K-Core

Introduction

The SPARC Knowledge Management Core (K-Core) is a collaboration between the FAIR Data Informatics Lab at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Whitby et al. headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

K-Core functions as the curation and knowledge management hub for SPARC, working closely with the other cores on increasing the quality and FAIRness of SPARC datasets and building the SPARC Knowledge Graph and services. K-Core focuses on the following approaches to accomplish these goals:

1. FAIR curation of all SPARC datasets through a set of curation tools and services developed and deployed by K-Core

2. Providing SPARC with the infrastructure, tools, services, and information that creates an integrated environment for exploring data and knowledge. This work supports search and reasoning across the SPARC Knowledge Graph (image below) that holds the connectivity graph for CNS-PNS-end organ interactions linked to data produced within SPARC, as well as maps, models, simulations and other relevant information sources outside of SPARC.

Contact K-Core

For general questions about SPARC and K-Core products or activities, contact [email protected].

For questions regarding SPARC dataset curation or submission of datasets, contact [email protected].

SPARC members can contact Maryann Martone, Bernard de Bono or Jyl Boline using the SPARC Slack account.

Products/Support documentation for K-Core

• Curation services ensure SPARC data are shared according to a set of standards enforced by SPARC. Data that are organized in a consistent and machine-readable format along with necessary metadata allow these data to be interpreted and reused. See steps for submitting a dataset to SPARC.

• ApiNATOMY is a framework that represents knowledge about anatomical connections over multiple scales.

• SPARC Anatomy Working Group (SAWG): K-CORE coordinates and supports the SPARC Anatomical Working Group, an independent group of anatomical experts who provide independent expertise to help build SPARC’s anatomical terminology and circuitry graphs.

• Interlex (accessed via the SAWG portal) is a database of terms imported from existing ontologies or contributed by individuals in the SPARC Anatomical Working Group (SAWG).

• Foundry Data Federation and Integration services provide searchable indices from SPARC data and information resources.

• SciGraph is an open-source Neo4J ontology store that serves the SPARC vocabularies and will house the SPARC Knowledge Graph.

• SPARC Dataset Structure is the SPARC convention for organizing and naming data files into folders along with a set of descriptive files that contain information about the experiment.

• SPARC Minimal Information Standard, or MIS, is the minimal metadata and data model for SPARC research objects, developed by the SPARC Standards Committee.

• The SPARC Knowledge Graph comprises the semantic markup of SPARC data, and models according to the SPARC Minimal Information Standard, and the SPARC Connectivity Knowledgebase with the SPARC vocabularies. The SPARC Knowledge Graph is used to enhance search across SPARC data.

• The SPARC Connectivity Knowledgebase is the FAIRly-curated graph combining SPARC Minimal Information Standard experimental metadata with connectivity knowledge, together with the software toolkit to query it.