1. Usage of BODC parameter vocabularies
INSPIRE Marine Pilot Meeting, Delft

2. Where to find the vocabularies Parameter lists
Overview
Introduction
Where to find the vocabularies
Parameter lists
How to use the vocabularies
Some comments

3. Introduction
BODC provides vocabulary web services for access to oceanographic standard terms
Vocabularies have been used by the SeaDataNet (SDN) community – a network of 45 marine organisations/data centres from 35 countries – since more than 10 years
Vocabularies are hosted by BODC, but governed by various organisations
Much improvement and extensions in recent years
New NERC Vocabulary Server version 2.0(NVS2.0) – using SKOS for encoding data dictionareis and taxonomies – has been in use by the SeaDataNet and EMODNet community since 2013

4. Introduction
The relevant BODC parameter vocabularies for MSFD data reporting are
P02 - SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary
P01 - BODC Parameter Usage Vocabulary
P35 - EMODNET chemistry lot aggregated parameter names (governed by EMODNet Chemistry)
The P01 parameter list is already in the INSPIRE code list registry (

5. Where to find the vocabularies
SeaDataNet created a vocabulary website to help project partners to understand and to find the required terms and codes
Presently BODC is testing a new vocabulary search tool (available on beta release) to serve users from projects other than SDN and it is P01-friendly

6. Parameter Lists P02 - SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary
is a generic term for groups of parameters.
quite coarse grained and is essentially used for “data discovery”
Example ‘MTWD’ –
‘Dissolved metal concentrations in the water column’ does not differentiate between the various metal parameters
Not suitable for describing the parameters involved in the data
‘MTWD’ has more than 200 narrower P01 terms

7. Parameter Lists
The SeaDataNet website for the BODC vocabularies ( helps the user to understand the relationship between P02 and P01.

8. Parameter Lists View P02 ‚MTWD‘ using SeaDataNet vocabulary portal

9. Parameter Lists P01 - BODC Parameter Usage Vocabulary
is finer grained (narrower) and gives a detailed description on the parameter together with methodologies, matrix and species etc.
Example 1 ‚CBIOM004‘ –
‘Concentration of lead {Pb CAS } per unit wet weight of biota {Limanda limanda (ITIS: : WoRMS ) [Sex: female Size: length mm Subcomponent: liver]}‘
Example 2 ‚CHACHPXT‘ –
‘Concentration of chlorophyll-a {chl-a} per unit dry weight of sediment by acetone extraction and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)’

10. Parameter Lists P35 - EMODNET chemistry lot aggregated parameter names
SeaDataNet and EMODNet Chemistry community realised that the P01 list would one day become unmanageable due to inclusion of the associated methods. The idea to exclude the method from the parameter description evolved gradually. Together with the new BODC vocabulary version NVS2.0 the aggregated list P35 came into existence.
Example ‘EPC00105’ –
‘The amount of the pigment chlorophyll-a contained in the particulate material of a specified volume of any body of salt or fresh water’
has 46 narrower P01 terms.

11. Parameter Lists
View P35 ‚EPC00105 ‘ using SeaDataNet vocabulary portal

12. How to use the vocabularies
The SeaDataNet vocabulary website
is more friendly for the eyes to read.
The new BODC vocabulary search tool
includes more useful technical details.

13. How to use the vocabularies
The description (preferred label) of P01 is set together by text modules in the following order:
Measurement: e.g. ‘Concentration’
Substance: e.g. ‘lead’
Measurement Matrix Relationship: e.g. ‘per unit wet weight’
Matrix: e.g. ‘biota’
Matrix Subcomponent: e.g. ‘liver’
Taxon: e.g. ‘Limanda limanda (ITIS: : WoRMS )’
Organism Name: e.g. “Limanda limanda”
Organism Specifics: e.g. ‘Sex: female Size: length mm’
Technique: e.g. ‘inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry’

14. How to use the vocabularies
Free Search using SeaDataNet vocabulary portal
It is quite simple to find the required parameter concept by entering into the ‘Free search’ field specific keywords separated by ‘%’ in the given order of the text modules.
For example entering
chlorophyll-a%water%filtration%hplc
into the free search field returns only 41 instead of 291 entries for the keyword “chlorophyll”. ’HPLC’ is the methodology ‘High Performance Liquid Chromatography’.
e.g.

15. How to use the vocabularies
The BODC URLs are structured as follows:
To fetch the whole controlled vocabulary
URLs for the current contents of the 3 parameter vocabularies:
To fetch a single concept
Example for chlorophyll concentration from P02 list:

16. How to use the vocabularies
Example to demonstrate the various degrees of complexity for the parameter “chlorophyll” in the 3 parameter lists.
1) P02 List:
The URL for the current version of the P02 term for ”Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in the water column” is:
This URL resolves to an XML document with SKOS elements where all narrower (P01 parameters with full description, P07 Climate and Forecast standard names) and broader (P03 SeaDataNet parameter groups) resources are specified.

17. How to use the vocabularies
2) P01 List:
The URL for the current version of the P01 term for “Concentration of chlorophyll-a {chl-a} per unit volume of the water body [particulate >unknown phase] by in-situ chlorophyll fluorometer and manufacturer's calibration applied” is:
This URL provides a full description of the parameter including unit, methodology and relationship to other controlled vocabularies like P35.

18. How to use the vocabularies
<rdf:RDF>
<skos:Concept rdf:about="
<skos:prefLabel xml:lang="en">Concentration of chlorophyll-a {chl-a} per unit volume of the water body [particulate >unknown phase] by in-situ chlorophyll fluorometer and manufacturer's calibration applied</skos:prefLabel>
<skos:altLabel xml:lang="en">chl-a_water_ISfluor_manufctrcal_sensor1</skos:altLabel>
<skos:definition xml:lang="en">In-situ fluorometer with manufacturer calibration applied.
</skos:definition>
<dc:identifier>SDN:P01::CPHLPM01</dc:identifier>
<dce:identifier>SDN:P01::CPHLPM01</dce:identifier>
<skos:notation>SDN:P01::CPHLPM01</skos:notation>
<owl:versionInfo>3</owl:versionInfo>
<dc:date> :56:54.0</dc:date>
<skos:note xml:lang="en">accepted</skos:note>
<owl:deprecated>false</owl:deprecated>

19. How to use the vocabularies
<owl:sameAs rdf:resource="
<skos:broader rdf:resource="
<skos:related rdf:resource="
<skos:broader rdf:resource="
<void:inDataset rdf:resource="
</skos:Concept>
</rdf:RDF>
P02: CPWC = Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in the water column
P06: UMMC = Milligrams per cubic metre
P35: EPC00105 = Water body chlorophyll-a

20. Parameter Lists 3) P35 List:
The URL for the current version of the P35 term for
“The amount of the pigment chlorophyll-a contained in the particlate material of a specified volume of any body of salt or fresh water” is:
Similar to P02 this P35 URL resolves to an XML document with SKOS elements where all related (P06 unit), narrower (P01 parameters with full description) and broader (P36 chemical group) resources are specified.

21. Some comments Advantage of ICES parameter list:
Separation of methodology (analysis, pre-treatment, chemical extraction etc. have extra code lists) from parameter
More flexible
Thank you!
Any questions?
Advantage of BODC vocabularies
Support form BODC vocabulary team (expert for each discipline)
Expansion of vocabulary any time
P01 already in INSPIRE code list registry
P35 could be used as compromise between P02 and P01