Semantic Web

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Web Science[1]

The aims of the semantic web[edit]

The semantic web is a vision for the future of the World Wide Web that aims to create a more intelligent and interconnected web by making it easier for machines to understand and process the meaning of web content.

The main aims of the semantic web are:

To create a more machine-readable and interoperable web: The semantic web aims to make it easier for machines to understand and process the meaning of web content, so that they can more easily communicate and share information with each other. This could enable a wide range of new applications and services that rely on machine-to-machine communication.

To enable more intelligent search and discovery: The semantic web aims to make it easier for machines to understand the meaning of web content, so that they can more accurately match search queries with relevant web pages and other resources. This could lead to more accurate and relevant search results, and could enable new types of search and discovery applications.

To support the creation of new knowledge: The semantic web aims to create a more interconnected web that is better able to support the creation and sharing of new knowledge. By making it easier for machines to understand and process the meaning of web content, the semantic web could enable new types of knowledge-sharing applications and services.

To enable the integration of diverse data sources: The semantic web aims to make it easier to integrate and link together diverse data sources from different domains and formats, so that they can be more easily accessed and analyzed. This could lead to new insights and discoveries, and could enable new types of data-driven applications and services.

In summary, the semantic web aims to create a more intelligent and interoperable web that is better able to support the creation and sharing of new knowledge, and that is able to more easily integrate and link together diverse data sources.



The goal of the Semantic Web is to associate meaning with the data on the Web and to exploit the wealth of data on the Web through more intelligent (meaningful) processing. A semantic approach to data processing, such as the use of ontologies or knowledge bases, has increasingly been integrated with other AI techniques, especially machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP).[2]

  • Examples of non-semantic elements: <div> and <span> - Tells nothing about its content.[3]
  • Examples of semantic elements: <form>, <table>, and <article> - Clearly defines its content.[4]


RDF Model[edit]

RDF – the Resource Description Framework – is a foundation for processing metadata; it provides interoperability between applications that exchange machine-understandable information on the Web. RDF emphasizes facilities to enable automated processing of Web resources. RDF metadata can be used in a variety of application areas; for example: in resource discovery to provide better search engine capabilities; in cataloging for describing the content and content relationships available at a particular Web site, page, or digital library; by intelligent software agents to facilitate knowledge sharing and exchange; in content rating; in describing collections of pages that represent a single logical "document"; for describing intellectual property rights of Web pages, and in many others. RDF with digital signatures will be key to building the "Web of Trust" for electronic commerce, collaboration, and other applications.[5] Below is an example of RDF[6]


<http://www.w3.org/People/EM/contact#me> <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/pim/contact#fullName> "Eric Miller" .
<http://www.w3.org/People/EM/contact#me> <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/pim/contact#mailbox> <mailto:e.miller123(at)example> .
<http://www.w3.org/People/EM/contact#me> <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/pim/contact#personalTitle> "Dr." .
<http://www.w3.org/People/EM/contact#me> <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#type> <http://www.w3.org/2000/10/swap/pim/contact#Person> .

More about RDF[edit]

More about the semantic web[edit]

From the W3C[7]:

  • The Semantic Web is an extension of the current Web that will allow you to find, share, and combine information more easily.
  • Designed to be a universal medium for the exchange of data
  • Enable vocabulary semantics to be defined and reused by communities of expertise, not necessarily W3C
  • Provide for the fine-grained mixing of diverse metadata
  • Making it cost-effective for people to effectively record their knowledge.

Do you understand this?[edit]

The semantic web is a “web of data” that can be read and analyzed by machines. Students should appreciate the difference between this and a ”web of documents” which would describe the present state of the web.

Standards[edit]

These standards are used from the IB Computer Science Subject Guide[8]

  • Describe the aims of the semantic web

References[edit]