[0-5][0-9]|14:00))?

pattern: --(0[1-9]|1[0-9]|20)(Z|(\+|-)((0[0-9]|1[0-3]):[0-5][0-9]|14:00))?