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Linked Open Vocabularies (LOV) is a catalogue and discovery service for semantic vocabularies used in linked data. It helps people find, inspect, and compare vocabularies; it is not itself a single vocabulary or technical standard.

What does Linked Open Vocabularies mean?

In this context, Linked Open Vocabularies refers to the LOV service and its catalogue. The catalogue covers semantic resources such as RDFS and OWL ontologies, which provide terms and relationships for describing data so different systems can interpret it consistently.

The Interoperable Europe Portal describes LOV’s objective as making this ecosystem easier to access and making vocabulary links and usage metrics more explicit. The catalogue page displayed 918 vocabularies when accessed in 2026; that is a changing snapshot, not a permanent total. Interoperable Europe Portal: Linked Open Vocabularies LOV catalogue

What does LOV do?

Helps data users discover vocabularies

People building linked-data projects can browse vocabulary descriptions, metadata, and relationships to identify candidate terms for their data. Catalogue information can make it easier to assess who publishes a vocabulary and how it is maintained.

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Supports vocabulary managers

LOV also gives vocabulary managers feedback about usability and guidance on practices that can support reliable long-term use. The goal is not only to list resources but to make them easier to evaluate and reuse.

Separates discovery from the vocabularies themselves

LOV is the discovery layer; each vocabulary in the catalogue is an individual semantic resource. LovPortal describes itself as an OntoPortal-based gateway that mirrors content curated and published through LOV. Contributors are directed to follow LOV’s submission guidelines and curation process. LovPortal

What information can a LOV entry show?

Entry details vary, so do not assume every record has complete or current information. An example record for Observable Properties shows the kinds of details a listing may expose:

  • Vocabulary metadata and version information
  • Expressivity and tags
  • Usage information
  • Relationships to other vocabularies, including outgoing relationship categories

Observable Properties record in LOV

How to choose a vocabulary using LOV

Use the catalogue to shortlist and assess candidates, then consult each vocabulary’s own documentation before adopting it.

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  1. Check domain and meaning. Confirm that the vocabulary’s terms describe the concepts in your data and application.
  2. Check coverage and expressivity. Look for the classes, properties, and distinctions your project needs. Expressivity information may help, but it does not by itself establish suitability.
  3. Inspect relationships. Determine whether a candidate links to, extends, specializes, or declares equivalences with other vocabularies in ways that matter to your project.
  4. Assess maintenance and provenance. Review publisher or editor information, version history, and metadata that helps you judge the publication process.
  5. Check documentation and usage evidence. Treat available statistics as signals whose scope and freshness should be checked, not as a substitute for project-specific evaluation.
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What LOV does not establish

A listing makes a vocabulary easier to discover and assess; it does not prove that the vocabulary fits a particular project, that every field is complete, or that its information is up to date. Make the final choice against your own data requirements and the vocabulary’s documentation.

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