Semantic containers for data mobility: A seismic activity use case

An enormous wealth of data is being created in our increasingly digitized life and economies, but the majority of this data is either being monopolized or shared for questionable purposes rather than facilitating innovation. One of the main issues that inhibits data reuse and the emergence of vibrant data markets is the lack of standard mechanisms for the execution of controlled transactions between data providers and consumers, including efficient provisioning of data and associated services. Consequently, many potential data providers find it difficult to turn data into viable business models. At the same time, data consumers face challenges accessing heterogeneous data provided via various mechanisms and have limited means to trace data provenance and ensure data quality. Semantic Containers aim to tackle both issues by facilitating controlled transactions through an integrated set of methods and capabilities. Specifically, they package data, semantic descriptions, and processing capabilities into executable and shareable containers. In this paper, we illustrate the concept by means of a pilot project in collaboration with the largest meteorological institute in Austria that illustrates how Semantic Containers can be used to provide Seismic activity data.