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SPARQL API

The SPARQL endepoint is the most powerful search tool on Data.norge.no, and allows you to search for all properties that exists in the catalogs, as long as you master the syntax. The service that is responsible for handling SPARQL is fdk-sparql-service(Github).

Endpoints in different environments

GUI tools

You can also use SPARQL through our graphical user interfaces:

Documentation

Read more about SPARQL(W3C)

If you are new to rdf, we recommend reading RDF: why and how

How to gain access

The API is open for public use and requires no authentication. You can start using the endpoint immediately.

Rate limiting

The API has rate limiting configured to ensure stable operation. If you exceed the limits, you will receive an HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests) response.

How to execute a SPARQL query

You can execute SPARQL queries by sending a GET request with the query as a URL-encoded query parameter. Here is an example using curl:

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curl "https://sparql.demo.fellesdatakatalog.digdir.no?query=\
PREFIX%20dcat%3A%20%3Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2Fns%2Fdcat%23%3E%0A\
SELECT%20*%0AWHERE%20%7B%0A%20%20%3Fdataset%20a%20dcat%3ADataset%20.%0A%7D%0A\
LIMIT%2010"

In the example above, the SPARQL query is URL-encoded. The decoded query is:

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PREFIX dcat: <http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#>
SELECT *
WHERE {
  ?dataset a dcat:Dataset .
}
LIMIT 10

You can also use POST requests with the query in the request body to avoid URL length limitations for complex queries.

Resource types

The following resource types are available in the catalog:

  • dcat:Dataset (<http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#Dataset>) - Dataset
  • dcat:DataService (<http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#DataService>) - Data service
  • skos:Concept (<http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#Concept>) - Concept
  • modelldcatno:InformationModel (<https://data.norge.no/vocabulary/modelldcatno#InformationModel>) - Information model
  • cpsv:PublicService (<http://purl.org/vocab/cpsv#PublicService>) - Public service
  • cpsvno:Service (<https://data.norge.no/vocabulary/cpsvno#Service>) - Service (CPSV-AP-NO)
  • cv:Event (<http://data.europa.eu/m8g/Event>) - Event
  • cv:LifeEvent (<http://data.europa.eu/m8g/LifeEvent>) - Life event
  • cv:BusinessEvent (<http://data.europa.eu/m8g/BusinessEvent>) - Business event

SPARQL query types and response formats

SPARQL supports several types of queries, each with its own purpose and response format:

  • SELECT: Returns results as a table of variables and values. This is the most commonly used query type. The response is returned as JSON or XML.
  • ASK: Returns a boolean value (true/false) answering whether the query finds any matches. The response is returned as JSON or XML.
  • CONSTRUCT: Constructs an RDF graph based on the query. The response is returned as RDF (Turtle, RDF/XML, or JSON-LD).
  • DESCRIBE: Returns an RDF graph describing the resources that match the query. The response is returned as RDF (Turtle, RDF/XML, or JSON-LD).

You can specify the response format by using the HTTP Accept header or format parameter. The default format for SELECT and ASK is JSON, while CONSTRUCT and DESCRIBE return RDF.

For more information about SPARQL query types and response formats, see the W3C SPARQL 1.1 Query Language specification and the SPARQL 1.1 Protocol specification.

Examples of SPARQL queries

Basic examples

Get an overview of the available properties:

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PREFIX dcat: <http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#>
SELECT *
WHERE {
	?dataset a dcat:Dataset.
    ?dataset ?prop ?value.
}

Then pick and choose properties:

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PREFIX dcat: <http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#>
PREFIX rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#>
PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
SELECT *
WHERE {
 ?dataset a dcat:Dataset .
 ?dataset dct:title ?title.
 ?dataset rdf:type ?type.
# Select new properties by: ?dataset <desired property> ?propertyValue
}

Searching for datasets with filtering

Find datasets published by a specific organization:

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PREFIX dcat: <http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#>
PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
PREFIX foaf: <http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/>
SELECT ?dataset ?title ?publisher
WHERE {
 ?dataset a dcat:Dataset .
 ?dataset dct:title ?title .
 ?dataset dct:publisher ?publisher .
 ?publisher foaf:name ?publisherName .
 FILTER(CONTAINS(LCASE(?publisherName), "statistics"))
}

Searching for data services

Retrieve data services with their descriptions:

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PREFIX dcat: <http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#>
PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
SELECT ?service ?title ?description
WHERE {
 ?service a dcat:DataService .
 ?service dct:title ?title .
 OPTIONAL { ?service dct:description ?description }
}
LIMIT 10

Searching for concepts

Find concepts related to a specific topic:

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PREFIX skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#>
PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
SELECT ?concept ?prefLabel ?definition
WHERE {
 ?concept a skos:Concept .
 ?concept skos:prefLabel ?prefLabel .
 OPTIONAL { ?concept skos:definition ?definition }
 FILTER(CONTAINS(LCASE(?prefLabel), "environment"))
}
LIMIT 20

Searching for information models

Retrieve information models with metadata:

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PREFIX modelldcatno: <https://data.norge.no/vocabulary/modelldcatno#>
PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
SELECT ?model ?title ?description ?version
WHERE {
 ?model a modelldcatno:InformationModel .
 ?model dct:title ?title .
 OPTIONAL { ?model dct:description ?description }
 OPTIONAL { ?model dct:hasVersion ?version }
}
ORDER BY ?title

Searching for public services

Find public services with details:

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PREFIX cpsv: <http://purl.org/vocab/cpsv#>
PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
SELECT ?service ?title ?description ?identifier
WHERE {
 ?service a cpsv:PublicService .
 ?service dct:title ?title .
 OPTIONAL { ?service dct:description ?description }
 OPTIONAL { ?service dct:identifier ?identifier }
}
LIMIT 10

Searching for events

Retrieve types of events:

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PREFIX cv: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/>
PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
SELECT ?event ?title ?type
WHERE {
 ?event a ?type .
 ?event dct:title ?title .
 FILTER(?type IN (cv:Event, cv:LifeEvent, cv:BusinessEvent))
}
LIMIT 20

Advanced: Searching with aggregation and counting

Count the number of resources per type:

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PREFIX dcat: <http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#>
PREFIX skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#>
PREFIX modelldcatno: <https://data.norge.no/vocabulary/modelldcatno#>
PREFIX cpsv: <http://purl.org/vocab/cpsv#>
PREFIX cv: <http://data.europa.eu/m8g/>
SELECT ?type (COUNT(?resource) AS ?count)
WHERE {
 ?resource a ?type .
 FILTER(?type IN (
   dcat:Dataset,
   dcat:DataService,
   skos:Concept,
   modelldcatno:InformationModel,
   cpsv:PublicService,
   cv:Event,
   cv:LifeEvent,
   cv:BusinessEvent
 ))
}
GROUP BY ?type
ORDER BY DESC(?count)

Advanced: Searching with relationships between resources

Find datasets with their distributions and formats:

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PREFIX dcat: <http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#>
PREFIX dct: <http://purl.org/dc/terms/>
SELECT ?dataset ?title ?distribution ?format
WHERE {
 ?dataset a dcat:Dataset .
 ?dataset dct:title ?title .
 ?dataset dcat:distribution ?distribution .
 ?distribution dct:format ?format .
}
LIMIT 50