Semantic Web
The word web in semantic web is what misleads people most. Read it as web of semantics. It sees the internet as a web of data that machines can understand.
The semantic web covers many topics. They all aim to express and expose data that's clear and linkable.
it's not a single topic
The semantic web covers everything about how systems exchange and understand data.
Semantic Web vs WWW
Semantic web is better understood when we compare it with world wide web.
| Aspect | World Wide Web (WWW) | Semantic Web (SW) |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Documents (HTML pages) | Data (Facts about things) |
| Structure | Hyperlinks (links between pages) | Linked Data (links between concepts and entities) |
| Result | A vast, distributed library of information. | A vast, distributed knowledge graph or database. |
Consumers of Semantic Web
The consumers of the semantic web are mostly machines. The data must be clear to machines. They must also be able to apply logical reasoning.
example of logical reasoning
Assume an ontology provides this data using RDF triplets.
- All dogs are mammals
- All mammals are warm-blooded
- Fido is a dog
With logical reasoning rules, a system can automatically conclude: "Fido is warm-blooded"