What is the Semantic Web?

What is the What is the Semantic Web?Semantic Web?

The VisionThe Vision

I have a dream for the Web [in which computers] become capable of analyzing all the data on the Web – the content, links, and transactions between people and computers. A ‘Semantic Web’, which should make this possible, has yet to emerge, but when it does, the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy and our daily lives will be handled by machines talking to machines. The ‘intelligent agents’ people have touted for ages will finally materialize.

– Tim Berners-Lee, 1999

SyntaxSyntax

•Syntax examines the rules of a language that dictate how the various parts of sentences go together

•Syntax is how you say something•letters, •words, •punctuation, •inflections, •tones, •sounds, •sentence structure

SyntaxSyntax

• Syntax facilitates being understood and understanding language.

• Rules of syntax provide foundations to discern meaning from a bunch of words strung together

• Syntax refers to how words are arranged in a sentence and how a writer has created a pattern with the words.

Computer SyntaxComputer Syntax

•Syntax is essential to writing a functional computer program • Computer Programming Syntax is the correct ordering of words and symbols to create the desired output or functionality.

Example: a syntax error is a common error message and gives you important clues on how to correct your code.

Semantics simplySemantics simply

semantics - meaning behind what you say, what the words are meant to convey

If you change the words, you change the syntax, but the semantics remain the same

Internet todayInternet today

The Internet created a standard way for communicating –

it gave a "voice" to computers so they can to talk to each other and exchange information

Internet todayInternet today

Internet enables computers to "talk" to one another but it is not designed to actually teach them what the information actually means

Computers merely mimic information to one another

Web retrievalWeb retrieval

Web created quick and easy way to retrieve and view information

The web can be thought of as a huge document and retrieval system

Web retrievalWeb retrieval

1. when you put a website address into your browser, it sends a request to the website

2. the website indicates that you would like the document located at the address that you gave it

3. the website retrieves the document and sends it back to your web browser

HTMLHTML

the document is written in a language called HTMLthe HTML language defines the syntax that computers can understand

it tells the computer how to display the document to you

The WebThe Web

1. created a way to get any document on the internet

2. created a syntax called HTML used to display document for you

Today’s webToday’s web

The Internetlets us talk to each other

The Web lets us store and retrieve any document on the internet

Search engines can find just about any website

Is there a problem?Is there a problem?

The problem is Semantics

Computers just blindly retrieve and show us information, but they don't understand the meaning behind the web pages they are showing us

Computers may understand the syntax, but the semantics are lost on them

The VisionThe Vision

If computers could recognize what’s in a web page, they could learn what we're interested inAnd then they could help us get what we want

Computers would change from passively helping us to actively helping us

Semantic WebSemantic Web

Helps computers understand the meaning behind the web page

Semantic WebSemantic Web

Web Today is about: documents

The Semantic web is about: thingsAnything;People, places, events, music, movies, organizations,any concept

Not only about pointing these things out to a computer but letting the computer know how these things are related to each other

Semantic WebSemantic Web

Once computer can understand what a person, a place and an event is, it can start helping you interact with those things

Search Engines would become much more accurate:when you search, you could say that you are searching for a person, a place or a particular song. The search engine wouldn't have to just depend on key words to refer you to a site - it could use the semantics on the web page

Semantic WebSemantic Web

It will be possible to create a complex search by typing

"I need an application that can compute the Earth's distance to Saturn. I don't want to pay for it."

Thank you to

Manu Spornyhttp://luca.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/semantic-web-for-dummies