Lars Vogt

Lars Vogt

Despite unprecedented growth in biodiversity data, a persistent gap remains between what is known and what is acted upon. Existing frameworks such as the FAIR and CLEAR Principles have improved data accessibility and interpretability but do not provide the components required to translate knowledge into context-sensitive action. We argue that closing this knowledge-action gap requires a shift toward statement-centred and action-oriented knowledge infrastructures. We identify a fundamental distinction between actionability as the structural capacity of a representation to support operations and applicability as the epistemic validity of using that knowledge in a specific context. Building on the Semantic Units Framework, we introduce Action Units as structured extensions of plan specifications that make applicability conditions and contextual grounding explicit as first-class typed components. Three types are distinguished, epistemic, transformational, and intervention action units, corresponding to three operation classes that define a minimal operational architecture for actionable knowledge. Action units can also be granularly composed across operation classes, reflecting the cross-class character of real-world knowledge-driven processes. Conditional action units, operationalized as executable IF-THEN structures, enable knowledge graphs to function as graph-native decision-support systems, constituting a transition toward post-FAIR knowledge infrastructures. Applied to biodiversity science, the framework reinterprets documented intervention and epistemic failures as consequences of incomplete action unit structures and constructs worked examples across all three operation classes. We propose the TripleA Principle: Actionability, Applicability, and Auditability, as a guiding framework for next-generation knowledge infrastructure design extending the FAIR and CLEAR Principles.

Lars Vogt

Semantic data and knowledge infrastructures must reconcile two fundamentally different forms of representation: natural language, in which most knowledge is created and communicated, and formal semantic models, which enable machine-actionable integration, interoperability, and reasoning. Bridging this gap remains a central challenge, particularly when full semantic formalization is required at the point of data entry. Here, we introduce the Semantic Ladder, an architectural framework that enables the progressive formalization of data and knowledge. Building on the concept of modular semantic units as identifiable carriers of meaning, the framework organizes representations across levels of increasing semantic explicitness, ranging from natural language text snippets to ontology-based and higher-order logical models. Transformations between levels support semantic enrichment, statement structuring, and logical modelling while preserving semantic continuity and traceability. This approach enables the incremental construction of semantic knowledge spaces, reduces the semantic parsing burden, and supports the integration of heterogeneous representations, including natural language, structured semantic models, and vector-based embeddings. The Semantic Ladder thereby provides a foundation for scalable, interoperable, and AI-ready data and knowledge infrastructures.

Lars Vogt, Kheir Eddine Farfar, Pallavi Karanth et al.

Machines need data and metadata to be machine-actionable and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) to manage increasing data volumes. Knowledge graphs and ontologies are key to this, but their use is hampered by high access barriers due to required prior knowledge in semantics and data modelling. The Rosetta Statement approach proposes modeling English natural language statements instead of a mind-independent reality. We propose a metamodel for creating semantic schema patterns for simple statement types. The approach supports versioning of statements and provides a detailed editing history. Each Rosetta Statement pattern has a dynamic label for displaying statements as natural language sentences. Implemented in the Open Research Knowledge Graph (ORKG) as a use case, this approach allows domain experts to define data schema patterns without needing semantic knowledge. Future plans include combining Rosetta Statements with semantic units to organize ORKG into meaningful subgraphs, improving usability. A search interface for querying statements without needing SPARQL or Cypher knowledge is also planned, along with tools for data entry and display using Large Language Models. The Rosetta Statement metamodel supports a three-step knowledge graph construction procedure. Domain experts can model semantic content without support from ontology engineers by using Wikidata, lowering entry barriers and increasing cognitive interoperability. The second level involves mapping Wikidata terms to established ontologies, and the third step developing semantic graph patterns for reasoning, requiring collaboration with ontology engineers.