glam/docs/ontology/HC_STORAGE_ONTOLOGY.md

Heritage Custodian Storage Ontology (hc-storage)

Version: 1.0.0
Namespace: https://nde.nl/ontology/hc/
Prefix: hc:
Location: frontend/public/ontology/hc-storage.ttl
Created: 2026-01-02
License: CC BY 4.0

Overview

The Heritage Custodian Storage Ontology (hc-storage) is an extension ontology for modeling heritage storage facilities, environmental zones, storage units, and preservation activities. It extends CIDOC-CRM with specialized classes and properties for heritage collection storage management.

Purpose

This ontology addresses the need to:

1. Model storage infrastructure - Facilities, zones, and units where heritage collections are preserved
2. Track environmental conditions - Temperature, humidity, light levels, and other factors affecting preservation
3. Document storage activities - Assignments, relocations, and custody transfers
4. Integrate sensor data - SOSA/SSN compatible environmental monitoring
5. Support preservation planning - Environmental requirements and compliance tracking

Base Ontology Alignments

Ontology	Usage
CIDOC-CRM v7.1.3	Core classes and predicates for cultural heritage
SOSA/SSN	Environmental sensor observations
PROV-O	Provenance and activity tracking
RiC-O	Records in Contexts for archival storage
PREMIS	Preservation metadata

---

Class Hierarchy

owl:Thing
  │
  ├── crm:E27_Site (Physical Place)
  │     ├── hc:StorageFacility
  │     ├── hc:EnvironmentalZone
  │     └── hc:StorageUnit
  │
  ├── crm:E7_Activity (Activity)
  │     └── hc:StorageAssignment
  │
  ├── crm:E9_Move (Movement)
  │     └── hc:StorageRelocation
  │
  ├── crm:E10_Transfer_of_Custody
  │     └── hc:StorageCustodyTransfer
  │
  ├── crm:E14_Condition_Assessment
  │     └── hc:StorageConditionAssessment
  │
  ├── crm:E29_Design_or_Procedure
  │     └── hc:EnvironmentalRequirement
  │
  ├── crm:E54_Dimension
  │     └── hc:StorageCapacitySpecification
  │
  ├── sosa:Observation
  │     └── hc:StorageEnvironmentObservation
  │
  └── sosa:Platform
        └── hc:EnvironmentalSensorPlatform

---

Classes

Storage Location Classes

hc:StorageFacility

A dedicated facility for storing heritage objects (museum depot, archive repository, library stack).

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E27_Site	Physical location
Related Concepts	schema:SelfStorage, wd:Q35127 (warehouse), aat:300005534 (storage buildings)

Key Relationships:

• Contains hc:EnvironmentalZone via hc:hasStorageSection
• Contains hc:StorageUnit via hc:hasStorageSection
• Stores objects via hc:currentlyStores

---

hc:EnvironmentalZone

A climate-controlled area within a storage facility with specific environmental parameters.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E27_Site	Physical location
Related Concepts	wd:Q1759899 (climate control), aat:300265612 (climate control technique)

Environmental Parameters:

• Target temperature (°C)
• Temperature tolerance (±°C)
• Target relative humidity (%)
• Humidity tolerance (±%)
• Maximum light level (lux)
• Maximum annual light exposure (lux-hours)

---

hc:StorageUnit

An individual storage compartment, shelf, cabinet, drawer, or other discrete unit.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E27_Site	Physical location
Related Concepts	wd:Q1186447 (storage unit), aat:300038892 (storage containers)

Location Attributes:

• Row number
• Bay number
• Shelf number
• Local identifier/barcode

---

Activity Classes

hc:StorageAssignment

The activity of assigning a heritage object to a specific storage location.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E7_Activity	General activity
Related Concepts	aat:300054711 (storage activity)

---

hc:StorageRelocation

The movement of a heritage object from one storage location to another.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E9_Move	Movement event
Related Concepts	aat:300054644 (relocation)

Uses CIDOC-CRM predicates:

• crm:P26_moved_to (destination)
• crm:P27_moved_from (origin)

---

hc:StorageCustodyTransfer

Transfer of physical custody responsibility for stored heritage objects.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E10_Transfer_of_Custody	Custody transfer
Related Concepts	rico:InstantiationToInstantiationRelation

Uses CIDOC-CRM predicates:

• crm:P28_custody_surrendered_by
• crm:P29_custody_received_by
• crm:P30_transferred_custody_of

---

hc:StorageConditionAssessment

An assessment of environmental conditions and suitability of a storage location.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E14_Condition_Assessment	Condition assessment
Related Concepts	aat:300054642 (condition assessment)

---

Environmental Monitoring Classes (SOSA Integration)

hc:StorageEnvironmentObservation

An observation of environmental conditions in a storage location.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	sosa:Observation	Sensor observation

SOSA Semantics:

• Storage location is sosa:FeatureOfInterest
• Environmental property is sosa:ObservableProperty

---

hc:EnvironmentalSensorPlatform

A platform hosting environmental monitoring sensors in a storage facility.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	sosa:Platform	Sensor platform

Examples: Data loggers (Hanwell, Meaco), building management systems, IoT sensor networks

---

Specification Classes

hc:EnvironmentalRequirement

A specification of environmental conditions required for safe storage.

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E29_Design_or_Procedure	Design/procedure
Related Concepts	aat:300265612 (climate control technique)

---

hc:StorageCapacitySpecification

A measurement of storage capacity (linear meters, cubic meters, item count).

Property	Type	Description
Parent Class	crm:E54_Dimension	Dimension

---

Properties

Location Relationships

Property	Domain	Range	Description
hc:hasStorageSection	StorageFacility	EnvironmentalZone | StorageUnit	Links facility to sections (subprop of crm:P59_has_section)
hc:isStorageSectionOf	EnvironmentalZone | StorageUnit	StorageFacility	Inverse of hasStorageSection
hc:currentlyStores	Storage locations	crm:E18_Physical_Thing	Objects currently stored (subprop of crm:P55)
hc:isStoredIn	crm:E18_Physical_Thing	Storage locations	Object's current location
hc:hasPermanentStorageLocation	crm:E18_Physical_Thing	Storage locations	Designated permanent location (subprop of crm:P54)

Environmental Properties

Property	Domain	Range	Description
hc:hasEnvironmentalRequirement	Zone/Object/Collection	EnvironmentalRequirement	Required conditions
hc:meetsRequirement	Storage locations	EnvironmentalRequirement	Compliance indicator
hc:hasEnvironmentalObservation	Zone/Assessment	StorageEnvironmentObservation	Sensor observations
hc:monitoredByPlatform	EnvironmentalZone	EnvironmentalSensorPlatform	Monitoring system

Environmental Parameter Properties (Datatype)

Property	Domain	Range	Description
hc:targetTemperature	EnvironmentalRequirement	xsd:decimal	Target temp (°C)
hc:temperatureTolerance	EnvironmentalRequirement	xsd:decimal	Tolerance (±°C)
hc:targetRelativeHumidity	EnvironmentalRequirement	xsd:decimal	Target RH (%)
hc:relativeHumidityTolerance	EnvironmentalRequirement	xsd:decimal	Tolerance (±%)
hc:maxLightLevel	EnvironmentalRequirement	xsd:decimal	Max light (lux)
hc:maxAnnualLightExposure	EnvironmentalRequirement	xsd:decimal	Max annual (lux-hours)

Storage Unit Attributes

Property	Domain	Range	Description
hc:storageUnitIdentifier	StorageUnit	xsd:string	Local ID/barcode
hc:storageUnitType	StorageUnit	crm:E55_Type	Unit type
hc:rowNumber	StorageUnit	xsd:string	Row/aisle ID
hc:bayNumber	StorageUnit	xsd:string	Bay/section ID
hc:shelfNumber	StorageUnit	xsd:integer	Shelf level

Capacity Properties

Property	Domain	Range	Description
hc:hasStorageCapacity	Storage locations	StorageCapacitySpecification	Capacity spec
hc:totalCapacityValue	StorageCapacitySpecification	xsd:decimal	Total capacity
hc:availableCapacityValue	StorageCapacitySpecification	xsd:decimal	Available capacity
hc:capacityUnit	StorageCapacitySpecification	crm:E58_Measurement_Unit	Unit of measure

Assignment Properties

Property	Domain	Range	Description
hc:assignedToLocation	StorageAssignment	Storage locations	Target location
hc:assignedObject	StorageAssignment	crm:E18_Physical_Thing	Object assigned
hc:assignmentReason	StorageAssignment	xsd:string	Reason for assignment
hc:assignedBy	StorageAssignment	crm:E39_Actor	Responsible agent
hc:storageDocumentation	Assignment/Relocation	crm:E31_Document	Related documentation

---

Named Individuals

Storage Unit Types

Individual	Label	Description	AAT/Wikidata
hc:ArchiveBox	Archive Box	Acid-free archival box	aat:300045703
hc:FlatFileDrawer	Flat File Drawer	Drawer for oversized flat materials	aat:300038899
hc:HangingRack	Hanging Rack	Rack for textiles/paintings	-
hc:CompactShelving	Compact Shelving	Mobile shelving (Compactus)	aat:300221807
hc:SpecimenCabinet	Specimen Cabinet	Cabinet for specimens/artifacts	-
hc:ColdStorageVault	Cold Storage Vault	Refrigerated storage	wd:Q1199549

Environmental Presets

Individual	Label	Temp	RH	Light	Standard
hc:StandardArchiveEnvironment	Standard Archive	18°C ±2	50% ±5	50 lux	ISO 11799
hc:PhotographicMaterialsEnvironment	Photographic	15°C ±2	35% ±5	50 lux	ISO 18934
hc:ColdStorageEnvironment	Cold Storage	-5°C ±3	30% ±5	0 lux	ISO 18911
hc:TextileStorageEnvironment	Textile	18°C ±2	50% ±5	50 lux, 15k lux-hr/yr	-

---

LinkML Integration

The ontology integrates with LinkML schema classes:

LinkML Class	HC Ontology Class	File
Storage	hc:StorageFacility	Storage.yaml
StorageUnit	hc:StorageUnit	StorageUnit.yaml
EnvironmentalZone	hc:EnvironmentalZone	EnvironmentalZone.yaml
StorageCondition	hc:StorageConditionAssessment	StorageCondition.yaml
StorageConditionPolicy	hc:EnvironmentalRequirement	StorageConditionPolicy.yaml

Enumeration Mappings

LinkML Enum	HC Ontology Mapping
StorageUnitTypeEnum.ARCHIVE_BOX	hc:ArchiveBox
StorageUnitTypeEnum.FLAT_FILE_DRAWER	hc:FlatFileDrawer
StorageUnitTypeEnum.COMPACT_SHELVING	hc:CompactShelving
EnvironmentalZoneTypeEnum.ARCHIVE_STANDARD	hc:StandardArchiveEnvironment
EnvironmentalZoneTypeEnum.COLD_STORAGE	hc:ColdStorageEnvironment
EnvironmentalZoneTypeEnum.PHOTOGRAPHIC	hc:PhotographicMaterialsEnvironment

---

Usage Examples

Example 1: Storage Facility with Zones

@prefix hc: <https://nde.nl/ontology/hc/> .
@prefix crm: <http://www.cidoc-crm.org/cidoc-crm/> .

<https://nde.nl/storage/na-depot-a> a hc:StorageFacility ;
    crm:P87_is_identified_by "Nationaal Archief Depot A"@nl ;
    hc:hasStorageSection <https://nde.nl/zone/na-depot-a-standard> ;
    hc:hasStorageSection <https://nde.nl/zone/na-depot-a-cold> .

<https://nde.nl/zone/na-depot-a-standard> a hc:EnvironmentalZone ;
    crm:P87_is_identified_by "Standard Archive Zone"@en ;
    hc:hasEnvironmentalRequirement hc:StandardArchiveEnvironment ;
    hc:isStorageSectionOf <https://nde.nl/storage/na-depot-a> .

Example 2: Storage Unit Location

<https://nde.nl/unit/na-r12-b3-s4> a hc:StorageUnit ;
    crm:P87_is_identified_by "Row 12, Bay 3, Shelf 4"@en ;
    hc:storageUnitIdentifier "NA-2024-BOX-00145" ;
    hc:storageUnitType hc:ArchiveBox ;
    hc:rowNumber "12" ;
    hc:bayNumber "3" ;
    hc:shelfNumber 4 ;
    hc:isStorageSectionOf <https://nde.nl/zone/na-depot-a-standard> ;
    hc:currentlyStores <https://nde.nl/object/doc-1234> .

Example 3: Environmental Observation

@prefix sosa: <http://www.w3.org/ns/sosa/> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .

<https://nde.nl/obs/temp-2024-01-15> a hc:StorageEnvironmentObservation ;
    sosa:hasFeatureOfInterest <https://nde.nl/zone/na-depot-a-standard> ;
    sosa:observedProperty <http://example.org/temperature> ;
    sosa:hasSimpleResult "18.2"^^xsd:decimal ;
    sosa:resultTime "2024-01-15T10:00:00Z"^^xsd:dateTime .

---

Environmental Standards Reference

Material Type	Temperature	RH	Light	Standard
Paper/archives	16-20°C	45-55%	<50 lux	ISO 11799
Photographs	10-18°C	30-40%	<50 lux	ISO 18934
Film (B&W)	-5°C	30%	dark	ISO 18911
Film (color)	-20°C	30%	dark	ISO 18911
Textiles	15-20°C	45-55%	<50 lux	-
Metals	15-25°C	<35%	varies	-
Digital media	18-22°C	35-45%	-	-

---

See Also

• CIDOC-CRM v7.1.3
• SOSA/SSN Ontology
• RiC-O Ontology
• PREMIS v3
• Getty AAT