Registry Model

Entities

This is the starting point for developing a model of entities with which a registry needs to engage. To start with, we'll simply create a list of 'things' and add definitions to them:

• resource
  • an item (with an identity) which is of interest or use to the Virtual Observatory community
• service
  • a resource which can be invoked
    Note: service sub-types such as ConeSearch or SIAP are still considered to be services, not interfaces
• interface
  • a physical, technical interface to a service
• organisation
  • any type of organisation
• site
  • a single location
• publisher
  • an organisation responsible for creating and maintaining a resource
• provider
  • an organisation responsible for making a service available
    Note: since only services are invocable then only they ought to have a provider
• data collection
  • a collection of datasets (or other collections)
• copy
  • a complete copy of a data collection
    Note: properties of the copy will represent the period a mirror is updated, the date/time a snapshot was taken etc.
    Note: copies of less than the whole data collection will form new collections with a 'derived from' relationship, much as the results of a query would have
• snapshot
  • a copy of a data collection which is never updated
• mirror
  • a copy of a data collection which is periodically updated
• dataset
  • a single published set of data tables from a science team
• table
  • a set of data in which all rows have the same columns (??)
• application
  • a collection of functions
• function
  • a process that transforms data, generates information, etc.
    Note: I'm fairly sure we need both application and function but could do with better definitions
• sky service
  • a service that makes one or more data collections available
• tabular sky service
  • a specific type of sky service: one which accesses and returns tabular data
• app service
  • a service that makes one or more applications available

Model

Draft (simple) models of the terms above:

Resource model

Registry model