iSamples Material Sample Type Vocabulary

Broad categories to specify the kind of physical thing identified as the ‘sample’.

Published

January 8, 2024

Vocabularies and extensions:

History:

2022-01-07 SMR Change base URI to https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/, setting up resolution using w3id. Make the conceptScheme and ontology. Add Dublin core imports.
2022-03-11 SMR change definitions from rdfs:comment to skos:definition. Minor fixes in definitions. Add skos matches to URIs from other vocabularies.
2022-09-30 SMR per https://github.com/isamplesorg/metadata/issues/109, change specimen to sample in vocabulary names and labels. Add ‘Slurry biome aggregation’ and ‘Bundle biome aggregation’ (github issue 110). Rename ‘liquid or gas’ sample type to ‘fluid in container’ (github issue 108).
2023-07-27 SMR modify base specimen type vocabulary, add ‘Non biologic solid object’ change broader relations in this vocab to use that as parent class where appropriate. Intention is a specimen category for solid objects that are not biologic; this subsumes ‘Fossil’ and ‘Artifact’, but excludes living organism, their parts and products. Obviously there is some overlap with Research specimens.
2023-11-06 SMR add missing inScheme on Non-biologic solid object and solid materal specimen. Update version number in URI to 1.0

Source Repository: https://github.com/isamplesorg/vocabularies/tree/main/vocabulary

Concept Hierarchy:

1 Physical specimen

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/physicalspecimen
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

This is a top concept of the vocabulary.

Immediately narrower concepts: Any aggregation specimen, Any biological specimen, Fluid in container, Non biologic solid object, Research product

Definition: A material entity that represents an entity of interest in whole or in part (http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/MaterialSample) . Top concept in material sample type type hierarchy. Represents any physical specimen (matrial sample).

Alternate labels: material sample

1.1 Any aggregation specimen

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/anyaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen

Immediately narrower concepts: Anthropogenic aggregation, Biome aggregation sample, Aggregation

Definition: Sample consists of a bunch of material fragments, not related to the same object (e.g. not a bunch of broken pot sherds that might be reassembled), but taken together representative of the sampled feature. Examples: loose soil, sediment, crushed rock, particulate, bunches of unrelated pot sherd, human production waste, filtrates and residues. The sample requires some kind of container to keep it together. Cores of loosely consolidated material are considered ‘Solid material specimen’ because the internal parts have spatial relationships (e.g. upper part, lower part, sedimentary structures).

1.1.1 Anthropogenic aggregation

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/anthropogenicaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen->Anthropogenic aggregation

Definition: Aggregation consists of fragments of material produced by human activity, not described individually, and generally not all originating from the same object. Includes pottery in an excavation unit that gets an aggregate description, production waste, production raw-materials, or other residues (broken bits of plaster from a destroyed wall), synthetic powders.

1.1.2 Biome aggregation sample

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/biomeaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen->Biome aggregation sample

Immediately narrower concepts: Bundle biome aggregation, Slurry biome aggregation

Definition: Specimen is an aggregation of whole or fragmentary parts of multiple organisms, microscopic or megascopic, representative of some site.

1.1.2.1 Bundle biome aggregation

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/bundlebiomeaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen->Biome aggregation sample->Bundle biome aggregation

Definition: An aggregation of whole organisms representative of some biome

1.1.2.2 Slurry biome aggregation

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/slurrybiomeaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen->Biome aggregation sample->Slurry biome aggregation

Definition: specimen consists of mixed organic and inorganic material, including whole organisms and organism fragments.

1.1.3 Aggregation

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/genericaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen->Aggregation

Definition: An aggregate specimen that is not biogenic or composed of anthropogenic material fragments. Examples: loose soil or sediment (e.g. in a bag), rock chips, particulate filtrate or precipitate; rock powders.

1.2 Any biological specimen

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/biologicalspecimen
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen

Immediately narrower concepts: Biome aggregation sample, Organism part, Organism product, Whole organism specimen

Definition: Specimen for which the sampled feature is one or more living organisms from a particular biome context, megascopic or microscopic

1.2.1 Biome aggregation sample

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/biomeaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen->Biome aggregation sample

Immediately narrower concepts: Bundle biome aggregation, Slurry biome aggregation

Definition: Specimen is an aggregation of whole or fragmentary parts of multiple organisms, microscopic or megascopic, representative of some site.

1.2.1.1 Bundle biome aggregation

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/bundlebiomeaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen->Biome aggregation sample->Bundle biome aggregation

Definition: An aggregation of whole organisms representative of some biome

1.2.1.2 Slurry biome aggregation

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/slurrybiomeaggregation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Physical specimen->Any aggregation specimen->Biome aggregation sample->Slurry biome aggregation

Definition: specimen consists of mixed organic and inorganic material, including whole organisms and organism fragments.

1.2.2 Organism part

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/organismpart
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Organism part

Definition: Part of an organism, e.g. a tissue sample, plant leaf, flower, bird feather. Include internal parts not composed of organic material (e.g. teeth, bone), and hard body parts that are not shed (hoof, horn, tusk, claw). Hair is tricky, include here for now. Does not necessarily imply existance of parent sample. Not fossilized; generally includes organism parts native to deposits of Holocene to Recent age.

1.2.3 Organism product

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/organismproduct
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Organism product

Definition: Specimen is a thing produced by some organism, generally not composed of organic material or including biological tissue, e.g. Shell, antler, egg shell, coral skeleton (organic tissue not included), fecal matter, cocoon, web. Consider internal parts not composed of organic material (e.g. teeth, bone) and hard body parts that are not shed (hoof, horn, tusk) to be organism parts.

1.2.4 Whole organism specimen

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/wholeorganism
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Any biological specimen->Whole organism specimen

Definition: Specimen consists of the bodies of one or more entire organisms of the same species, from any kingdom. Note that these are also inherently ‘solid object’

1.3 Fluid in container

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/fluidincontainer
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Fluid in container

Definition: Specimen is a container whose contents are liquid, gas, or mixed dominantly fluid phases that is the actual sample material. Fluid might include minor solid particles. Container typically human made, but also includes natural fluid container, e.g. fluid inclusion in a mineral grain. Includes colloids, foams, gels, suspensions. The sample is the fluid substance; fluid samples collected to analyze the contained biome should be considered ‘Biome Aggregation’

1.4 Non biologic solid object

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/nonbiologicsolidobject
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Non biologic solid object

Immediately narrower concepts: Artifact, Fossil, Other solid object, Solid material specimen

Definition: Individual solid object, not formed directly by or part of a living organism

1.4.1 Artifact

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/artifact
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Non biologic solid object->Artifact

Definition: An object made (manufactured, shaped, modified) by a human being, or precursor hominid. Include a set of pieces belonging originally to a single object and treated as a single specimen.

1.4.2 Fossil

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/fossil
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Non biologic solid object->Fossil

Definition: Specimen is the remains of one or more organisms preserved in rock; includes whole body, body parts (usually bone or shell), and trace fossils. An organism or organism part becomes a fossil when it has undergone some fossilization process that generally entails physical and chemical changes akin to diagenesis in a sedimentary rock. Includes trace fossils, which are manifestations of biologic activity preserved in a rock body (typically sedimentary), without included preserved body parts.

1.4.3 Other solid object

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/othersolidobject
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Non biologic solid object->Other solid object

Definition: Single piece of material not one of the other types.

1.4.4 Solid material specimen

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/solidmaterialspecimen
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Non biologic solid object->Solid material specimen

Definition: Individual solid object, not formed directly by or part of a living organism, that is representative of some material.

Notes: Many sediment cores consist of non-consolidated or weakly consolidated material, but are considered solid objects if the core is preserved intact to observe the sedimentary structures and particle relationships within the sediment. If this material were ‘disaggregated’ into a mass of granular material to put in a bag, it would become an aggregate (spec:genericaggregation).

e.g. a rock or mineral specimen, a specimen of some manufactured material, a meteorite. Ice and permafrost are considered solid materials.

1.5 Research product

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/researchproduct
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Research product

Immediately narrower concepts: Analytical preparation, Experiment product

Definition: Specimen is a product of some research workflow, e.g. a thin section, an XRF pellet, a grain mount, SEM stub, synthetic rock or mineral … In general there should be a link to a parent specimen from which this was derived. Might be aggregation (e.g. a synthetic material powder) or a solid object.

1.5.1 Analytical preparation

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/analyticalpreparation
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Research product->Analytical preparation

Definition: Specimen is a product of processing required for some observation procedure, e.g. thin section, XRF bead, SEM stub, rock powder. If identified separately, this should have a ‘parent’ link to the original sample

1.5.2 Experiment product

URI https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/experimentalproduct
defined in vocabulary https://w3id.org/isample/vocabulary/specimentype/1.0/specimentypevocabulary

Path from the top concept: Physical specimen->Research product->Experiment product

Definition: Specimen is product of an experimental procedure (e.g. synthetic material)