Why DMS exists
Dzaleka is one of the largest refugee camps in sub-Saharan Africa and home to a rich and growing body of digital heritage content. Without a shared standard, that content risks becoming siloed, undiscoverable, and incompatible with broader archival systems. DMS addresses this by providing:- A consistent schema so every record is described the same way
- Validation tooling so contributors can check their records before submission
- Linked data support so records can participate in the wider semantic web
- Community-first design so both technical systems and non-technical contributors can work with heritage content
Key capabilities
Metadata schema
A machine-readable specification in JSON Schema (Draft 2020-12), YAML, and JSON-LD formats. Defines fields, types, constraints, and allowed values for all heritage records.
Python CLI
The
dms command-line tool covers the full record lifecycle: create, validate, search, diff, convert, export, and report.Web UI (DMS Vault)
A local browser-based interface launched with
dms web. Provides a structured form with live validation feedback — no terminal required.Linked data
The
dms.jsonld context maps every DMS field to established vocabularies (Dublin Core, FOAF, BIBO, Schema.org, W3C Geo, SKOS) for semantic web publishing.Supported heritage types
Every DMS record has atype field that identifies the category of the heritage item. The ten supported types are:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
story | Oral histories, personal narratives, and testimonies |
photo | Photographs and visual documentation |
document | Administrative records, reports, and written materials |
audio | Music recordings, spoken word, and sound archives |
video | Film, documentary, and video recordings |
event | Community events, ceremonies, and gatherings |
map | Geographic and spatial records of the camp and surroundings |
artwork | Murals, paintings, sculptures, and visual art |
site | Heritage sites, landmarks, and points of cultural significance |
poem | Poetry and literary works |
Dublin Core compatibility
All DMS fields map directly to Dublin Core Metadata Terms, ensuring broad interoperability with library systems, archives, and digital humanities platforms. The schema extends Dublin Core with Dzaleka-specific fields — such as camp area names and community-defined access levels — while preserving full compatibility with standard metadata harvesters. The linked data context (dms.jsonld) provides explicit mappings to six vocabularies:
| Vocabulary | Prefix | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin Core | dc:, dcterms: | Core fields: title, creator, subject, rights |
| FOAF | foaf: | Person and agent descriptions |
| BIBO | bibo: | Bibliographic roles: editor, translator, interviewer |
| Schema.org | schema: | Creative works, places, events, affiliations |
| W3C Geo | geo: | Geographic coordinates |
| SKOS | skos: | Subject vocabularies and concept schemes |
Where to go next
Quick start
Install DMS and create your first validated heritage record in five minutes.
Installation
Full prerequisites, installation steps, and troubleshooting for all platforms.
Field guide
Detailed definitions, allowed values, and guidelines for every schema field.
CLI reference
Complete reference for all
dms commands, flags, and usage examples.