prov:Activity
The prov:Activity class describes actions or processes that occur over time and may use or generate entities. In SDL, prov:Activity is used to model sampling events, processing steps, analysis workflows, and other time-based operations that contribute to scientific data generation.
Definition
URI: http://www.w3.org/ns/prov#Activity
A prov:Activity is something that occurs over a period of time and acts upon or with entities. It may use entities and generate new ones.
Usage in SDL
In SDL, prov:Activity is used to:
- Represent events like sampling, data acquisition, processing, or transformation
- Track the start and end time of operations
- Associate activities with responsible agents and input/output entities
- Provide full provenance chains for scientific workflows
Activities may be executed by software agents, technicians, or sensors, and may result in new prov:Entity instances.
Properties
| Property | Description | Optional |
|---|---|---|
| prov:used | Entity that the activity used | Yes |
| prov:generated | Entity that was generated by the activity | Yes |
| prov:wasAssociatedWith | Agent responsible for executing the activity | Yes |
| prov:startedAtTime | Timestamp when the activity started | Yes |
| prov:endedAtTime | Timestamp when the activity ended | Yes |
| prov:qualifiedUsage | Detailed description of entity usage | Yes |
| prov:qualifiedAssociation | Detailed description of associated agent | Yes |
| prov:qualifiedGeneration | Details about the generated entity | Yes |
| prov:atLocation | Where the activity occurred | Yes |
Composition
An activity is always bounded by time and may:
- Use one or more prov:Entity instances as input
- Generate one or more prov:Entity instances as output
- Be carried out by one or more prov:Agent actors
ex:sampling1 a prov:Activity ;
prov:used ex:locationPlan ;
prov:wasAssociatedWith ex:agent2 ;
prov:startedAtTime "2023-06-01T09:00:00Z"^^xsd:dateTime ;
prov:endedAtTime "2023-06-01T11:30:00Z"^^xsd:dateTime .
Example — Data Generation Activity
ex:activity3 a prov:Activity ;
prov:used ex:sample1 ;
prov:generated ex:observation1 ;
prov:wasAssociatedWith ex:agentInstrument1 ;
prov:startedAtTime "2024-02-15T14:00:00Z"^^xsd:dateTime .
ex:observation1 a sosa:Observation , prov:Entity ;
sosa:hasResult ex:resultValue .
Related Classes
- prov:Entity — data created or used by the activity
- prov:Agent — performer or responsible party
- sosa:Observation — often the output of a scientific activity
See Also
prov:Activity enables temporal and procedural traceability in SDL, supporting reproducibility and scientific accountability.