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289 lines
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289 lines
15 KiB
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
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"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
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<head>
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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
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<title>World Wide Web Consortium Issues RDF and OWL Recommendations</title>
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<link href="/StyleSheets/press.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
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</head>
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<body xml:lang="en" lang="en">
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<p><a href="/"><img alt="W3C" src="/Icons/WWW/w3c_home" width="72"
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height="48" /></a></p>
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<h1>World Wide Web Consortium Issues RDF and OWL Recommendations</h1>
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<h2>Semantic Web emerges as commercial-grade infrastructure for sharing data
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on the Web</h2>
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<dl>
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<dt><b>Contact Americas, Australia --</b></dt>
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<dd>Janet Daly, <<a href="mailto:janet@w3.org">janet@w3.org</a>>,
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+1.617.253.5884 <em>or</em> +1.617.253.2613</dd>
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<dt><strong>Contact Europe --</strong></dt>
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<dd>Marie-Claire Forgue, <<a
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href="mailto:mcf@w3.org">mcf@w3.org</a>>, +33.492.38.75.94</dd>
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<dt><b>Contact Asia --</b></dt>
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<dd>Yasuyuki Hirakawa <<a
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href="mailto:chibao@w3.org">chibao@w3.org</a>>, +81.466.49.1170</dd>
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</dl>
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<p>(This press release is also available in <a
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href="sws-pressrelease.html.fr">French</a> and <a
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href="sws-pressrelease.html.ja">Japanese</a>)</p>
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<p></p>
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<hr />
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<p><a href="/">http://www.w3.org/</a> -- 10 February 2004 -- Today, the World
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Wide Web Consortium announced final approval of two key Semantic Web
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technologies, the revised Resource Description Framework (RDF) and the Web
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Ontology Language (OWL). RDF and OWL are Semantic Web standards that provide
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a framework for asset management, enterprise integration and the sharing and
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reuse of data on the Web. These standard formats for data sharing span
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application, enterprise, and community boundaries - all of these different
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types of "user" can share the same information, even if they don't share the
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same software.</p>
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<p>Today's announcement marks the emergence of the Semantic Web as a
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broad-based, commercial-grade platform for data on the Web. The deployment of
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these standards in commercial products and services signals the transition of
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Semantic Web technology from what was largely a research and advanced
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development project over the last five years, to more practical technology
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deployed in mass market tools that enables more flexible access to structured
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data on the Web. <a href="sws-testimonial">Testimonials</a> from
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enterprise-scale implementors and independent developers illustrate current
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uses of these standards on the Web today.</p>
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<p>"RDF and OWL make a strong foundation for Semantic Web applications," said
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Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web. "Their
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approval as W3C Recommendations come at a time when new products spring up in
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areas as diverse as Enterprise Integration and medical decision support. It's
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not unlike the early days of the Web, when once people saw how it worked,
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they understood its power. We're entering that phase now, where people can
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see the beginnings of the Semantic Web at work."</p>
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<p>A World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/2003/06/Process-20030618/tr.html#rec-publication">Recommendation</a>
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is understood by industry and the Web community at large as a Web standard.
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Each Recommendation is a stable specification developed by a W3C Working
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Group and reviewed by the W3C Membership. Recommendations promote
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interoperability of Web technologies of the Web by explicitly conveying the
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industry consensus formed by the Working Group.</p>
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<h3>Wide Range of Applications Growing from New Semantic Web Standards</h3>
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<p>Semantic Web-enabled software using RDF and OWL include:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Content creation applications: Authors can connect metadata (subject,
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creator, location, language, copyright status, or any other terms) with
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documents, making the new enhanced documents searchable</li>
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<li>Tools for Web site management: Large Web sites can be managed
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dynamically according to content categories customized for the site
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managers</li>
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<li>Software that takes advantage of both RDF and OWL: Organizations can
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integrate enterprise applications, publishing and subscriptions using
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flexible models</li>
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<li>Cross-application data reuse: RDF and OWL formats are standard, not
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proprietary, allowing data reuse from diverse sources</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Many specific examples of commercial applications and enterprise scale
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implementations of these technologies are detailed in both the <a
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href="sws-testimonial">testimonial page</a>, and the <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/RDF/#projects">RDF Implementations</a> and <a
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href="/2001/sw/WebOnt/impls">OWL Implementations</a> pages.</p>
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<h3>How the Semantic Web Pieces Fit Together - XML, RDF and OWL</h3>
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<p>Much has been written about the Semantic Web, as if it is a replacement
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technology for the Web we know today. "In reality," countered Eric Miller,
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W3C Semantic Web Activity Lead, "it's more Web Evolution than Revolution. The
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Semantic Web is made through incremental changes, by bringing
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machine-readable descriptions to the data and documents already on the Web.
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XML, RDF and OWL enable the Web to be a global infrastructure for sharing
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both documents and data, which make searching and reusing information easier
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and more reliable as well. "</p>
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<p>W3C's Semantic Web Activity builds on work done in other W3C Activities,
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such as the XML Activity. Its focus is to develop standard technologies, on
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top of XML, that support the growth of the Semantic Web.</p>
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<h3>XML Provides Rules, Syntax for Structured Documents</h3>
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<p>At the foundation, XML provides a set of rules for creating vocabularies
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that can bring structure to both documents and data on the Web. XML gives
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clear rules for syntax; XML Schemas then serve as a method for composing XML
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vocabularies. XML is a powerful, flexible surface syntax for structured
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documents, but imposes no semantic constraints on the meaning of these
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documents.</p>
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<h3>RDF Delivers a Data Framework for the Web</h3>
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<p>RDF - the Resource Description Framework - is a standard a way for simple
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descriptions to be made. What XML is for syntax, RDF is for semantics - a
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clear set of rules for providing simple descriptive information. RDF Schema
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then provides a way for those descriptions to be combined into a single
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vocabulary. RDF is integrated into a variety of applications including:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>library catalogs</li>
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<li>world-wide directories</li>
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<li>syndication and aggregation of news, software, and content</li>
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<li>personal collections of music, photos, and events</li>
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</ul>
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<p>In these cases, each uses XML as an interchange syntax. The RDF
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specifications provide a powerful framework for supporting the exchange of
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knowledge on the Web.</p>
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<p>"RDF is part of the foundation of a major advance in the power of the Web.
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Ultimately, we will see users and applications combining information
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represented in RDF from multiple sources on the Web in ways that, until now,
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have been inconceivable," explains Brian McBride, Chair of the RDF Core
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Working Group, "The RDFCore Working Group has turned the RDF specifications
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into both a practical and mathematically precise foundation on which OWL and
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the rest of the Semantic Web can be built."</p>
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<h3>OWL Delivers Ontologies that Work on the Web</h3>
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<p>What's needed next is a way to develop subject - or domain - specific
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vocabularies. That is the role of an ontology. An ontology defines the terms
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used to describe and represent an area of knowledge. Ontologies are used by
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people, databases, and applications that need to share subject-specific
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(domain) information - like medicine, tool manufacturing, real estate,
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automobile repair, financial management, etc. Ontologies include
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computer-usable definitions of basic concepts in the domain and the
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relationships among them. They encode knowledge in a domain and also
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knowledge that spans domains. In this way, they make that knowledge
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reusable.</p>
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<p>OWL - the Web Ontology Language - provides a language for defining
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structured, Web-based ontologies which delivers richer integration and
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interoperability of data among descriptive communities. Where earlier
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languages have been used to develop tools and ontologies for specific user
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communities (particularly in the sciences and in company-specific e-commerce
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applications), they were not defined to be compatible with the architecture
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of the World Wide Web in general, and the Semantic Web in particular.</p>
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<p>OWL uses both URIs for naming and the description framework for the Web
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provided by RDF to add the following capabilities to ontologies:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Ability to be distributed across many systems</li>
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<li>Scalability to Web needs</li>
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<li>Compatibility with Web standards for accessibility and
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internationalization</li>
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<li>Openness and extensibility</li>
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</ul>
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<p>OWL builds on RDF and RDF Schema and adds more vocabulary for describing
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properties and classes: among others, relations between classes (e.g.
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disjointness), cardinality (e.g. "exactly one"), equality, richer typing of
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properties, characteristics of properties (e.g. symmetry), and enumerated
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classes.</p>
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<p>"OWL takes a major step forward in representing and organizing knowledge
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on the World Wide Web. It strikes a sound balance between the needs of
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industry participants for a language which addresses their current Web use
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cases, and the restrictions on developing an ontology language that meshed
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with established scientific principles and research experience," explained
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Jim Hendler and Guus Schreiber, co-chairs for the Web Ontology Working Group.
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"Over fifty Working Group members have successfully designed a language that
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addresses both sets of concerns and is endorsed by academics and
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practitioners alike."</p>
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<h3>RDF and OWL Documents Include Primers, Use Cases, Test Suites, to Aid
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Developers</h3>
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<p>The W3C RDF Core Group has produced six documents. Each is aimed at
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different segments of those wishing to learn, use, implement or understand
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RDF. The <a href="/TR/2004/REC-rdf-primer-20040210/">RDF Primer</a> is an
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introduction to, and tutorial on how to use, RDF and RDF Schema. <a
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href="/TR/2004/REC-rdf-concepts-20040210/">RDF Concepts and Abstract
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Syntax</a> specifies the fundamental concepts and information model of RDF.
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The <a href="/TR/2004/REC-rdf-syntax-grammar-20040210/">RDF/XML Syntax
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Specification (Revised)</a> defines how to write RDF in XML syntax. <a
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href="/TR/2004/REC-rdf-schema-20040210/">RDF Vocabulary Description Language
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1.0: RDF Schema</a> describes how to use RDF to describe application and
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domain specific vocabularies. <a href="/TR/2004/REC-rdf-mt-20040210/">RDF
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Semantics</a> defines the mathematically precise formal semantics of RDF and
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RDF Schema. <a href="/TR/2004/REC-rdf-testcases-20040210/">RDF Test Cases</a>
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defines a set of test cases that illustrate aspects of the other
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specifications and may be used for the automatic testing of
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implementations.</p>
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<p>The W3C Web Ontology Working Group has produced six OWL documents. Each is
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aimed at different segments of those wishing to learn, use, implement or
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understand the OWL language. Documents include - a presentation of the <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-webont-req-20040210/">use cases and
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requirements</a> that motivated OWL - an <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-owl-features-20040210/">overview</a>
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document which briefly explains the features of OWL and how they can be used
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- a comprehensive <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-owl-guide-20040210/">Guide</a> that walks
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through the features of OWL with many examples of the use of OWL features - a
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<a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-owl-ref-20040210/">reference
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document</a> that provides the details of every OWL feature - a <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-owl-test-20040210/">test case
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document</a>, and <a href="http://www.w3.org/2002/03owlt/">test suite</a>,
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providing over a hundred tests that can be used for making sure that OWL
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implementations are consistent with the language design - a document
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presenting <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/REC-owl-semantics-20040210/">the semantics of
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OWL and details of the mapping from OWL to RDF.</a></p>
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<h3>Industrial and Academic Leaders Move Semantic Web Standards Forward</h3>
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<p>The RDF Core Working Group is comprised of industrial and academic
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expertise, lending the depth of research and product implementation
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experience necessary for building a common description framework for the Web.
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Participants include representatives from Hewlett Packard, Nokia, IBM, AGFA,
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ILRT Institute for Learning and Research Technology at the University of
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Bristol, IWA International Webmasters Association and the University of West
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Florida. The RDF Core Working Group builds on the contributions of many other
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organization which developed the <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-rdf-syntax-19990222/">RDF Model and
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Syntax (1999 Recommendation)</a> and <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/TR/1999/PR-rdf-schema-19990303/">RDF Schema (1999
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Proposed Recommendation)</a>.</p>
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<p>The W3C Web Ontology Working Group carries a complement of industrial and
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academic expertise, lending the depth of research and product implementation
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experience necessary for building a robust ontology language system.
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Participants include representatives from Agfa-Gevaert N. V; Daimler Chrysler
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Research and Technology; DARPA; Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA);
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EDS; Fujitsu; Forschungszentrum Informatik (FZI); Hewlett Packard Company;
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Ibrow; IBM; INRIA; Ivis Group; Lucent; University of Maryland; Mondeca;
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Motorola; National Institute of of Standards and Technology (NIST); Network
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Inference, Nokia; Philips, University of Southampton; Stanford University;
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Sun Microsystems; Unicorn Solutions along with invited experts from German
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Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) Gmbh; the Interoperability
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Technology Association for Information Processing, Japan (INTAP); and the
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University of West Florida.</p>
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<p>OWL brings together a number of groups that have been developing Web
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ontology languages over the past decade. OWL is based the <a
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href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/NOTE-daml+oil-reference-20011218">DAML+OIL</a>
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language, which was developed by an international team funded by the US
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Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the European
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Commission's Information Science Technologies (IST) program. The documents
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released today represent the maturation of this work shaped by the members of
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the the World Wide Web Consortium.</p>
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<h2>About the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)</h2>
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<p>The W3C was created to lead the Web to its full potential by developing
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common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability.
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It is an international industry consortium jointly run by the <a
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href="http://www.csail.mit.edu/">MIT Computer Science and Artificial
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Intelligence Laboratory</a> in the USA, the <a
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href="http://www.ercim.org/">European Research Consortium for Informatics and
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Mathematics</a> (ERCIM) headquartered in France and <a
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href="http://www.keio.ac.jp/">Keio University</a> in Japan. Services provided
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by the Consortium include: a repository of information about the World Wide
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Web for developers and users, and various prototype and sample applications
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to demonstrate use of new technology. To date, nearly 400 organizations are
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<a href="/Consortium/Member/List">Members</a> of the Consortium. For more
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information see <a href="/">http://www.w3.org/</a></p>
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<hr />
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</body>
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</html>
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