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Semantic Web

A comprehensive guide to the Semantic Web, its technologies, standards, and applications.

The Semantic Web

The Semantic Web, also known as Web 3.0 or the Giant Global Graph, extends the World Wide Web by adding machine-readable data layers to existing web content. This enables computers to understand and process web information more effectively.

Core Technologies

RDF (Resource Description Framework)

  • Foundation of Semantic Web data representation
  • Uses subject-predicate-object triples
  • Enables machine-readable data relationships
  • W3C RDF Specification

OWL (Web Ontology Language)

  • Formal language for defining ontologies
  • Supports complex relationships and rules
  • Enables automated reasoning
  • W3C OWL Overview

SPARQL

  • Query language for RDF data
  • Similar to SQL for relational databases
  • Supports federated queries across datasets
  • W3C SPARQL Specification

Key Concepts

Linked Data

  • Method of publishing structured data
  • Uses URIs as identifiers
  • Connects related data across the web
  • Linked Data Principles

Ontologies

  • Formal representations of knowledge domains
  • Define concepts and relationships
  • Enable semantic interoperability
  • Examples: Schema.org, FOAF, Dublin Core

Tools & Implementations

Triple Stores

Development Tools

Applications

Knowledge Graphs

  • Google Knowledge Graph
  • Wikidata
  • DBpedia
  • Schema.org

Industry Use Cases

  • Scientific research data integration
  • Enterprise knowledge management
  • Digital libraries and archives
  • Healthcare information systems

Resources

Learning Materials

Communities