Setting Your Data in Context – with PIDs

Research objects (database entries) can be contextualized with open data from the Internet by using the Linked Data approach. A dataset of 4174 lecturers from Freie Universität Berlin (coverage period: 1948-2011) was reconciled with 3029 persistent identifiers (PIDs) from the Common German Library File (GND) and 1084 Wikidata entries. A simple workflow is used here to enrich the matched records with additional facts from Wikidata (e.g., birth and death dates and occupations). While Wikidata has become very popular for data analysis, integration, and visualization, it can be overlooked that the facts available there can be incomplete or erroneous. Official agencies, such as the Free University Archives, should strive to supplement open datasets with their knowledge. A corresponding approach is therefore suggested and should be the subject of future efforts.