How to create and use a national cross-domain ontology and data infrastructure on the Semantic Web

This paper presents a model and lessons learned for creating a cross-domain national ontology and Linked (Open) Data (LOD) infrastructure. The idea is to extend the global, domain agnostic “layer cake model” underlying the Semantic Web with domain specific and local features needed in applications. To test and demonstrate the infrastructure, a series of LOD services and portals in use have been created in 2002–2023 that cover a wide range of application domains. They have attracted millions of users in total suggesting feasibility of the proposed model. This line of research and development is unique due to its systematic national level nature and long time span of over twenty years.