The following information and examples may guide those who wish to use the data releases of AAT, ULAN, or TGN. For catalogers, researchers, and other users who wish to search for individual records in AAT, ULAN, TGN, CONA, or IA, see the search interface linked from the Getty Vocabularies online, refreshed monthly. Users may also access AAT, ULAN, and TGN through an OpenRefine reconciliation service.

The Getty Vocabularies change and grow over time; thousands of records are edited or added each year. Implementers are encouraged to refresh the data regularly. The Getty Vocabulary data is made available by the J. Paul Getty Trust under the Open Data Commons Attribution License (ODC-By) 1.0. Note that the Getty Vocabulary data is compiled from various contributors using published sources; the contributor and sources should be cited along with the name of the Vocabulary and the J. Paul Getty Trust when the data is displayed.

Linked Open Data
The AAT, TGN, and ULAN are available as full downloads in N-Triples, refreshed monthly.

Individual records are available in JSON, RDF, N3/Turtle, and N-Triples. See the SPARQL endpoint at Getty Vocabularies: LOD. See documentation in a printable version (PDF, 92pp., 3.84MB) or online. Included are sample queries that users may consult in order to acquire the data according to various criteria.

See also general information on the Getty Vocabularies as Linked Open Data. CONA and IA data are available through Web Services, but not yet as LOD.

Web services
The AAT, TGN, ULAN, CONA, and IA data files may be accessed through Web services APIs (application programming interfaces). Note that the data is subject to frequent additions and updates.

See the Web Services User's Instructions for AAT, TGN, and ULAN (PDF, 4pp., 17KB).
Web Services for AAT, ULAN and TGN:
AAT Web Services; ULAN Web Services; TGN Web Services.

See the Service Description for CONA and IA.
Web Services for CONA and IA:
CONA and IA Web Services
(Note: IA Web Services are included among the CONA Web Services).

Relational Tables and XML
The AAT, TGN, and ULAN are available in XML and relational tables formats. This data is released periodically throughout the year. Sample records are linked below. To access full data sets in XML and relational tables formats, see AAT downloads, TGN downloads, and ULAN downloads.

MARC release formats have been discontinued; however, in future we may provide a transformation script to aid users in converting from another available format to MARC.

No software is provided. Only full sets of data are available; we do not provide subsets of the data (other than the sample sets below).

Data dictionaries: Note that data dictionaries for XML and relational tables formats below do not give step-by-step instructions on how to construct a database or interface based on the data files; analysis and a programmer will be required to implement the vocabulary data files. The Getty does not provide technical support. For details regarding data content and editorial rules, see the Editorial Guidelines.


AAT: Data dictionaries and sample records. The AAT is a hierarchical vocabulary; the full published data set contains around 57,390 records (subject_id, as of 25 August 2022) for generic concepts (not having proper names). Included are terms, scope notes, bibliographic citations, and other information relating to fine art, architecture, decorative arts, archival materials, archaeology, conservation, and other material culture. AAT is not comprehensive, but grows through contributions; its scope includes terminology necessary for cataloging, linking, and discovery of information about the visual arts. The sample available here is a small subset of the AAT. For further information, see About the AAT.

AAT Sample Data
Format options:

 

Schema and data dictionary for
AAT Data Releases

XML UTF-8 (5MB)

 

XML Schema

Relational Table UTF-8 (72MB)

 

Relational Table format DD (PDF, 10pp., .30MB)



ULAN: Data dictionaries and sample records. The ULAN is a structured vocabulary; the full published data set contains around 367,590 records (subject_id, as of 25 August 2022), including names, and biographical and bibliographic information for artists, architects, sitters, patrons firms, studios, and art repositories. ULAN is not comprehensive, but includes records as necessary for cataloging, linking, and discovery of information about visual arts. Included are a wealth of variant names, pseudonyms, and language variants. The sample available here is a small subset of the ULAN. For further information, see About the ULAN.

ULAN Sample Data
Format options:

 

Schema and data dictionary for
ULAN Data Release

XML UTF-8 (28MB)

 

XML Schema

Relational Table UTF-8 (124MB)

 

Relational Table format DD (PDF, 14pp., .36MB)



TGN: Data dictionaries and sample records. The full TGN is a unique hierarchical vocabulary intended for cataloging, linking, and discovery of visual arts information; the full published data set contains around 2,983,850 records (subject_id, as of 25 August 2022), including names, place types, coordinates, and descriptive notes. TGN is not comprehensive; it focuses on current and historical places and sites important for the study of art, architecture, conservation, and related disciplines. TGN is not a GIS; coordinates are included for many records, but they are for finding purposes only (i.e., to find the place on a map). Coreferences may be included to GIS and other resources. The sample available here is a small subset of the TGN. For further information, see About the TGN.

TGN Sample Data
Format options:

 

Schema and data dictionary for
TGN Data Release

XML UTF-8 (7MB)

 

XML Schema

Relational Table UTF-8 (28MB)

 

Relational Table format DD (PDF, 13pp., .38MB)



The Art & Architecture Thesaurus® (AAT), the Union List of Artists Names® (ULAN), the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names® (TGN), the Cultural Objects Name Authority® (CONA), and the Getty Iconography Authority (IA)™ are made available by the J. Paul Getty Trust under the Open Data Commons Attribution License (ODC-By) 1.0. Note that the Getty Vocabulary data is compiled from various contributors using published sources; the contributor and sources should be cited along with the name of the Vocabulary and the J. Paul Getty Trust when the data is displayed. For questions, send an email to vocab@getty.edu.

No warranties by Getty: The databases are provided "as is." Getty disclaims all other warranties, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the databases.



Revised 25 August 2022