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What Are Linked Open Vocabularies (LOV)? A Practical Definition

Linked Open Vocabularies (LOV) is a catalogue for finding and assessing semantic vocabularies used in linked data—not a single vocabulary or standard.

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Linked Open Vocabularies (LOV) is a catalogue and discovery service for semantic vocabularies used in linked data. It helps people find and assess vocabularies, inspect how they relate to one another, and make informed choices about reuse. LOV is the catalogue—not one vocabulary or a single technical standard.

What does Linked Open Vocabularies mean?

In this context, “Linked Open Vocabularies” refers to the LOV service and its catalogue. The catalogue covers semantic vocabularies such as RDFS and OWL ontologies that are published and reused in linked data. The Interoperable Europe Portal’s description of LOV says its objective is to make this ecosystem easier to access and to make links between vocabularies and their usage metrics explicit.

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A vocabulary defines terms for describing things in data. LOV makes information about those individual resources easier to discover and compare; it does not replace the vocabularies or determine which one fits a particular project.

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What does LOV do?

LOV provides a discovery and assessment layer for people working with linked data. Its catalogue records can help users inspect vocabulary descriptions, metadata, version information, expressivity, tags, usage information, and relationships to other vocabularies. The Observable Properties vocabulary record illustrates some of the information a listing can display. Fields vary, so a listing should not be taken to mean that every entry has complete or current information.

LOV is intended to help both vocabulary users and vocabulary managers. Users can explore available resources and assess publishers and publication processes. Managers can get feedback on usability and guidance on practices that support reliable long-term use.

How do I find a vocabulary for linked data?

  1. Search for candidate vocabularies. Start with the concepts and data you need to describe, then explore relevant entries in the LOV catalogue.
  2. Check domain and intended meaning. Confirm that the vocabulary’s terms describe the concepts in your data and application, rather than relying on a familiar label alone.
  3. Compare coverage and expressivity. Check whether it includes the classes and properties you need and can express the distinctions your application requires. Some LOV records expose expressivity information.
  4. Inspect relationships and reuse. Look for links showing whether a vocabulary reuses, extends, specializes, or declares equivalences with other vocabularies, where that matters for your data.
  5. Review maintenance and provenance. Check who publishes or edits the vocabulary and whether version history and metadata give you useful evidence about its maintenance and publication process.
  6. Check documentation and usage evidence. Treat catalogue usage information as a signal to investigate, not proof that a vocabulary is suitable. Review the vocabulary’s own documentation and check how current and relevant any usage data is.

Use the catalogue to narrow and evaluate options, then confirm the choice against your project’s requirements and the vocabulary’s own documentation. A listing by itself does not establish project-specific suitability.

How is LovPortal related to LOV?

LovPortal describes itself as an OntoPortal-based gateway that mirrors content curated and published through LOV. The portal directs contributors to submit vocabularies through LOV’s guidelines and curation process. In practical terms, LOV is the catalogue and curation route, while the vocabularies themselves are the semantic resources being catalogued.

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How many vocabularies are in LOV?

The live LOV catalogue displayed 918 vocabularies when accessed in 2026. That is an access-time snapshot, not a permanent total: the catalogue also showed insertions and updates dated in 2026, and its inventory can change.

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