D-PROV: Extending the PROV Provenance Model with Workflow Structure

This paper presents an extension to the W3C PROV provenance model, aimed at representing process structure. Although the modelling of process structure is out of the scope of the PROV specification, it is beneficial when capturing and analyzing the provenance of data that is produced by programs or other formally encoded processes. In the paper, we motivate the need for such and extended model in the context of an ongoing large data federation and preservation project, DataONE, where provenance traces of scientific workflow runs are captured and stored alongside the data products. We introduce new provenance relations for modelling process structure along with their usage patterns, and present sample queries that demonstrate their benefit.