prov:Entity
The prov:Entity class is a fundamental concept in the PROV-O ontology. It represents any piece of data, record, or state that can be subject to provenance tracking. In SDL, prov:Entity is used to annotate datasets, observations, samples, and distributions with provenance metadata.
Definition
URI: http://www.w3.org/ns/prov#Entity
A prov:Entity is a physical, digital, conceptual, or other kind of thing with some fixed aspects; entities may be generated, modified, or used by activities.
Usage in SDL
In SDL, prov:Entity is used to:
- Indicate that a resource is subject to provenance tracking
- Link data artifacts to their generating activities (prov:wasGeneratedBy)
- Associate data with responsible agents (prov:wasAttributedTo)
- Record usage or derivation relationships
Entities are typically typed with other roles in addition to prov:Entity, such as dcat:Dataset, sosa:Observation, sosa:Sample, or dcat:Distribution.
Properties
| Property | Description | Optional |
|---|---|---|
| prov:wasGeneratedBy | Links the entity to the activity that generated it | Yes |
| prov:wasAttributedTo | Indicates the agent responsible for the entity | Yes |
| prov:wasDerivedFrom | Identifies an entity that this entity was derived from | Yes |
| prov:qualifiedGeneration | Describes generation in detail using a prov:Generation node |
Yes |
| prov:qualifiedAttribution | Provides detailed attribution via a prov:Attribution node |
Yes |
| prov:qualifiedDerivation | Provides detailed derivation via a prov:Derivation node |
Yes |
| prov:wasRevisionOf | Indicates this entity is a revision of another | Yes |
Composition
A prov:Entity often has multiple roles. In SDL it may be used alongside:
- dcat:Resource and dcat:Dataset to represent data objects
- sosa:Observation and sosa:Sample to track scientific data
ex:dataset1 a dcat:Dataset , prov:Entity ;
dcterms:title "Soil Respiration Dataset" ;
prov:wasGeneratedBy ex:workflow1 ;
prov:wasAttributedTo ex:agent1 .
Example — Sample with Provenance
ex:sample1 a sosa:Sample , prov:Entity ;
dcterms:title "Soil Core Sample 1" ;
prov:wasGeneratedBy ex:samplingActivity ;
prov:wasAttributedTo ex:technicianA .
Related Classes
- prov:Activity — action that generates or uses entities
- prov:Agent — person, system, or organization involved
- dcat:Dataset, dcat:Distribution — data that is often tracked as entities
See Also
Provenance modeling is essential for reproducibility, data integrity, and traceability. In SDL, prov:Entity enables clear attribution and lineage tracking across scientific workflows.