Semantic Web

Semantic Web W3C Logo

The Semantic Web or a "web of data" extends the network of hyperlinked human-readable web pages by inserting machine-readable metadata about pages and how they are related to each other, enabling automated agents to access the Web more intelligently and perform tasks on behalf of users. The term was coined by Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web and director of the World Wide Web Consortium, which oversees the development of proposed Semantic Web standards. He defines the Semantic Web as "a web of data that can be processed directly and indirectly by machines."

More specifically the term "Semantic Web" refers to the formats and technologies that enable it. These technologies include the Resource Description Framework (RDF), a variety of data interchange formats (e.g. RDF/XML), and notations such as RDF Schema (RDFS) and the Web Ontology Language (OWL), all of which are intended to provide a formal description of concepts, terms, and relationships within a given knowledge domain.

Many of the technologies proposed by the W3C already exist and are used in various contexts. In addition, other technologies with similar goals have emerged, such as microformats. However, the Semantic Web as originally envisioned, a system that enables machines to understand and respond to complex human requests based on their meaning, has remained largely unrealized and its critics have questioned its feasibility.

Semantic Web and Metadata

View the slideshare presentation

Semantic Web, Cataloging, & Metadata

Semantic Web: Resources

W3C website provides an in-depth coverage on Semantic Web and current status of specifications.

Updated: May 10, 2011