Denoting Data in the Grounded Annotation Framework

Semantic web applications are integrating data from more and more different types of sources about events. However, most data an- notation frameworks do not translate well to semantic web. We describe the grounded annotation framework (GAF), a two-layered framework that aims to build a bridge between mentions of events in a data source such as a text document and their formal representation as instances. By choosing a two-layered approach, neither the mention layer, nor the semantic layer needs to compromise on what can be represented. We demonstrate the strengths of GAF in flexibility and reasoning through a use case on earthquakes in Southeast Asia.