Taming he Space: Seman ic Modelling
using Linked Open Da a o Fuzzy Wobbling
Geospa ial Da a om he A chaeological
and Geosciences domains
Flo ian Thie y*1,2, Fiona Schenk3,2, S e anie Baa s4,
Alla d W. Mees1, Sophie C. Schmid 5,2, Chia a G.M. Gi o o6,
Fabian F icke7
1 Leibniz-Zen um ü A chäologie (LEIZA) – Mainz, Ge many
2 Resea ch Squi el Enginee s Ne wo k – Mainz, Ge many
3 Johannes Gu enbe g Uni e si ä Mainz (JGU) – Mainz, Ge many
4 Münzkabine , S aa liche Museen zu Be lin, SPK – Be lin, Ge many
5 F ee Uni e si y o Be lin – Be lin, Ge many
6 A chaeobiocen e | LMU Munich – Munich, Ge many
7 Ge man A chaeological Ins i u e (DAI) – Mainz, Ge many
* Co esponding au ho
Co espondence: fl[email p o ec ed]
ABSTRACT
A chaeological and geoscien ific esea ch o en elies on spa ial da a whose
p ecision and eliabili y a y conside ably. Coo dina es de i ed om exca a ion
epo s, li e a u e, o mode n su eys equen ly embody agueness, ambigui y, o
conflic ing in e p e a ions. This pape add esses such wobbling geospa ial da a by
p esen ing a seman ic app oach ha embeds unce ain y di ec ly in o Linked Open
Da a (LOD). A he co e o his app oach lies he Fuzzy Spa ial Loca ions On ology
(FSL-O), which builds on PROV-O, SKOS, and GeoSPARQL o model en i ies, ac i i ies,
and agen s alongside explici p ope ies o ce ain y, p o enance, and
me hodological de ail. I s implemen a ion in he uzzy-sl Wikibase ex ends his
amewo k h ough a dedica ed schema o geoloca ion and coo dina e me ada a,
enabling he documen a ion o p ecision, me hods, sou ces, and ac o s. The SPARQL
Unico n Toolki u he suppo s isualisa ion by in eg a ing hese da a in o GIS
en i onmen s and gene a ing human- eadable HTML ou pu s. The me hodology is
demons a ed h ough in e disciplina y case s udies: Ogham s ones wi h mul iple
biog aphies be ween ancien findspo s and museum con ex s; Campanian Ignimb i e
deposi s se ing as La e Pleis ocene ch onological ma ke s; poo ly documen ed
numisma ic hoa ds om C o on; and Roman Samian wa e dis ibu ions. Each
example illus a es how unce ain y can be exp essed as s uc u ed,
machine- eadable in o ma ion, a he han being hidden o o e simplified. By
embedding uzziness in o LOD, his wo k enhances he FAIRness, anspa ency, and
in e ope abili y o a chaeological and geoscien ific da ase s. I con ibu es o
in e na ional deba es on how o esponsibly ep esen spa ial unce ain y and
p o ides a ounda ion o u u e ex ensions o on ology and Wikibase models ac oss
b oade cul u al he i age and scien ific domains.
Keywo ds: FAIR, Linked Open Da a, unce ain y, A chaeology, Ogham, Samian Wa e,
Geosciences, Campanian Ignimb i e, Wikibase
In oduc ion & Backg ound
A chaeological and geoscien ific esea ch is deeply elian on spa ial da a, ye he
p oduc ion and use o such da a a e a ely ee om unce ain y [1], [2]. Coo dina es
de i ed om his o ical sou ces, exca a ion epo s, field su eys, o seconda y li e a u e
o en con ain agueness, ambigui ies, o imp ecision ha complica e hei in e p e a ion
and euse [3], [4], [5], [6]. This si ua ion gi es ise o wha we e e o as “ uzzy wobbling
geospa ial da a”, loca ions ha shi depending on he sou ce, me hod, o in e p e a i e
amewo k employed [7]. Unless such unce ain y is explici ly eco ded, he esul ing
da a canno be conside ed anspa en , ep oducible, o eusable in he long e m.
This challenge aligns di ec ly wi h he FAIR P inciples [8], now widely ecognised as a
co ne s one o mode n esea ch da a managemen . Achie ing FAIRness equi es mo e
han simply publishing da ase s: he con ex o hei c ea ion, including he me hods and
assump ions unde lying geospa ial coo dina es, mus also be documen ed. Fo
a chaeological and geoscien ific da ase s, whe e si e loca ions may be ague o
dispu ed, his anspa ency is essen ial o ensu e us in he da a and o enable
meaning ul euse ac oss disciplina y bounda ies.
Figu e 1 - A dis ibu ed Knowledge G aph Scheme b inging oge he Linked Open
Da a and FAIR Digi al Objec s app oaches. Flo ian Thie y & And eas Noback, CC BY
4.0, ia Wikimedia Commons.
Linked Open Da a (LOD) [9], [10], [11] o e s a amewo k o add essing hese
equi emen s. By ep esen ing in o ma ion in g aph-based s uc u es using s anda ds
such as RDF, SPARQL, and GeoSPARQL [12], [13], LOD allows he e ogeneous da ase s o
be seman ically connec ed and en iched. This app oach has pa icula ele ance o
a chaeology, a discipline ha inhe en ly in eg a es di e se o ms o e idence, om
geological s a ig aphy and palaeoen i onmen al eco ds o a e ac ypologies and
ex ual sou ces. LOD enables he in eg a ion o such e idence wi hin he ede a ed
in e disciplina y knowledge g aph (FIKG, Fig. 1), while a he same ime enabling he
explici modelling o unce ain y and p o enance.
The need o explici modelling is especially e iden when spa ial in o ma ion is
ans e ed be ween communi ies and in as uc u es. Geoscien is s may desc ibe a
olcanic e up ion laye in s a ig aphic e ms. A he same ime, a chaeologis s may e e
o associa ed findspo s, and his o ians may only men ion he nea es se lemen wi hou
a sha ed seman ic model ha can cap u e he a ying deg ees o ce ain y, p ecision,
and spa ial e e ence; such in o ma ion isks emaining siloed, ambiguous, o e en
misleading. By con as , modelling unce ain y as pa o he da ase i sel enables a
iche and mo e hones ep esen a ion o he pas .
In ecen yea s, se e al ini ia i es ha e highligh ed he impo ance o documen ing
agueness and unce ain y in geospa ial da a, pa icula ly h ough seman ic
echnologies. The adop ion o on ology-d i en app oaches allows doub s and
imp ecisions o be ep esen ed in a s uc u ed, machine-ac ionable way, a he han
being elega ed o oo no es o omi ed en i ely. This ensu es ha subsequen use s –
whe he domain expe s, in e disciplina y collabo a o s, o compu a ional sys ems – can
in e p e he confidence, me hods, and limi a ions associa ed wi h each spa ial
s a emen .
This pape builds on hese de elopmen s by p esen ing a seman ic modelling
app oach o wobbling geospa ial da a. We ocus on he Fuzzy Spa ial Loca ions
On ology (FSL-O), designed o cap u e agueness, unce ain y, and p o enance in
geo e e enced da a. Implemen ed wi hin a ede a ed ecosys em o Wikida a and
dedica ed Wikibase ins ances, FSL-O p o ides a amewo k o in eg a ing
a chaeological and geoscien ific da ase s while making explici he ci cums ances o
hei c ea ion. The pape u he demons a es how his model can be applied in p ac ice
h ough a se ies o in e disciplina y case s udies, anging om ea ly medie al Ogham
s ones o La e Pleis ocene olcanic deposi s and ancien numisma ic hoa ds.
By o eg ounding unce ain y as an in eg al componen o da a modelling, ou
app oach seeks no only o enhance he FAIRness o a chaeological and geoscien ific
da a bu also o p o ide a me hodological ounda ion o hei long- e m in e ope abili y.
In doing so, we aim o con ibu e o a b oade discussion wi hin he CAA communi y on
how bes o ep esen , in eg a e, and euse spa ial da a ha , by i s e y na u e, con inues
o wobble.
Me hodology: SPARQL Unico n & uzzy-sl On ology
The me hodological co e o his pape lies in he seman ic modelling o agueness
and unce ain y in geospa ial da a. While spa ial coo dina es a e ypically ea ed as
fixed and p ecise poin s in da abases, a chaeological and geoscien ific p ac ice e eals
a a mo e complex eali y. Loca ions may be de i ed om exca a ion epo s,
seconda y li e a u e, o al adi ions, o mode n field su eys, each wi h a ying deg ees
o p ecision and confidence. To make such a iabili y anspa en and eusable,
unce ain y i sel mus become pa o he da a model. In he ollowing, we p esen he
main ools and on ological amewo ks ha enable such modelling and isualisa ion: he
SPARQL Unico n Toolki , he Fuzzy Spa ial Loca ions On ology (FSL-O), and he uzzy-sl
Wikibase.
Figu e 2 - Scheme o “ uzzy-sl” modelling, based on PROV-O, wi h he classes
En i y, Ac i i y and Agen . Flo ian Thie y, CC BY 4.0.
The SPARQL Unico n Toolki [14], [15], [16], [17] p o ides he echnical in as uc u e
o isualising Linked Open Da a in GIS and o ans o ming machine-ac ionable RDF
in o human- eadable ou pu s. O iginally concei ed as a b oade FAIRifica ion ool, in his
pape , i s ole is es ic ed o wo key unc ions: he in eg a ion o LOD in o GIS
en i onmen s such as QGIS and he gene a ion o an LOD HTML documen a ion.
Th ough i s QGIS plugin, Linked Da a que ies can be pe o med di ec ly agains SPARQL
endpoin s, enabling he o e lay o unce ain o uzzy loca ions wi h o he spa ial
da ase s. Fo example, que ies o Ogham s ones, Campanian Ignimb i e findspo s, o
numisma ic hoa ds can be execu ed and displayed as clus e ed laye s in QGIS. The
same oolchain also enables he c ea ion o HTML pages ha ende RDF iples in a
na igable, human- eadable o m. In his way, he Unico n Toolki ac s as an in e ace
laye be ween he echnical modelling o unce ain y and i s use in e e yday esea ch
p ac ice.
Figu e 3 - uzzy-sl Wikibase modelling scheme. Flo ian Thie y, CC BY 4.0.
A he cen e o his wo k, howe e , is he Fuzzy Spa ial Loca ions On ology (FSL-O), a
seman ic model specifically designed o cap u e wha we e e o as “wobbling
geospa ial da a.” FSL-O [18], [1] is buil upon h ee es ablished s anda ds: PROV-O, SKOS,
and GeoSPARQL (Fig. 2). Following he PROV-O concep [19], i dis inguishes be ween
en i ies, ac i i ies, and agen s. A si e is ep esen ed as an en i y associa ed wi h a
geome y, which is c ea ed by a me hod unde s ood as an ac i i y, and his ac i i y is
a ibu ed o a pe son, he agen . This iadic s uc u e ensu es ha e e y coo dina e can
be aced back o he p ocedu e and au ho i y by which i was p oduced. C ucially, FSL-O
inco po a es explici p ope ies o eco d unce ain y. Each si e and i s geome y can be
desc ibed by wo co e a ibu es: sl:ce ain yDesc, a ex ual desc ip ion o confidence o
doub , and sl:ce ain yLe el, a con olled ocabula y anging om low o high, including
dubious. Si es may u he be linked o bibliog aphic e e ences ia sl:hasRe e ence o o
online esou ces h ough exac Ma ch p ope ies bo owed om he SKOS ocabula y.
Me hods, in u n, can be cha ac e ised h ough sl:hasSou ce and sl:hasSou ceType,
which iden i y he unde lying da a sou ce and i s ca ego y, sl:ac i i yDesc, which
documen s he me hod in ee ex , and he al eady men ioned ce ain y p ope ies,
which ca y o e o he le el o ac i i ies. Toge he , hese p ope ies allow no only he
ep esen a ion o whe e a si e is loca ed, bu also he ci cums ances, e idence, and
confidence wi h which his loca ion has been es ablished. The esul ing RDF can hen be
ans o med in o HTML files h ough he SPARQL Unico n On ology Documen a ion
esea ch ool, ensu ing ha he on ology-d i en da a emains bo h machine-p ocessable
and accessible o human use s.
Figu e 4 - Example Wikibase " uzzy-sl" modelling o Ai/Aii: Ogham S one
Coumeenole No h (Q131) wi h cu en loca ion (Ai) and finding si e (Aii); B:
Campanian Ignimb i e Findspo Auel Maa AU3 (Q70); C: Campanian Ignimb i e
Findspo U luia Qua y (Q73). Flo ian Thie y, CC BY 4.0.
While FSL-O p o ides he concep ual amewo k, i s in eg a ion in o exis ing
communi y in as uc u es is essen ial. Wikida a, as one o he mos widely used
communi y-d i en knowledge g aphs, allows he modelling o spa ial in o ma ion ia he
p ope y P625 o geog aphic coo dina es. Howe e , such coo dina es can be en iched
wi h qualifie s and e e ences o cap u e unce ain y. Fo ins ance, he modelling o an
Ogham s one in Wikida a can dis inguish be ween i s ancien findspo and i s mode n
exhibi ion loca ion. Qualifie s such as de e mina ion me hod (P459), subjec has ole
(P2868), and s a ed in (P248) enable he documen a ion o whe he a coo dina e was
de i ed om geo e e encing, ob ained om a da abase en y, o obse ed on-si e. The
sou cing ci cums ances (P1480) qualifie can indica e whe he he in o ma ion was
ob ained h ough a di ec su ey. A he same ime, loca ion (P276) dis inguishes
be ween he di e en oles a place may play, such as a findspo , an exhibi ion enue, o a
gene al e e ence. Re e ences o ex e nal esou ces, such as OpenS ee Map node
iden ifie s (P11693), p o ide addi ional ancho ing o he coo dina e o collabo a i e
geospa ial eposi o ies. By combining hese qualifie s and e e ences, a Wikida a i em
can eflec bo h he ancien and mode n biog aphies o a si e, while making explici he
me hods and unce ain ies associa ed wi h each loca ion.
The mos de ailed implemen a ion o he on ology-d i en app oach is achie ed
h ough he uzzy-sl Wikibase, a specialised Wikibase ins ance dedica ed o modelling
unce ain geospa ial da a (Fig. 3). I s da a model dis inguishes be ween Geoloca ion
Me ada a (GLM), ep esen ed as s a emen s, and Coo dina e Me ada a (CM),
ep esen ed as qualifie s. GLM includes p ope ies such as ela edTo (P10), which
connec s a si e o ex e nal esou ces in he LOD cloud; hasRe e ence (P11), which
eco ds a li e a u e quo a ion o bibliog aphic sou ce; hasSpa ialType (P8), which
specifies ca ego ies like inhabi ed place, i e , ca e, maa , o supe olcano;
hasSpa ialCa ego y (P26), which si ua es he loca ion wi hin domains such as geology o
a chaeology; and loca edInTheAdminis a i eTe i o ialEn i y (P32), which links o
co esponding Wikida a i ems o adminis a i e uni s. These high-le el s a emen s
es ablish he basic con ex o a si e. The cu en en CM qualifie s hen p o ide
fine-g ained me ada a abou he coo dina es hemsel es. P ecision (P23) eco ds he
numbe o significan decimal places in he WGS84 coo dina e, he eby exp essing he
nume ical accu acy o he geo e e encing ( o example, ±0.0001° o he F anch hi
Ca e). Ce ain yLe el (P5) and ce ain yDesc ip ion (P13) mi o he FSL-O p ope ies,
allowing bo h a ca ego ical and ex ual accoun o confidence. Me hodUsed (P7) and
me hodDesc ip ion (P15) documen how he coo dina e was ob ained, whe he by
ex e nal eposi o y, li e a u e-based geo e e encing, o on-si e su ey. Ac ingPe son (P14)
iden ifies he indi idual esponsible o he geo e e encing ac i i y, while
sou ceTypeGene ic (P6) and sou ceTypeDe ail (P16) p o ide u he di e en ia ion o he
e idence base, dis inguishing be ween ex ual desc ip ions, pape s, o
communi y-con ibu ed sou ces such as OpenS ee Map. Finally, loca ionType (P24)
specifies he unc ional ca ego y o he loca ion – whe he i is a findspo , e up ion si e,
o museum display – while poin Type (P33) indica es he concep ual ole o he
coo dina e, such as a ep esen a i e poin , a place as a concep , o a na u al place. By
combining GLM and CM, he uzzy-sl Wikibase hus enables he explici eco ding o
bo h he con ex ual and me hodological dimensions o geospa ial da a (Fig. 4).
The in e play o hese h ee ools—SPARQL Unico n o isualisa ion, FSL-O o
concep ual modelling, and he uzzy-sl Wikibase o implemen a ion – c ea es a
wo kflow ha ende s geospa ial unce ain y anspa en , eusable, and in e ope able.
Ra he han p esen ing a fixed o o e simplified ep esen a ion o he pas , his app oach
acknowledges he wobbling na u e o spa ial da a. I p o ides he means o documen ,
isualise, and c i ically engage wi h i . The ollowing case s udies will demons a e how
his me hodology can be applied o di e se da ase s, anging om epig aphic
monumen s and olcanic eph a laye s o numisma ic hoa ds and ce amic dis ibu ions.
Case S udies: Ogham, Campanian Ignimb i e & Samian Wa e
The me hodological app oaches ou lined abo e gain hei ull ele ance only when
applied o conc e e esea ch da a. In he ollowing, we demons a e how he modelling
o uzzy and wobbling geospa ial da a can be pu in o p ac ice ac oss a selec ion o
in e disciplina y case s udies. The examples highligh how FSL-O and he uzzy-sl
Wikibase allow o a anspa en ep esen a ion o unce ain y, how he SPARQL Unico n
Toolki acili a es isualisa ion, and how Linked Open Da a in as uc u es enable
in eg a ion ac oss domains.
Figu e 5 - Geospa ial modelling o Ogham S one CIIC 81 / Q74 / GARES/1 [20] a
UCC S one Co ido , no. IV. Flo ian Thie y, CC BY 4.0.
One o he longes - unning and mos illus a i e examples is he Linked Open Ogham
p ojec . Ogham s ones, e ec ed mainly be ween he ou h and se en h cen u ies CE in
I eland and pa s o B i ain, a e among he ea lies w i en monumen s o he I ish
language [21], [22], [23]. They p o ide no only linguis ic e idence bu also insigh s in o
kinship s uc u es, e i o ial o ganisa ion, and cul u al con ac s. Many s ones, howe e ,
ha e complex biog aphies: some emain in si u, o he s we e mo ed in o museums, and
many a e known only om an iqua ian epo s. The uzziness o hei spa ial e e ences
is hus in insic. Using he uzzy-sl Wikibase, Ogham s ones can be modelled wi h
coo dina es (P4) en iched by qualifie s and e e ences. Fo ins ance, he s one CIIC 81
(Q741), ini ially ound a Ga anes in Coun y Co k, is documen ed bo h in i s ancien
findspo and in i s cu en loca ion in he UCC S one Co ido no. 4 (Fig. 5). The
exhibi ion si e espec i ely findspo can be qualified as P5: High / Low; P13: on-si e
su ey a exhibi ion a ea / GARES/1 [20]; P7: on-si e su ey / Geo e e encing; P14:
Flo ian Thie y; P6: on-si e su ey / Tex ual Desc ip ion; P16: on-si e su ey / Pape ; P15:
on-si e su ey a UCC Co k / ound in old documen s; P23: ±0.0001°; P24: Exhibi ion Si e
/ Findspo ; P33: Exhibi ion / Loca ion o a Place as a Concep . CIIC 81, espec i ely,
GARES/1 is also e e enced o o he esou ces in he FIKG, such as Wikida a
(Q130529871), Seman ic Kompakk (Q1262), Fac G id (Q10000294), OSM node
11071361392, and SMR ID CO074-148----. This dual modelling cap u es he spa ial
biog aphy o he s one and he di e en confidence le els associa ed wi h each
coo dina e. In p ac ice, hese s a emen s can be que ied ia SPARQL and isualised in
QGIS h ough he Unico n plugin, which enables bo h densi y maps and indi idual ea u e
explo a ion. The Ogham case demons a es how doub , mo emen , and in e p e a ion
1 c . h ps:// uzzy-sl.wikibase.cloud/en i y/Q74 (all links las accessed 09.09.2025)
Discussion & Ou look
The esul s p esen ed in his pape demons a e how seman ic modelling can
ans o m he way a chaeological and geoscien ific da ase s a e documen ed,
compa ed, and in eg a ed. The ocus he e has been less on in oducing he gene al
p oblem o unce ain y – al eady well ecognised in bo h fields—and mo e on showing
how Linked Open Da a p o ides he me hodological means o deal wi h i in a s uc u ed
and in e ope able manne . By applying he Fuzzy Spa ial Loca ions On ology (FSL-O) and
implemen ing i in he uzzy-sl Wikibase, combined wi h isualisa ion h ough he
SPARQL Unico n Toolki , we ha e highligh ed a wo kflow ha cap u es no only
coo dina es bu also hei p o enance, confidence, and con ex .
The key me hodological con ibu ion o his wo k lies in b inging oge he h ee
elemen s: fi s , a o mal on ology (FSL-O) ha exp esses agueness and uzziness
h ough explici p ope ies such as ce ain y le el, ce ain y desc ip ion, and e e ences
o sou ces; second, a Wikibase implemen a ion ha ex ends his model h ough a
de ailed schema o geoloca ion and coo dina e me ada a, allowing use s o eco d
p ecision, me hods, and agen s; and hi d, an in eg a ion pa hway o communi y-d i en
in as uc u es like Wikida a and OpenS ee Map, whe e da a can be connec ed ac oss
disciplina y and linguis ic bounda ies. This combina ion mo es beyond adi ional
gaze ee s o da abases by embedding unce ain y di ec ly in o he da a model a he
han ea ing i as an ex e nal anno a ion.
The case s udies unde line he alue o his app oach. Ogham s ones exempli y he
complex biog aphies o a chaeological monumen s, as hey shi be ween findspo s and
museum con ex s. Campanian Ignimb i e deposi s demons a e how geoscien ific and
a chaeological da a can be in eg a ed when hei unce ain ies a e modelled explici ly.
Numisma ic hoa ds om C o on highligh he a ying g anula i y o spa ial desc ip ions,
om p ecise u ban loca ions o b oad egional e e ences. Samian si es illus a e how
e en well-es ablished esea ch da abases equi e ca e ul ea men o coo dina e quali y
and p ecision. In all hese cases, seman ic modelling enables esea che s o exp ess
di e ences in confidence, o ace me hods o da a c ea ion, and o connec o ex e nal
esou ces. The in e ope abili y o hese da ase s is enhanced p ecisely because
unce ain y is p ese ed as s uc u ed in o ma ion. The in eg a ion o he
a chaeome allic, ce amic, and cul u al-geog aphical case s udies u he illus a es how
he uzzy-sl app oach anscends disciplina y bounda ies. By applying he same
seman ic logic o da a o igina ing om me allu gy, egional a chaeology, and landscape
esea ch, hese examples demons a e ha unce ain y is no confined o a single da a
ype o scale. Ins ead, i mani es s as a uni e sal p ope y o a chaeological e idence,
which can be o mally ep esen ed and compu a ionally analysed h ough sha ed
on ological s uc u es. This ein o ces he po en ial o he uzzy-sl amewo k o ac as a
me hodological b idge be ween si e-based documen a ion, egional syn hesis, and
c oss-domain da a in as uc u es.
Wha se s his pape apa me hodologically is i s emphasis on Linked Open Da a as
he backbone o in e ope abili y. The use o RDF, PROV-O, SKOS, and GeoSPARQL
ensu es ha he da a p oduced can be que ied, linked, and isualised ac oss
in as uc u es. The explici inclusion o unce ain y in o his seman ic amewo k is
wha makes i dis inc i e. Ra he han o e ing ce ain y whe e he e is none, he
app oach allows da a o emain hones abou i s limi a ions while s ill being eusable.
This is pa icula ly impo an in in e na ional and in e disciplina y con ex s, whe e
esea che s om a chaeology, his o y, and he geosciences mus be able o e alua e no
only he da a i sel bu also he deg ee o confidence a ached o i .
Visualisa ion is ano he c i ical a ea o discussion. While modelling unce ain y
seman ically p o ides he ounda ion, esea che s also need in ui i e ways o see and
in e p e i . The use o bounding boxes, bu e s, o hulls makes uzziness isible in maps,
bu hese echniques equi e ca e ul calib a ion. Fo example, bu e s gene a ed in
WGS84 coo dina es isk p oducing dis o ions ha a e echnically co ec bu isually
misleading. The SPARQL Unico n Toolki add esses pa o his challenge by enabling
seman ically anno a ed da a o be pulled in o GIS en i onmen s whe e such
isualisa ions can be es ed, compa ed, and efined. In his sense, he oolki p o ides
no jus a display mechanism bu also an expe imen al en i onmen o de eloping
use - iendly ep esen a ions o unce ain space.
Looking o wa d, he nex s eps in ol e ex ending he on ology and he Wikibase
schema in esponse o u he case s udies. While he cu en model al eady
inco po a es en key p ope ies o coo dina e me ada a, addi ional a ibu es may be
needed o cap u e empo al agueness, di e en ypes o spa ial abs ac ion, o mo e
nuanced desc ip ions o me hods. Applying he model o new da ase s—such as
a chaeome allu gical e idence, la ge-scale cul u al landscapes, o addi ional ce amic
co po a—will help o iden i y such equi emen s. The modula i y o FSL-O and he
flexibili y o Wikibase make hem well-sui ed o his i e a i e efinemen .
Ano he a enue o de elopmen lies in alignmen wi h in e na ional s anda ds and
in as uc u es. Mapping FSL-O o CIDOC CRM and i s a chaeological ex ensions, o
linking Wikibase da a o global ini ia i es such as he Eu opean Collabo a i e Cloud o
Cul u al He i age (ECCCH), will ensu e ha uzzy geospa ial da a can pa icipa e in wide
ecosys ems. This is pa icula ly impo an o long- e m sus ainabili y: only i da a
models a e compa ible ac oss in as uc u es can hey be main ained and eused a
scale.
In conclusion, he cen al con ibu ion o his pape is me hodological. By embedding
unce ain y in o Linked Open Da a h ough he combined use o FSL-O, uzzy-sl Wikibase,
and SPARQL Unico n isualisa ion, we ha e shown a conc e e pa hway o dealing wi h
wobbling geospa ial da a in a chaeology and he geosciences. The app oach is
in e na ionally ele an , in e disciplina y by design, and scalable h ough alignmen wi h
b oade in as uc u es. Fu u e wo k will ocus on expanding he on ology and p ope y
se s, in eg a ing u he case s udies, and efining isualisa ion s a egies. In his way,
he model no only acknowledges he inhe en uzziness o spa ial in o ma ion bu also
p o ides he ools o make i anspa en , in e ope able, and FAIR.
Acknowledgemen s
The au ho s would like o hank Ka s en Tolle and Sebas ian Gampe o hei ad ice,
as well as he CAA Ge many, SIG Da a D agon and NFDI4Objec s Communi y. The
au ho s acknowledge he use o language assis ance powe ed by a ificial in elligence
(Cha GPT, OpenAI) o s ylis ic edi ing and linguis ic efinemen . All con en and
a gumen s we e au ho ed and e ified by he au ho s hemsel es.
Da a, sc ip s, code, and supplemen a y in o ma ion a ailabili y
Thie y, F. e al. (2025). uzzy-sl Wikibase: h ps:// uzzy-sl.wikibase.cloud;
Thie y, F., & Schenk, F. (2023). Campanian Ignimb i e Geo Loca ions [Da aSe ] a
h ps://gi hub.com/Resea ch-Squi el-Enginee s/campanian-ignimb i e-geo [49];
Thie y, F., & Baa s, S. (2023). C o on Geo Loca ions [Da aSe ] a
h ps://gi hub.com/Resea ch-Squi el-Enginee s/c o on-geo;
Thie y, F. (2023). Fuzzy Spa ial Loca ions On ology [Da aSe ] a
h ps://gi hub.com/Resea ch-Squi el-Enginee s/ uzzy-sl-on ology [50];
Thie y, F., & Hombu g, T. (2025). SPARQLing Unico n QGIS Plugin [So wa e] a
h ps://gi hub.com/spa qlunico n/spa qlunico nGoesGIS [14], [15], [16], [17];
Hombu g, T., & Thie y, F. (2024). SPARQL Unico n On ology Documen a ion [So wa e]
a h ps://gi hub.com/spa qlunico n/spa qlunico nGoesGIS-on doc [14], [15], [16], [17].
Conflic o in e es disclosu e
The au ho s decla e ha hey comply wi h he PCI ule o ha ing no financial conflic s
o in e es in ela ion o he con en o he a icle.
Funding
This pape is pa o he DFG- unded NFDI ini ia i e, specifically he Resea ch Da a
In as uc u e o he Ma e ial Remains o Human His o y (NFDI4Objec s), DFG P ojec
numbe 501836407. Some wo ks we e unded by Wikimedia Deu schland, Fellow-
P og amm F eies Wissen 2020/21: “I ische Ogham S eine im Wikimedia Uni e sum”.
Re e ences
[1] F. Thie y, F. Schenk, S. Baa s, K. Tolle, and P. Thie y, ‘Modellie ung on Fuzzyness /
Wobbliness in Geoda en - Am Beispiel a chäologische und geowissenscha liche
Fundo e e enzen’, Tagungsband FOSSGIS-Kon e enz 2024, ol. 2024, pp. 64–73,
Ma . 2024, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10571858.
[2] N. J. Ca , ‘Spa ial Unce ain y o Fea u es & Func ions (SUFF) Model’, Spa ial
Unce ain y o Fea u es & Func ions (SUFF) Model. Accessed: Oc . 21, 2024.
[Online]. A ailable: h ps://w3id.o g/su /spec
[3] F. Thie y, F. Schenk, and S. Baa s, ‘Dealing wi h doub s: si e geo e e encing in
a chaeology and in he geosciences’, A cheologia e Calcola o i, ol. 35, no. 2, pp.
97–106, 2024, doi: 10.19282/ac.35.2.2024.11.
[4] F. Thie y and F. Schenk, ‘Modelling o Unce ain y in Geo Sciences Si es’, Squi el
Pape s, ol. 5, no. 1, p. #4, Dec. 2023, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10255259.
[5] F. Thie y and F. Schenk, ‘How o loca e he Campanian Ignimb i e si e U luia based
on li e a u e? How o p o ide and publish his da a in a FAIR way?’, Squi el Pape s,
ol. 5, no. 1, p. #5, 2023, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10262720.
[6] F. Thie y, F. Schenk, and S. Baa s, ‘Dealing wi h doub s: Si e geo e e encing in
a chaeology and in he geosciences’, Squi el Pape s, ol. 5, no. 1, p. #6, Dec. 2023,
doi: 10.5281/ZENODO.10291889.
[7] A. Züfle e al., ‘Handling Unce ain y in Geo-Spa ial Da a’, in 2017 IEEE 33 d
In e na ional Con e ence on Da a Enginee ing (ICDE), Ap . 2017, pp. 1467–1470. doi:
10.1109/ICDE.2017.212.
[8] M. D. Wilkinson, M. Dumon ie , Ij. J. Aalbe sbe g, G. Apple on, and e al., ‘The FAIR
Guiding P inciples o scien ific da a managemen and s ewa dship’, Scien ific Da a,
ol. 3, p. 160018, Ma . 2016, doi: 10.1038/sda a.2016.18.
[9] S. C. Schmid , F. Thie y, and M. T ogni z, ‘P ac ices o Linked Open Da a in
A chaeology and Thei Realisa ion in Wikida a’, Digi al, ol. 2, no. 3, pp. 333–364,
June 2022, doi: 10.3390/digi al2030019.
[10] T. Be ne s-Lee, ‘Linked Da a’. Accessed: May 31, 2024. [Online]. A ailable:
h ps://www.w3.o g/DesignIssues/LinkedDa a.h ml
[11] F. Thie y and P. Thie y, ‘Linked Open Ogham. How o publish and in e link a ious
Ogham Da a?’, A cheologia e Calcola o i, ol. 34, no. 1, pp. 105–114, 2023, doi:
10.19282/ac.34.1.2023.12.
[12] N. J. Ca and T. Hombu g, ‘GeoSPARQL 1.1: Mo i a ions, De ails and Applica ions o
he Decadal Upda e o he Mos Impo an Geospa ial LOD S anda d’, IJGI, ol. 11,
no. 2, p. 117, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.3390/ijgi11020117.
[13] J. Abhaya a na e al., ‘OGC Benefi s o Rep esen ing Spa ial Da a Using Seman ic and
G aph Technologies’, OGC Whi e Pape . OGC, Oc . 05, 2020. [Online]. A ailable:
h p://www.opengis.ne /doc/wp/using-seman ic-g aph
[14] F. Thie y, F. Schenk, and P. Thie y, ‘Das Resea ch Squi el Enginee s Ne wo k:
FAIRifica ion Tools und LOD-P ojek e aus de A chäoin o ma ik und den
Geowissenscha en’, A chäologische In o ma ionen, ol. 47, no. NWDVA 2024
Bochum: Digi ale A chäologie, pp. 115–140, Ap . 2025, doi:
10.11588/ai.2024.1.110394.
[15] F. Thie y and T. Hombu g, ‘SPARQLing Unico n QGIS Plugin’, Squi el Pape s, ol. 6,
no. 2, p. #5, Sep . 2024, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.13828632.
[16] T. Hombu g and F. Thie y, ‘SPARQL Unico n On ology Documen a ion’, Squi el
Pape s, ol. 6, no. 2, p. #2, Ma . 2024, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10780476.
[17] T. Hombu g and F. Thie y, ‘The SPARQL Unico n On ology documen a ion: Exposing
RDF geoda a using s a ic GeoAPIs’, Tagungsband FOSSGIS-Kon e enz 2024, ol.
2024, pp. 82–90, Ma . 2024, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10570985.
[18] F. Thie y, ‘Fuzzy Spa ial Loca ions On ology’, Squi el Pape s, ol. 5, no. 2, p. #3, Dec.
2023, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10362777.
[19] ‘PROV-O: The PROV On ology’. Accessed: Dec. 05, 2023. [Online]. A ailable:
h ps://www.w3.o g/TR/p o -o/
[20] CISP Da abase, ‘GARES/1 [CISP Da abase]’. Accessed: Sep . 09, 2025. [Online].
A ailable:
h ps://linkedopenogham.gi hub.io/cisp- eco e y/cisp/da abase/s one/ga es_1.h ml
[21] R. A. S. Macalis e , Co pus insc ip ionum insula um Cel ica um. Dublin: S a ione y
Office, 1945.
[22] D. MacManus, A Guide o Ogam. in Maynoo h monog aphs, no. 4. Maynoo h: An
Saga , 1997.
[23] S. C. Schmid and F. Thie y, ‘SPARQLing Ogham S ones: New Op ions o Analyzing
Analog Edi ions by Digi iza ion in Wikida a’, CEUR Wo kshop P oceedings, ol. 3110,
no. G aph Technologies in he Humani ies 2020, pp. 211–244, Ma . 2022, doi:
10.5281/zenodo.6380914.
[24] F. Schenk, U. Hambach, S. B i zius, D. Ve es, and F. Si ocko, ‘A C yp o eph a Laye in
Sedimen s o an Infilled Maa Lake om he Ei el (Ge many): Fi s E idence o
Campanian Ignimb i e Ash Ai all in Cen al Eu ope’, Qua e na y, ol. 7, no. 2, p. 17,
Ma . 2024, doi: 10.3390/qua 7020017.
[25] B. Giaccio e al., ‘The Campanian Ignimb i e and Codola eph a laye s: Two
empo al/s a ig aphic ma ke s o he Ea ly Uppe Palaeoli hic in sou he n I aly and
eas e n Eu ope’, Jou nal o Volcanology and Geo he mal Resea ch, ol. 177, no. 1, pp.
208–226, Oc . 2008, doi: 10.1016/j.j olgeo es.2007.10.007.
[26] F. G. Fedele, B. Giaccio, and I. Hajdas, ‘Timescales and cul u al p ocess a 40,000 BP
in he ligh o he Campanian Ignimb i e e up ion, Wes e n Eu asia’, Jou nal o Human
E olu ion, ol. 55, no. 5, pp. 834–857, No . 2008, doi: 10.1016/j.jhe ol.2008.08.012.
[27] M. W. Mo ley and J. C. Woodwa d, ‘The Campanian Ignimb i e (Y5) eph a a C ena
S ijena Rockshel e , Mon eneg o’, Qua . es., ol. 75, no. 3, pp. 683–696, May 2011,
doi: 10.1016/j.yq es.2011.02.005.
[28] T. Tsano a e al., ‘Uppe Palaeoli hic laye s and Campanian Ignimb i e/Y-5 eph a in
Topli sa ca e, No he n Bulga ia’, Jou nal o A chaeological Science: Repo s, ol. 37,
p. 102912, June 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jas ep.2021.102912.
[29] K. E. Fi zsimmons and U. Hambach, ‘Loess accumula ion du ing he las glacial
maximum: E idence om U luia, sou heas e n Romania’, Qua e na y In e na ional,
ol. 334–335, pp. 74–85, June 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.quain .2013.08.005.
[30] S. Pö e e al., ‘Disen angling Sedimen a y Pa hways o he Pleniglacial Lowe
Danube Loess Based on Geochemical Signa u es’, F on . Ea h Sci., ol. 9, p. 600010,
Ap . 2021, doi: 10.3389/ ea .2021.600010.
[31] F. Thie y, A. W. Mees, and J. B. Kiesling, ‘Challenges in esea ch communi y building:
in eg a ing Te a Sigilla a (Samian) esea ch in o he Wikida a communi y’, AeC, ol.
34, no. 1, pp. 157–164, 2023, doi: 10.19282/ac.34.1.2023.17.
[32] M. Reddé and A. Mees, ‘Had ian’s Wall and i s Con inen al Hin e land’, B i annia, ol.
53, pp. 55–84, No . 2022, doi: 10.1017/S0068113X22000216.
[33] M. Flückige , E. Ho nung, M. La ch, M. Ludwig, and A. Mees, ‘Roman T anspo
Ne wo k Connec i i y and Economic In eg a ion’, The Re iew o Economic S udies,
ol. 89, no. 2, pp. 774–810, Ma . 2022, doi: 10.1093/ es ud/ dab036.
[34] R. G ün hal e al., ‘D as ic demog aphic e en s igge ed he U alic sp ead’,
Diach onica, ol. 39, no. 4, pp. 490–524, Aug. 2022, doi: 10.1075/dia.20038.g u.
[35] A. Childebaye a e al., ‘B onze age No he n Eu asian gene ics in he con ex o
de elopmen o me allu gy and Sibe ian ances y’, Commun Biol, ol. 7, no. 1, p. 723,
June 2024, doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06343-x.
[36] S. G unwald, ‘Riskan e Zwischensch i e: A chäologische Ka og aphie in
Deu schland zwischen 1870 und 1900’, in Massendinghal ung, B. Ho mann and
o he s, Eds, Leiden: Sides one P ess, 2016, pp. 111–147.
[37] E. He e a Mala es a and S. De Vale iola, ‘Ambiguous landscapes: A amewo k o
assessing obus ness and unce ain ies in a chaeological poin pa e n analysis’,
PLoS ONE, ol. 19, no. 9, p. e0307743, 2024, doi: 10.1371/jou nal.pone.0307743.
[38] H. Mülle -Ka pe, Die U nen elde kul u im Hanaue Land. Ma bu g: Elwe -G ä e und
Unze , 1948.
[39] Hessisches Landesam ü Bodenmanagemen und Geoin o ma ion,
‘Ve wal ungseinhei en Hessen. Geobasisda en’. 2025. Accessed: Ap . 03, 2025.
[Online]. A ailable:
h ps://gdk.gdi-de.o g/geone wo k/s /api/ eco ds/e72c607e-304d-49db-a a1-06 24
9a4466a
[40] R Co e Team, R: A Language and En i onmen o S a is ical Compu ing. Vienna,
Aus ia: R Founda ion o S a is ical Compu ing, 2025. [Online]. A ailable:
h ps://www.R-p ojec .o g/
[41] A. Baddeley, E. Rubak, and R. Tu ne , Spa ial Poin Pa e ns: Me hodology and
Applica ions wi h R. Boca Ra on: Chapman and Hall/CRC P ess, 2015.
[42] S. Ga nie , N. Ross, B. Rudis, A. P. Cama go, M. Sciaini, and C. Sche e , i idis:
Colo blind-F iendly Colo Maps o R. 2021. [Online]. A ailable:
h ps://CRAN.R-p ojec .o g/package= i idis
[43] R. J. Hijmans, e a: Spa ial Da a Analysis. 2025. [Online]. A ailable:
h ps://CRAN.R-p ojec .o g/package= e a
[44] E. Pebesma, ‘Simple Fea u es o R: S anda dized Suppo o Spa ial Vec o Da a’,
The R Jou nal, ol. 10, no. 1, pp. 439–446, 2018, doi: 10.32614/RJ-2018-009.
[45] T. L. Pede sen, pa chwo k: The Compose o Plo s. 2020. [Online]. A ailable:
h ps://CRAN.R-p ojec .o g/package=pa chwo k
[46] H. Wickham, ggplo 2: Elegan G aphics o Da a Analysis. New Yo k: Sp inge -Ve lag,
2016.
[47] H. Wickham, R. F ançois, L. Hen y, and K. Mülle , dply : A G amma o Da a
Manipula ion. 2023. [Online]. A ailable: h ps://CRAN.R-p ojec .o g/package=dply
[48] H. Wickham and M. Gi lich, idy : Tidy Messy Da a. 2023. [Online]. A ailable:
h ps://CRAN.R-p ojec .o g/package= idy
[49] F. Thie y and F. Schenk, ‘Campanian Ignimb i e Geo Loca ions’, Squi el Pape s, ol. 5,
no. 2, p. #2, 2023, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10361309.
[50] F. Thie y, ‘Fuzzy Spa ial Loca ions On ology’, Squi el Pape s, ol. 5, no. 2, p. #3, Dec.
2023, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10362777.
