What is the Semantic Web?

 

The Semantic Web is a web that is able to describe things in a way that computers can understand.

• The Beatles was a popular band from Liverpool.
• John Lennon was a member of the Beatles.
• "Hey Jude" was recorded by the Beatles.

Sentences like the ones above can be understood by people. But how can they be understood by computers?

Statements are built with syntax rules. The syntax of a language defines the rules for building the language statements. But how can syntax become semantic?

This is what the Semantic Web is all about. Describing things in a way that computers applications can understand it.

The Semantic Web is not about links between web pages.

The Semantic Web describes the relationships between things (like A is a part of B and Y is a member of  Z) and the properties of things (like size, weight, age, and price)

 

"If HTML and the Web made all the online documents look like one hugebook, RDF, schema, and inference languages will make all the data in the world look like one huge database"

Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving the Web, 1999

 source: www.w3schools.com

 

Useful article about Semantic Web

• Short Introduction to Semantic Web
• An Introduction to the Semantic Web for Health Sciences Librarians
• The Business Values of Semantic Technology
•  Semantic Wave 2008 Report - Multibillion Dollar Market Oppourtunities

 

 

Semantic Web Videos