Digital preservation of epidemic resources: coupling metadata and ontologies

The preservation of epidemiological information is challenging in several aspects, since this is both a data-intensive and multidisciplinary subject, with large amounts of data spanning several domains of knowledge. We present, as a case study, the Epidemic Marketplace (EM), a platform dedicated to the preservation of epidemiological resources. To ensure integrity of the data, the EM uses a metadata model coupled with the Network of Epidemiology-Related Ontologies (NERO), a compilation of ontologies covering several domains of epidemiology. This enables users to quickly annotate their resources with concepts from those ontologies, increasing their visibility. Additionally, the ontologies of NERO offer support for future development, guaranteeing longevity of the metadata. This ensures that the information about the resources, such as its authors, is preserved and can be searched even in the absence of the data itself.