Semantic Web - Definition, Applications, and Benefits

What is semantic web?

Semantic web is a framework which can be used to share data directly over the web. There is no need to share any documents. The aim of semantic web is to provide the required information to users. It is a knowledge graph which is a combination of linked data and intelligent content which helps the machines to understand and generate the content on the basis of metadata, processing of content, etc.

How does Semantic Web work?

Semantic web works on the basis of two data types which are ?

• Linked Open Data
• Semantic Metadata

Let us know about each of them in detail.

Linked Open Data

Linked Open Data can be used by anybody at any time as an open license is used for its release. Linked Open Data consists of two more concepts which are Open Data and Linked Data.

• Open Data ? Open Data is a type of data which any user can use and make changes if required. This data can be shared with any user through any digital device.
• Linked Data ? Linked data is a set of best practices which has to be applied before publishing any content on the web. There are many technologies that are used to publish the linked data and we will discuss them here ?
  • URI ? URI can be expanded to Uniform Resource Identifier. Real-world objects can be easily identified with URI. Along with this, URI also lets the users know about the location of the objects.
  • HTTP ? URI can detect the location of the objects with the help of different protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, MAILTO, etc. The identification of the location of different objects can be easily done by HTTP and HTTPS protocols.
  • RDF and SPARQL ? W3C has developed RDF and SPARQL as standards to support URIs so that they can easily support the Semantic Web.
  • Include Links ? Interlinking should be done within the website to make navigation easy. Existing data can also be connected to the new ones and this can be done with the help of URIs.

Semantic Metadata

Metadata is an additional information that is added to the Meta tag. The metadata is used to give a small description of the data on a web page or an app. Semantic metadata is also known as semantic tags and they are used to give more information about a webpage content. These tags help the machines to understand the content of the webpage.

Semantic metadata can be used for webpages as well as unstructured data like pictures. Computers are unable to understand the content of images. Semantic metadata helps computers to understand the content of the images.

Semantic Web Standards

Semantic Web supports many technologies or standards which help in the creation of a network of computers and humans and they can work with each other smoothly. These technologies are discussed below ?

RDF

The full form of RDF is Resource Description Framework. RDF is a method which is used for publishing data and then linking it. It uses XML and URI along with a subject, an object, and a predicate. The subject, predicate, and object are linked with each other and are known as triple. The gathering of a large number of triples helps in creating a knowledge graph.

SPARQL

The full form of SPARQL is Protocol and RDF Query Language. It is a method of storing data that can be used by Web Ontology Language developed by W3C. Machines can interpret this language so that the information can be processed automatically.

OWL

OWL can be expanded to W3C Web Ontology Language. It is a language which is used for the interpretation of data stored by SPARQL. Machines interpret the data for automatic processing and provide reasons regarding the information.

XML

XML stands for Extensible Mark-up Language. It is a language which is used to make the structure of content within a document. It does not have any relation with semantics. XML is an optional component of Semantic Web as other options are also available.

RIF

RIF can be expanded to W3C Rule Interchange Format. It is used for expressing web rules in XML. These rules are used by computers for execution.

Real-world applications of Semantic Web

Semantic Web has many applications and we will discuss some of them here ?

Sharing Product Details

Wholesalers and manufacturers can share the details of the products by using GSI Web Vocabulary. The information related to the products is transmitted in such a way that it is easily read and accessed by a computer. Websites can use this information to make a list of the products label them, mention their sizes, expiration dates, and other details.

SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is a process in which a website owner or a content creator has to deal with the schemas of the search engine by adding linked data tags. This helps the search engine to easily search the page or the website and extract its data.

Describing Skills

Semantic web is being used by many organizations to describe job skills in different ways with the help of a standard taxonomy. Teams can search for candidates who seem to be fit according to the job skills. The semantic web also helps employers to develop better training programs for their employees.

Auto Summarization

Auto Summarization is a process in which data tags are added so that the required information related to a search query can be extracted automatically from different websites.

Control Data Access

Consumers have to fill out the form of different websites and have to provide the same information like name, address, phone number, etc. This can sometimes lead to data loss and hackers may also access it. In order to control this, companies are in touch with government, hospitals, etc. to develop data pods with the help of Solid Open Source protocol which will help users to fill the form and share anywhere they like.

Benefits of Semantic Web

Semantic web has many benefits which are listed below ?

• Semantic web supports different standards like RDF, SPARQL, XML, OWL, etc. which help computers understand the data and also make connections between different resources of data.
• Semantic web uses RDF to extract useful information from the unstructured data
• The cost related to data projects is low
• The search results regarding the queries of users are improved due to the semantic metadata
• Backlinks from different websites are available which help a website to get more traffic
• Semantic web can be used to communicate with a machine through voice

Conclusion

Semantic web is a technology which can be used to link data available on apps, websites, files, etc. Tim Berners-Lee is the inventor of this technology. Semantic web consists of data that can be easily interpreted and understood by machines. Semantic web helps in building relationships between data and content so that web browsing can become smarter. The main motive for introducing the semantic web is to relate semantic metadata and content so that it can become easy to communicate with machines in a human-like manner.

Semantic Web FAQs

1. How to Define Semantic Web?

Semantic web can be considered as a web of data. The main aim of this technology is to use data directly and not in the form of documents. Data can be accessed directly with the help of URIs.

2. Which tools are used by Semantic Web Technology?

The tools used by the semantic web technology are ?

• SPARQL
• RDF Schemas
• OWL
• SKOS
• GRDDL
• POWDER

3. What is URI?

The full form of URI is Uniform Resource Identifier. URI is used for the identification of the real-world objects and the location where they can be found.

4. Which protocols are used in URI to look up the linked data?

The protocols that are used in URIs to look up the linked data are ?

• HTTP
• HTTPS
• Mailto
• File
• Data
• IRC

5. What are the uses of links in Semantic Web?

In semantic web, existing data can be interlinked with new data which can help in the construction of an interconnected ecosystem of information which can be easily processed and understood by machines.