Use of Semantic Web Technologies to Enhance the Integration and Interoperability of Environmental Geospatial Data: A Framework Based on Ontology-Based Data Access

This study addresses the challenges of integrating heterogeneous environmental geospatial data by proposing a framework based on ontology-based data access (OBDA). Geospatial data are important for decision-making in various domains, such as environmental monitoring, disaster management, and urban development. Data integration is a common challenge within these domains due to data heterogeneity and semantic discrepancies. The proposed framework uses semantic web technologies to enhance data interoperability, accessibility, and usability. Several practical examples were demonstrated to validate its effectiveness. These examples were based in Lake Mjøsa, Norway, addressing both spatial and non-spatial scenarios to test the framework’s potential. By extending the GeoSPARQL ontology, the framework supports SPARQL queries to retrieve information based on user requirements. A web-based SPARQL Query Interface (SQI) was developed to execute queries and display the retrieved data in tabular and visual format. Utilizing free and open-source software (FOSS), the framework is easily replicable for stakeholders and researchers. Despite some limitations, the study concludes that the framework is able to enhance cross-domain data integration and semantic querying in various informed decision-making scenarios.