ABSTRACT
Provenance is metadata that captures the origin of a data source-the history or ownership of a valued object or a work of art or literature (Moreau 2010). It allows us to verify the quality of information in a data store, to repeat manipulation steps, and to discover dependencies among data items in a data store. In addition, provenance can be used to determine the usefulness and trustworthiness of shared information. The utility of shared information relies on (1) the quality of the source
of information and (2) the reliability and accuracy of the mechanisms (i.e., procedures and algorithms) used at each step of the modification (or transformation) of the underlying data items. Furthermore, provenance is a key component for the verification and correctness of a data item, which is usually stored and then shared with information users.
