On The Evolution of Terms “ appellavitque Adam nominibus suis cuncta animantia et universa volatilia caeli et omnes bestias terrae...“ Genesis, 2:20 © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved. Orri Erling - Program Manager, Virtuoso Yrjänä Rankka - Developer, Virtuoso

“ appellavitque Adam nominibus suis cuncta animantia et universa volatilia caeli et omnes bestias terrae...“

Genesis, 2:20

“ Adam called all things by their names” We are not the first to try The history of the "search for the perfect language" favors natural languages What gets used becomes fit for the task Language building from scratch has generally not been successful Forcing nature to fit preconceived, idealized taxonomies has generally failed © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

We are not the first to try

The history of the "search for the perfect language" favors natural languages

What gets used becomes fit for the task

Language building from scratch has generally not been successful

Forcing nature to fit preconceived, idealized taxonomies has generally failed

Usage for Linked Data New layer to the document web Use de-referenceable HTTP URIs Use #this to distinguish subject matter from document Reuse terms where can Human readable URI's are best From HTML to XML, most formats are somewhat human readable, same for the data web © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

New layer to the document web

Use de-referenceable HTTP URIs

Use #this to distinguish subject matter from document

Reuse terms where can

Human readable URI's are best

From HTML to XML, most formats are somewhat human readable, same for the data web

Universal “Data Language”? RDF will do for grammar Useful vocabulary can only evolve in a community of practice Distributed evolution of vocabulary and diversity of names for things is a given Application determines the data structure and vocabulary © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

RDF will do for grammar

Useful vocabulary can only evolve in a community of practice

Distributed evolution of vocabulary and diversity of names for things is a given

Application determines the data structure and vocabulary

Emerging Hubs SIOC/FOAF For Web Data Spaces Dbpedia/UMBEL/OpenCYC for names of real world entities BFO for epistemology of structures and processes © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

SIOC/FOAF For Web Data Spaces

Dbpedia/UMBEL/OpenCYC for names of real world entities

BFO for epistemology of structures and processes

Can’t Put Genie Back in the Bottle Once data is out, there it stays Single identifiers for entities are possible only in closed, application specific DWs Heterogeneity of names, overlap of descriptions, taxonomies etc is a given Meaning exists only in context, so make this explicit © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

Once data is out, there it stays

Single identifiers for entities are possible only in closed, application specific DWs

Heterogeneity of names, overlap of descriptions, taxonomies etc is a given

Meaning exists only in context, so make this explicit

Infrastructure Scenarios Application-specific warehouse or mapped RDBMS General warehouse with lots of graphs, a la search engine or Billion Triples Challenge Query driven harvesting a la OpenLink Sponger On-line discovery and federated SPARQL © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

Application-specific warehouse or mapped RDBMS

General warehouse with lots of graphs, a la search engine or Billion Triples Challenge

Query driven harvesting a la OpenLink Sponger

On-line discovery and federated SPARQL

Implications for Query Make it explicit Report what data sets and SameAs's and graphs went into producing an answer Allow the app to explicitly choose what graphs, SameAs's, taxonomies, etc. are considered Search and discoverability will drive vocabulary convergence © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

Make it explicit

Report what data sets and SameAs's and graphs went into producing an answer

Allow the app to explicitly choose what graphs, SameAs's, taxonomies, etc. are considered

Search and discoverability will drive vocabulary convergence

Sameness SameAs and equivalent are necessary and permanent features What can be considered identical depends on context Universal agreement will not happen, so let people choose whose SameAs they trust SameAs adds query cost and must be resolved at time of query SameAs cannot be forward chained at web scale because which of them are relevant is not fixed, Malicious/SPAM SameAs is inevitable © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

SameAs and equivalent are necessary and permanent features

What can be considered identical depends on context

Universal agreement will not happen, so let people choose whose SameAs they trust

SameAs adds query cost and must be resolved at time of query

SameAs cannot be forward chained at web scale because which of them are relevant is not fixed,

Malicious/SPAM SameAs is inevitable

Implications For Publishers SPARQL and data self description practices are urgently needed Describe what names are used and what other data meshes with yours Explicit license © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

SPARQL and data self description practices are urgently needed

Describe what names are used and what other data meshes with yours

Explicit license

Implications for Entity NS DNS is good because of distributed, resilient storage and admin Convergence cannot be forced but should be encouraged Make administration compartmentalized a la DNS for No SPAM, No censorship People can say things in their own spaces Offer classification, e.g. UMBEL In searching for terms, rank most reused the highest © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

DNS is good because of distributed, resilient storage and admin

Convergence cannot be forced but should be encouraged

Make administration compartmentalized a la DNS for No SPAM, No censorship

People can say things in their own spaces

Offer classification, e.g. UMBEL

In searching for terms, rank most reused the highest

Conclusion Since uniformity is impossible, make diversity of identifiers explicit Build alongside the document web, de-referenceably and with #this Encourage reuse but allow innovation Needs of communities will differ according to stage of development © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved.

Since uniformity is impossible, make diversity of identifiers explicit

Build alongside the document web, de-referenceably and with #this

Encourage reuse but allow innovation

Needs of communities will differ according to stage of development

OpenLink Software © 2008 OpenLink Software, All rights reserved. Thank You! http://www.openlinksw.com