PGO: Describing Property Graphs in RDF

Abstract

RDF and Property Graphs are data models that are being used to represent Knowledge Graphs. The definition of methods to transform RDF data into Property graph data is fundamental to allow interoperability among the systems using these models. Although both models are based on a graph structure, they have special features that complicate the definition of data transformation methods. This article presents an ontology-based approach to transform (automatically) property graphs into RDF graphs. The ontology, called PGO, defines a set of terms that allows describing the elements of a property graph. The algorithm corresponding to the transformation method is described, and some properties of the method are discussed (complexity, data preservation, and monotonicity). The results of an experimental evaluation are also presented.