The proposed properties stat:dimension and stat:attribute are specific for RDF & DCV representations of statistical datasets. However, these can be also represented e.g. as XML or CSV files and instances of dcat:Dataset are independent of target data formats. Is StatDCAT-AP to be used only for datasets which have only RDF distributions?
Submitted by Jakub Klímek: https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/asset/stat_dcat_application_profile/asset_r…
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StatDCAT-AP is not intended to be used only for datasets with RDF distributions. All formats of statistical datasets may be described with StatDCAT-AP.
Of course. Then it is strange to have the stat:dimension and stat:attribute properties, which are RDF specific - they point to DCV dimension and attribute component properties - on the Dataset level, which is not RDF specific. Or, the meaning of these properties in context of other formats (CSV, XML, JSON, ...) should be specified, if possible.
You are right: the specification mentions what to do in case of a Data Cube distribution (e.g. "the value of the dq:attribute property should be used as the value for this property") but does not give guidance what to do when the distribution has another format. We will propose better wording.
The 'meaning' of the properties for non-RDF distributions should still be the same; the Definition and Comment fields of both properties are not dependent on RDF:
stat:attribute:
Definition: A component used to qualify and interpret observed values
Comment: Attributes enable specification of the units of measure, any scaling factors and metadata such as the status of the observation (e.g. estimated, provisional).
stat:dimension:
Definition: A component that identifies observations
Comment: Examples of dimensions include the time to which the observation applies, or a geographic region which the observation covers.