myBama
Alabama Center for the Advancement of AI

OKN: Open Knowledge Networks for Rural Resilience

Funded by NSF Open Knowledge Networks Program

Building Resilience Through Integrated Knowledge

Rural communities are the backbone of essential resources—air, water, food, and supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities these communities face, emphasizing the need for enhanced resilience against public health and environmental crises.

The Open Knowledge Network – Rural Knowledge Graphs project addresses this need by developing an interdisciplinary knowledge graph that integrates diverse datasets related to health outcomes, climate change, and social determinants of health and justice in rural areas. This comprehensive approach aims to provide researchers, practitioners, and educators with a powerful tool to understand and mitigate risks in rural environments.

Key Components

  • Data Integration: Merging previously siloed health and justice datasets to create a unified knowledge base.
  • Ontology Construction: Developing a structured framework that captures the relationships between various data elements pertinent to rural resilience.
  • Knowledge Graph Database: Implementing a scalable and queryable database that supports complex analyses and insights.
  • User Interface: Designing an accessible platform that allows users to interact with the knowledge graph effectively.

Collaboration and Alignment

This initiative aligns with existing geo-enrichment services and NSF-funded projects like KnowWhereGraph. By synchronizing efforts with these programs and other Proto-OKN themes, the project enhances scientific studies focused on rural resilience.

Explore the Alpha Version

An alpha version of the RuralKG Web Service is available for exploration. Users can:

  • Perform knowledge queries for dataset background information.
  • Conduct data queries on substances and related data.
  • Access service queries for Mental Health Treatment Facilities provided by SAMHSA.

Test cases are also available to demonstrate the system’s capabilities.

For more information and to explore the alpha version, please visit the Rural KG Project Page.