The Semantic Web An introduction

In linguistics , semantics is … devoted to the study of meaning … on the syntactic levels of words, phrases, sentences http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic

In linguistics , semantics is … devoted to the study of meaning … on the syntactic levels of words, phrases, sentences

http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic

Title Author Publisher Genre Price

“ The Semantic Web is a web of data , in some ways like a global database” 1 “ first step is putting data on the Web in a form that machines can naturally understand, or converting it to that form. This creates what I call a Semantic Web-a web of data that can be processed directly or indirectly by machines” 2 1. http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Semantic.html 2. Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving the Web . Harper, San Francisco. 1999.

“ The Semantic Web is a web of data , in some ways like a global database” 1

“ first step is putting data on the Web in a form that machines can naturally understand, or converting it to that form. This creates what I call a Semantic Web-a web of data that can be processed directly or indirectly by machines” 2

1. http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Semantic.html

2. Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving the Web . Harper, San Francisco. 1999.

<h1>Library Management Team</h1> <h2>Director of Library Services</h2> <p>Deborah Shorley - Director of Library Services<br /> <a href=&quot;mailto:d.shorley@imperial.ac.uk&quot;>d.shorley@imperial.ac.uk</a><br /> Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 8881</p> <h2>Assistant directors</h2> <h3>Assistant Director: Administration and Planning</h3> <p>Susan Howard<br /> <a href=&quot;mailto:s.howard@imperial.ac.uk&quot;>s.howard@imperial.ac.uk</a><br /> Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 8622<br /> <a href=&quot;http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.howard&quot;> www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.howard</a></p> <h3>Assistant Director: E-Strategy and Information Resources</h3> <p>Owen Stephens<br /> <a href=&quot;mailto:o.stephens@imperial.ac.uk&quot;>o.stephens@imperial.ac.uk</a><br /> Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 8829<br /> <a href=&quot;http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/o.stephens&quot;> www.imperial.ac.uk/people/o.stephens</a></p> <h3>Assistant Director: Faculty Support Services for Learning and Research</h3> <p>Liz Davis<br /> <a href=&quot;mailto:e.davis@imperial.ac.uk&quot;>e.davis@imperial.ac.uk</a><br /> Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 8877<br /> <a href=&quot;http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/e.davis&quot;> www.imperial.ac.uk/people/e.davis</a></p>

<h1>Library Management Team</h1>

<h2>Director of Library Services</h2>

<p>Deborah Shorley - Director of Library Services<br />

<a href=&quot;mailto:d.shorley@imperial.ac.uk&quot;>d.shorley@imperial.ac.uk</a><br />

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 8881</p>

<h2>Assistant directors</h2>

<h3>Assistant Director: Administration and Planning</h3>

<p>Susan Howard<br />

<a href=&quot;mailto:s.howard@imperial.ac.uk&quot;>s.howard@imperial.ac.uk</a><br />

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 8622<br />

<a href=&quot;http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.howard&quot;>

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.howard</a></p>

<h3>Assistant Director: E-Strategy and Information Resources</h3>

<p>Owen Stephens<br />

<a href=&quot;mailto:o.stephens@imperial.ac.uk&quot;>o.stephens@imperial.ac.uk</a><br />

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 8829<br />

<a href=&quot;http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/o.stephens&quot;>

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/o.stephens</a></p>

<h3>Assistant Director: Faculty Support Services for Learning and Research</h3>

<p>Liz Davis<br />

<a href=&quot;mailto:e.davis@imperial.ac.uk&quot;>e.davis@imperial.ac.uk</a><br />

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 8877<br />

<a href=&quot;http://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/e.davis&quot;>

www.imperial.ac.uk/people/e.davis</a></p>

How do we get a semantic web? Slowly! Applications getting better at understanding human semantics (‘Top Down’) More structured formats are gaining wider use (‘Bottom Up’) More database driven sites, so less need for humans to understand it all ‘Semantic web’ applications appearing

Slowly!

Applications getting better at understanding human semantics (‘Top Down’)

More structured formats are gaining wider use (‘Bottom Up’)

More database driven sites, so less need for humans to understand it all

‘Semantic web’ applications appearing

Top Down Depends of ‘more intelligent’ computers Google Book Search LibX Toolbar http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/semantic_web_difficulties_with_classic_approach.php

Depends of ‘more intelligent’ computers

Google Book Search

LibX Toolbar

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/semantic_web_difficulties_with_classic_approach.php

Bottom Up Depends on more structured data using agreed standards URIs RDF OWL Many sceptics http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/semantic_web_difficulties_with_classic_approach.php

Depends on more structured data using agreed standards

URIs

RDF

OWL

Many sceptics

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/semantic_web_difficulties_with_classic_approach.php

URI Uniform Resource Identifier “a simple and extensible means for identifying a resource” A URL is a type of URI

Uniform Resource Identifier

“a simple and extensible means for identifying a resource”

A URL is a type of URI

What is RDF? Resource Description Framework “ a language for representing information about resources in the World Wide Web” “ RDF can also be used to represent information about things that can be identified on the Web, even when they cannot be directly retrieved on the Web” Uses URIs or Literals http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/

Resource Description Framework

“ a language for representing information about resources in the World Wide Web”

“ RDF can also be used to represent information about things that can be identified on the Web, even when they cannot be directly retrieved on the Web”

Uses URIs or Literals

http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/

Jane Eyre has a creator whose name is Charlotte Bronte Subject Predicate Object

Jane Eyre

has a

creator

whose name is

Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre has a creator whose name is Charlotte Bronte Subject Predicate Object http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/creator http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre

has a

creator

whose name is

Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte Penguin Book is a has creator has publisher Person is a

RDF Schemas Define vocabularies for a community Define a class of objects ‘Books’ Define a property ‘Creator’

Define vocabularies for a community

Define a class of objects ‘Books’

Define a property ‘Creator’

OWL (Web Ontology Language) When a Schema just isn’t enough! Allows you to put limits of relationships a Person has one and only one biological mother Allows you to say ‘this is the same as that’ This thing that I call a ‘Car’ is the same as that thing that you call an ‘Automobile’

When a Schema just isn’t enough!

Allows you to put limits of relationships

a Person has one and only one biological mother

Allows you to say ‘this is the same as that’

This thing that I call a ‘Car’ is the same as that thing that you call an ‘Automobile’

Data: < http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm > <http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title> “Jane Eyre&quot; Query: SELECT ?title WHERE {< http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm > <http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title> ?title . } Result: “ Jane Eyre”

Data:

< http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm > <http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title> “Jane Eyre&quot;

Query:

SELECT ?title WHERE {< http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1260/1260-h/1260-h.htm > <http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/title> ?title . }

Result:

“ Jane Eyre”

Some actual applications! Cinespin (Freebase) Nugget, Cenote (Talis) RDA, DCMI, FRBR, FRAD etc.

Cinespin (Freebase)

Nugget, Cenote (Talis)

RDA, DCMI, FRBR, FRAD etc.

RDA Resource Description and Access New standard for resource description and access designed for the digital world – building on AACR2 Uses FRBR and FRAD concepts http:// www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/jsc/rda.html

Resource Description and Access

New standard for resource description and access designed for the digital world – building on AACR2

Uses FRBR and FRAD concepts

http:// www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/jsc/rda.html

DCMI Dublin Core Metadata Initiative An open organization engaged in the development of interoperable online metadata standards that support a broad range of purposes and business models http:// dublincore.org /

Dublin Core Metadata Initiative

An open organization engaged in the development of interoperable online metadata standards that support a broad range of purposes and business models

http:// dublincore.org /

RDA and DCMI The participants recommend that the RDA Committee of Principals and DCMI seek funding for work to develop an RDA Application Profile -- specifically that the following activities be undertaken: development of an RDA Element Vocabulary development of an RDA DC Application Profile based on FRBR and FRAD disclosure of RDA Value Vocabularies using RDF/RDFS/SKOS

The participants recommend that the RDA Committee of Principals and DCMI seek funding for work to develop an RDA Application Profile -- specifically that the following activities be undertaken:

development of an RDA Element Vocabulary

development of an RDA DC Application Profile based on FRBR and FRAD

disclosure of RDA Value Vocabularies using RDF/RDFS/SKOS

RDA and DCMI Outcomes: The benefits of this activity will be that: the library community gets a metadata standard that is compatible with the Web Architecture and that is fully interoperable with other Semantic Web initiatives the DCMI community gets a libraries application profile firmly based on the DCAM and FRBR (which will be a high profile exemplar for others to follow) the Semantic Web community get a significant pool of well thought-out metadata terms to re-use there is wider uptake of RDA http:// www.bl.uk/services/bibliographic/meeting.html

Outcomes:

The benefits of this activity will be that:

the library community gets a metadata standard that is compatible with the Web Architecture and that is fully interoperable with other Semantic Web initiatives

the DCMI community gets a libraries application profile firmly based on the DCAM and FRBR (which will be a high profile exemplar for others to follow)

the Semantic Web community get a significant pool of well thought-out metadata terms to re-use

there is wider uptake of RDA

http:// www.bl.uk/services/bibliographic/meeting.html

RDF for Bib Metadata http://vocab.org/frbr/core http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/frbr_drafts.html http:// myee.bol.ucla.edu/rdfmodelintro.html

http://vocab.org/frbr/core

http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/frbr_drafts.html

http:// myee.bol.ucla.edu/rdfmodelintro.html

Acknowledgments Jane Eyre http:// www.flickr.com/photos/andthenpatterns / Sad Computer http://www.flickr.com/photos/loririelly/ Power of Three http:// www.flickr.com/photos/hale_popoki

Jane Eyre

http:// www.flickr.com/photos/andthenpatterns /

Sad Computer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loririelly/

Power of Three

http:// www.flickr.com/photos/hale_popoki