Introduction
This ontology aims at providing a simple vocabulary for describing programmes. It covers brands, series (seasons), episodes, broadcast events, broadcast services, etc. Its development was funded by the BBC, and is heavily grounded on previous programmes data modelling work done there.
This documentation page is a first draft. All feedback on either the ontology or this page is welcomed! Feel free to email the authors mentioned above.
The design of this ontology document is based on the Music Ontology and FOAF Vocabulary specification documents.
The Programme model
The programme model is inspired from the PIPS database schema, used at the BBC. It describes how brands, series, episodes, particular versions of episodes and broadcasts interact with each other.
By going further on, we can associate to each of these episodes a particular version (which would correspond to a Manifestation in FRBR terms). This version can then be the factor of a broadcast event, occurring on a particular service (eg. BBC One London) at a particular time.
A simple depiction of the different modelled concepts and their interaction is the following one:
Metadata
| Created | 2009-02-20 |
| Last modified | 2015-04-20 |
| Version | 1.1 |
| Authors | https://moustaki.org/foaf.rdf#moustaki |
| Contributors | https://www.aelius.com/njh#me, https://metade.org/foaf.rdf#me, https://smethur.st/#me |
| Licence | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0#id |
| Download | Programmes ontology(Turtle format) |
Classes
AudioDescribedVersion
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/AudioDescribedVersion |
| Description | A version holding an audio description. |
| Superclasses | Version |
Brand
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Brand |
| Description | A brand, e.g. `Top Gear' |
| Superclasses | Programme |
Broadcast
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Broadcast |
| Description | A broadcast event. Subsumes the event concept defined in the Event ontology. A broadcast is associated with a service, and with a particular version of an episode. |
| Subclasses | FirstBroadcast, RepeatBroadcast |
| Domain for | broadcast_of, broadcast_on, schedule_date |
| Range for | season_broadcast |
Broadcaster
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Broadcaster |
| Description | An organization responsible of some broadcasting services. It can hold a set of services and outlets. |
| Range for | broadcaster |
Category
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Category |
| Description | A category provides a way of classifying a set of programmes. Such classifications can be performed according to multiple dimensions and taxonomies, e.g. genre, format, places, people, subjects... |
| Subclasses | Format, Genre, Person, Person, Place, Subject |
Channel
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Channel |
| Description | A physical channel on which a broadcast occurs. A single outlet or service can be associated with multiple channels. For example, Radio 4 LW broadcasts on Analogue Long Wave and on Digital Satellite. |
| Subclasses | DAB, DVB, FM, IPStream, LW |
| Domain for | frequency |
| Range for | channel |
Clip
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Clip |
| Description | A particular clip, e.g. `Clip of Top Gear, first series' |
| Superclasses | Programme, ProgrammeItem |
| Range for | clip |
DAB
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/DAB |
| Description | Digital Audio Broadcasting |
| Superclasses | Channel |
DVB
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/DVB |
| Description | Digital Video Broadcasting |
| Superclasses | Channel |
Episode
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Episode |
| Description | A particular episode, e.g. `Top Gear, first episode of the first series' or the film 'A Walk in the Sun' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gfzdt) |
| Superclasses | Programme, ProgrammeItem |
| Range for | episode |
FM
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/FM |
| Description | The FM broadcast band |
| Superclasses | Channel |
FirstBroadcast
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/FirstBroadcast |
| Description | Specifies a broadcast as being the first one of a particular version. |
| Superclasses | Broadcast |
Format
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Format |
| Description | Anchor point for format taxonomies, similar to po:Genre for genre taxonomies. Instances of this concept include documentaries, talk shows, animation, etc. |
| Superclasses | Category |
| Range for | format |
Genre
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Genre |
| Description | An anchor point for a programmes' genre taxonomy, e.g. 'Drama'/'Biographical'. |
| Superclasses | Category |
| Range for | category, genre |
IP stream
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/IPStream |
| Description | IP stream |
| Superclasses | Channel |
AM
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/LW |
| Description | The AM broadcast band |
| Superclasses | Channel |
LocalRadio
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/LocalRadio |
| Description | Radio services aiming at a local coverage. |
| Superclasses | Radio, Service |
MusicSegment
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/MusicSegment |
| Description | Classification of an episode version's region corresponding to a musical track being played. |
| Superclasses | Segment |
| Domain for | track |
NationalRadio
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/NationalRadio |
| Description | Radio services aiming at a national coverage. |
| Superclasses | Radio, Service |
OriginalVersion
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/OriginalVersion |
| Description | An `original' version, the legacy version of a particular episode. |
| Superclasses | Version |
Outlet
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Outlet |
| Description | Outlet of a particular service, e.g. Radio 4 LW and FM for Radio 4. Outlets are services which do not have variations. The criterion for an outlet is its timeline. For example, Radio 4 LW broadcasts on Analogue Long Wave, but also on Digital Satellite. It corresponds to just one outlet, as they are simulcasts. The two physical channels for broadcasts correspond to po:Channel. |
| Superclasses | Service |
| Range for | outlet |
Person
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Person |
| Description | A person |
| Superclasses | Category |
| Subclasses | Person |
| Range for | person |
Place
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Place |
| Description | A physical place |
| Superclasses | Category |
| Range for | place |
Programme
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Programme |
| Description | A programme, can either be a brand, a series or an episode |
| Subclasses | Brand, Clip, Episode, ProgrammeItem, Series |
| Domain for | actor, anchor, author, category, commentator, credit, director, executive_producer, format, genre, masterbrand, microsite, news_reader, participant, performer, person, place, producer, service, subject, synopsis |
ProgrammeItem
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/ProgrammeItem |
| Description | A programme that can have versions, and as such can be broadcast or made available on-demand, e.g. a clip or an episode. |
| Superclasses | Programme |
| Subclasses | Clip, Episode |
| Domain for | version |
Radio
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Radio |
| Description | Services that use a radio medium. |
| Superclasses | Service |
| Subclasses | LocalRadio, NationalRadio, RegionalRadio |
RegionalRadio
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/RegionalRadio |
| Description | Radio services aiming at a regional coverage. |
| Superclasses | Radio, Service |
Repeat
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/RepeatBroadcast |
| Description | Specifies a broadcast as being a repeat. |
| Superclasses | Broadcast |
Season
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Season |
| Description | A season is a group of broadcasts. |
| Domain for | season_broadcast |
Segment
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Segment |
| Description | Classification of an episode version's region, e.g. 'this track was played at that time'. |
| Subclasses | MusicSegment, SpeechSegment |
Series
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Series |
| Description | A series, e.g. `Top Gear, first season' |
| Superclasses | Programme |
| Domain for | parent_series |
| Range for | parent_series, series |
Service
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Service |
| Description | A broadcasting service. Instances of this concept include BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio 4, BBC News, etc. A service is a collection of outlets which contain common material, but with some variations, e.g. by region. Hence, a service may have multiple outlets (po:Outlet), e.g. BBC Radio 4 has BBC Radio 4 LW and BBC Radio 4 FM. A hierarchy of services types is defined within this ontology, e.g. radio and TV. A service that is a master brand only (a service that only commissions programmes, e.g. BBC Switch) should be an instance of the top-level po:Service. |
| Subclasses | LocalRadio, NationalRadio, Outlet, Radio, RegionalRadio, TV, Web |
| Domain for | broadcaster, channel, location, outlet, parent_service |
| Range for | broadcast_on, masterbrand, parent_service, service |
ShortenedVersion
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/ShortenedVersion |
| Description | A shortened version. |
| Superclasses | Version |
SignLanguage
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/SignedVersion |
| Description | A version holding sign language. |
| Superclasses | Version |
SpeechSegment
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/SpeechSegment |
| Description | Classification of an episode version's region holding speech content. |
| Superclasses | Segment |
Subject
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Subject |
| Description | Anchor point for subject taxonomies. |
| Superclasses | Category |
| Range for | subject |
Subtitle
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Subtitle |
| Description | Classification of an episode version's region corresponding to a subtitle being shown. |
| Domain for | text |
TV
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/TV |
| Description | Services that use a television medium. |
| Superclasses | Service |
Version
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Version |
| Description | A particular version of an episode. Such versions include shortened ones, audio described ones or ones that holds sign language. The version is associated to a timeline. |
| Subclasses | AudioDescribedVersion, OriginalVersion, ShortenedVersion, SignedVersion |
| Domain for | aspect_ratio, sound_format, subtitle_language |
| Range for | broadcast_of, version |
Web
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/Web |
| Description | Services that use a Web medium. |
| Superclasses | Service |
Properties
actor
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/actor |
| Description | Relates a programmes to one of its actors - a person who plays the role of a character |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
anchor
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/anchor |
| Description | A television reporter who coordinates a programme |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
aspect ratio
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/aspect_ratio |
| Description | The aspect ration of a particular version. |
| Domain | Version |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string |
author
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/author |
| Description | Relates a programme to its author - the person who created the content |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
broadcast of
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/broadcast_of |
| Description | Relates a particular broadcast to the version being broadcasted. Sub-property of the event:factor one. |
| Domain | Broadcast |
| Range | Version |
broadcast on
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/broadcast_on |
| Description | Relates a particular broadcast to the service or outlet on which it was. Sub-property of the event:factor one. |
| Superproperties | broadcasted_on |
| Subproperties | broadcasted_on |
| Domain | Broadcast |
| Range | Service |
broadcasted_on
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/broadcasted_on |
| Description | Deprecated property, left here for historical reasons |
| Superproperties | broadcast_on |
| Subproperties | broadcast_on |
broadcaster
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/broadcaster |
| Description | Associates a service to a broadcaster |
| Domain | Service |
| Range | Broadcaster |
category
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/category |
| Description | Relates a programme to a particular category, e.g. genre, format, place... |
| Subproperties | format, genre, person, place, subject |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | Genre |
channel
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/channel |
| Description | Associates a service to a channel, e.g. Radio 4 LW to Radio 4 LW on Analogue Long Wave. |
| Domain | Service |
| Range | Channel |
clip
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/clip |
| Description | Associates a brand, a series or an episode to a clip. |
| Range | Clip |
commentator
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/commentator |
| Description | Relates a programme to one of its commentators |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
credit
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/credit |
| Description | Relates a programmes to a person who is credited in it |
| Subproperties | actor, anchor, author, commentator, director, executive_producer, news_reader, participant, performer, producer |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
director
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/director |
| Description | Relates a programme to its supervisor. Generally refers to the person responsible for all audience-visible components of a program, film, or show, whereas the producer is responsible for the financial and other behind-the-scenes aspects. A director's duties might also include casting, script editing, shot selection, shot composition, and editing |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
duration
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/duration |
| Description | The duration of a version, in seconds. |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#int |
episode
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/episode |
| Description | Associates a brand or a series to an episode constituting it. |
| Range | Episode |
executive producer
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/executive_producer |
| Description | Relates a programme to its executive producer - a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the making process, but who is still responsible for the overall production. Typically an executive producer handles business and legal issues |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
format
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/format |
| Description | Relates a programme to a particular format (eg. `Animation', `Documentary', etc.). |
| Superproperties | category |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | Format |
frequency
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/frequency |
| Description | Associates a channel to its frequency |
| Domain | Channel |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#float |
genre
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/genre |
| Description | Relates a programme to a particular genre. |
| Superproperties | category |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | Genre |
location
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/location |
| Description | Associates a service to a geographic location, aiming at capturing what this service aims at covering. |
| Domain | Service |
| Range | w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#SpatialThing |
long synopsis
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/long_synopsis |
| Description | A long synopsis of a series, brand or episode. Sub-property of po:synopsis. |
| Superproperties | synopsis |
masterbrand
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/masterbrand |
| Description | Associates a programme with its masterbrand (its commissioner) |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | Service |
medium synopsis
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/medium_synopsis |
| Description | A medium synopsis of a series, brand or episode. Sub-property of po:synopsis. |
| Superproperties | synopsis |
microsite
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/microsite |
| Description | Associates a programme to its microsite. For example http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fm04s and http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/ |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Document |
news reader
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/news_reader |
| Description | Relates a programme to its news reader |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
outlet
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/outlet |
| Description | Associates a service to an outlet, e.g. Radio 4 to Radio 4 LW. |
| Domain | Service |
| Range | Outlet |
parent series
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/parent_series |
| Description | Relates a series to a series constituting it (eg. `Waking the dead'). |
| Domain | Series |
| Range | Series |
parent service
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/parent_service |
| Description | Relates a service to another service encapsulating it (eg. `BBC One' and `BBC One South') |
| Domain | Service |
| Range | Service |
participant
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/participant |
| Description | Relates a programme to one of its participants |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
performer
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/performer |
| Description | Relates a programme to an entertainer who performs a dramatic or musical work for audience |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
person
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/person |
| Description | Relates a programme to a person |
| Superproperties | category |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | Person |
place
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/place |
| Description | Relates a programme to a place (e.g. `London') |
| Superproperties | category |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | Place |
position
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/position |
| Description | The position of a particular series or episode within its containing programme. This property can also be used to give the position of an interval within the containing timeline. |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#int |
producer
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/producer |
| Description | Relates a programme to its producer - the manager of an event, show, or other work, usually the individual in charge of finance, personnel, and other non-artistic aspects in the development of commercials, plays, movies, and other works |
| Superproperties | credit |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/Agent |
schedule date
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/schedule_date |
| Description | The schedule date of a broadcast event. |
| Domain | Broadcast |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#date |
broadcast
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/season_broadcast |
| Description | Associates a season to its constituent broadcasts |
| Domain | Season |
| Range | Broadcast |
series
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/series |
| Description | Associates a brand or a series to a series constituting it. |
| Range | Series |
service
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/service |
| Description | Associate a brand, series or episode to the master brand service. |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | Service |
short synopsis
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/short_synopsis |
| Description | A short synopsis of a series, brand or episode. Sub-property of po:synopsis. |
| Superproperties | synopsis |
sound format
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/sound_format |
| Description | The sound format of a particular version. |
| Domain | Version |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string |
subject
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/subject |
| Description | Relates a programme to a subject (e.g. `Easter') |
| Superproperties | category |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | Subject |
subtitle language
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/subtitle_language |
| Description | Language of the subtitles embedded in a particular version |
| Domain | Version |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string |
synopsis
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/synopsis |
| Description | The synopsis of a series, brand or episode. |
| Subproperties | long_synopsis, medium_synopsis, short_synopsis |
| Domain | Programme |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string |
text
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/text |
| Description | Associates a subtitle event to the corresponding text |
| Domain | Subtitle |
| Range | w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string |
time
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/time |
| Description | Associates an episode's version or a version's segment with a temporal interval. This interval can be associated with a timeline, serving as an anchor for further temporal annotations, e.g. subtitles or played track |
| Range | purl.org/NET/c4dm/timeline.owl#Interval |
track
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/track |
| Description | Associates a music segment with a track, as defined in MO |
| Domain | MusicSegment |
| Range | purl.org/ontology/mo/Track |
version
| URI | http://purl.org/ontology/po/version |
| Description | Associate an episode to a version of it. Different versions of a same episode can exist (shortened version, version designed for the hearing impaired, etc.). |
| Domain | ProgrammeItem |
| Range | Version |
