Inverse properties decision > dcat:inSeries vs dcat:seriesMember

[bertvannuffelen]

In SEMICeu/DCAT-AP#313 there is a question raised to the motivation why dcat:inSeries was chosen as main property and the other as inverse.

In RDF the directionality is rather arbitrairy as it is a graph. However it seems that some users in DCAT-AP consider DatasetSeries as a starting point for the catalogue exploration. From that user interaction perspective the direction (DatasetSeries -> Dataset) will be shown more prominently to the end-users of the dcat catalogues.

Hence, our question: what was the motivation behind this choice?

[dr-shorthair]

When a new item is added, you assert which series it is a member of.
OTOH the description of the series may be provided once and does not have to be continually updated.

However, SPARQL makes inverse properties easily queriable so there is no performance loss either way.

[riccardoAlbertoni]

You may find issues #1307 and #1335 helpful in understanding the context that informed our decision-making process at that time.
I recall that the group engaged a quite complex discussions regarding dcat:inSeries and its inverse, dcat:seriesMember.
Overall, decisions were made to reconcile the diverse positions and concerns. In certain cases, the complexity of points of view necessitated compromises, as each option had its own pros and cons.

[bertvannuffelen]

@riccardoAlbertoni thanks for the feedback. I'll propagate this to the community.