Understanding link changes in LOD via the evolution of life science datasets

RDF data has been extensively deployed for the interlinking of health-related data in a structured way. The definition of link statements between distinct resources plays a key role to interconnect several life science repositories. However, RDF assertions are subject to change, which can affect existing links. In this article, we conduct extensive experiments to understand the evolution of links in the Linked Open Data (LOD). The objective is to empirically associate changes in the semantic definition of data resources with modifications observed in predefined links. We consider two versions of the Agrovoc RDF repository to calculate different types of change operations and associate them to link change actions. Obtained results indicate the existence of the cases investigated in this study. We demonstrate that RDF changes impact the evolution of established links.