Semantic Web

IntroductionResources created in this hierarchy can be identified
Semantic web as defined by the creator of the webusing a resource identifier (URI), which enables a
Tim Berners-Lee is "a web of data, in some ways likedocument given to a machine with this identification
a global database" (Berners-Lee, 1998). To elaborateto be recognized by the system and triggers it to dig
further Mr. Berners-Lee explains in an interview heldand find similar data (Berners-Lee, 1998).
by IDG Now, data is expressed on computers asImplications
associated files with applications that deal specificallySemantic web can be the solution to overpower the
with information, an example would be, data inlimitations of current information management
calendars, bank systems, spreadsheets, and databasesystems in finding and extracting data from
application. Looking at a web page, data is not clearlyunorganized resources. RDF is meant to describe any
defined and not associated with any of thedata regardless of its character, location, source, or
applications usually on computers. Semantic web willtype, the concept of URI is richer to uniquely identify
allow data to interact and connect together; it willany object on the web (Berners-Lee, 1998). The
bring on a common data format for all applications,pillars of Semantic web are standards and common
for databases and web pages alike (Moon, 1999).protocols that are the bases for knowledge
Semantic web is not to build an artificial intelligencerepresentation; HTML, RDF, the data language
system which allows computers to understand whatresource description web ontology language (OWL)
humans write on web pages; on the contrary, it is anthat describes to the machine what is going on, in
attempt to make web pages more understandableaddition to RDF1 which is a query language to make
and well-defined to support automatic extraction ofinquiries among machines much easer, will all emerge
data from within web content (Berners-Lee, 1998).and collaborate to bring in more to the web and
Analysismore intelligent programs that will bring the Internet
The emergence of the web and the way HTML tookmore closer (Cleave, 2004).
off was driven by how society's needed to grew,The current research and implementation of Abilene
from Internet chat to file transfer to high-endnetwork and the Next Generation Internet (NGI)
communities through blogs and wiki's. HTML was notInternet 2 of high-performance backbone network
limited to web content, knowledge base and help fileslinking major universities and research labs across the
adapted the language as a format to documentUS, is a good foundation for what Semantic web can
software applications and provide training material.do, and represent the perfect platform for grid
The revolution of technologies on the Internetcomputing, digital libraries, virtual laboratories, and
allowed companies like Google to index pages; adistance learning (Abilene, Internet2). Internet2 or I2
thought that was very far away, says Timwas developed by a group of universities in 1996
Berners-Lee in his lecture at MIT. Web services haveproviding improved connectivity standards to reach
evolved to pave the road for distributed information10gbps (gigabits per second). With more than 227
and modular programming allowing interoperabilityuniversities and libraries connected, network based
among sites. Through XML, data in one site can beapplications and experimental programs can run on
used by another using the common protocols andthis network of high-bandwidth connection feeding on
standards supported by both (Berners-Lee, 1998).the latest technology of gigabit Ethernet and IP
XML defines schemas that deal with fields of data,protocol version 6 (Reardon, 2004). Semantic web
what is required is a system that can tell thestandards can be the base of material and data
computer what sort of information (data) it candistributed on this network, providing the best test
derive from within a page (Moon, 1999). With Webplatform to explore the full potential and what can be
3.0 a site will provide data that can be navigatedachieved.
through and extracted from multiple sites, this is aConclusion
result of the fact that semantic web data model isTim Berners-Lee believes that with Web 3.0 we can
closely related to a relational database where recordssucceed and fantastic things can happen, but the
of data share common fields that connect theminfrastructure need to be built, laws of privacy and
together (Berners-Lee, 1998).security need to be revised and honored, further
The solution provided to support semantic web is inmore, the web need to remain open for researchers
the form of metadata that describes the datato allow for continuous upgrade and development.
contained on web pages. Resource DescriptionSemantic web will kick off when individuals materialize
Framework (RDF) is a base to manage metadata; itthe need to work on data processing, and think
is the ground that computers can use to exchangeabout collaborating their data, with company's
and interact with applications on the Web (W3C RFC,information and that of the government (Moon,
1999). The applications for RDF include digital libraries,1999).
online catalogs, and indexing systems that are usuallyReferences:
associated with content and content relationships
models deployed in most web pages. With RDF data1. Berners-Lee, Tim. 1998. Semantic Web Road
within business portals will be analyzed and identifiedmap.W3C team. (14 October 1998) DesignIssues
as resources, properties, or statements transparentSemantic (accessed 16 Jul 2007)
to the domain, further more, the specifications will2. Moon, Peter. 1999. The future of the Web as seen
merge with other documents to comprise aby its creator. IT World IDG Now (7 July 1999)
framework of classes. Classes organized as a(accessed 14 Jul 2007)
hierarchy comprises a schema that can be reusable3. W3C RFC. 1999. Resource Description Framework
as metadata definitions along side multiple platforms.(RDF) Model and Syntax Specification.