A conceptual model for ancient Chinese ceramics based on metadata and ontology: A case study of collections in the Nankai University Museum

Abstract

In the era of digital information, metadata, and ontology technology have increasingly promoted the information management and utilization of museum collections. As one of the most important collection categories in Chinese and even the world's historical museums, the information management of ancient Chinese ceramics has made some progress, but there are still some shortcomings as well. Based on the current need for the information management and utilization of ancient Chinese ceramics, the article used the ceramics in the Nankai University Museum as research samples, constructing the Metadata of Ancient Chinese Ceramics through the comprehensive analysis, integration, and improvement of existing metadata. Moreover, based on that, the study reused and expanded the CIDOC CRM to establish “the Ontology of Ancient Chinese Ceramics” through Protégé, with 20 pieces of ceramics in the Nankai University Museum being added as instances. Last but not least, the study took the Kang Xi Polychrome Cup with Winter Jasmine as an instance and presented its knowledge map through visualization to demonstrate the structure of “the Ontology of Ancient Chinese Ceramics” more clearly.