Arguing Semantics The Net cook is brewing up a new Web. Are you ready for a taste test?
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If the current Web is a marinara, then the Semantic Web is amuch richer cream sauce. Don't worry if you haven't heardof it yet; you're about to get a crash course. To start,combine a serving of data integration, a heap of developingtechnology and a helping of philosophy for flavor. Mix well. Thefuture of the Web is starting to look very tasty.
This probably makes you wonder, "Just what is the SemanticWeb?" That's the same question we asked Eric Miller,Semantic Web Activity Lead for the Web standards body World WideWeb Consortium (W3C). "The Semantic Web is an extension of thecurrent Web," says Miller. "The specific focus of this isto provide a means where information is given a well-definedmeaning, better enabling machines to process, manipulate andintegrate this information into additional services so that humanscan better take advantage of these things."
Sound a little vague to you? Then you're on the right track.The key to not being confused by all this is to take a wide view.Just as you would have been hard-pressed to describe the World WideWeb as it is today back in 1990, it's hard to describe todaywhat the Semantic Web will be like in five or 10 years-but thepotential is huge, and it will make a difference in the way youconduct business.
Miller emphasizes that the concepts behind the Semantic Webaren't new. Ideas about describing and integrating data andplacing a premium on their relationships have been around sinceAristotle. Tim Berners-Lee, known as the Father of the Web, evenincluded the foundations for the Semantic Web in his originalproposal for the Web in 1989. We're just now getting around tothe implementation part.
"The Semantic Web is all about data integration-much richerways of organizing things based on contextual relationships,"says Miller. The best places to see this in action right now are atMusicBrainz.org and Epinions.com. MusicBrainz is a collaborativemetadatabase site that deals with music tracks. Epinions logsproducts of all types and integrates pricing, catalogs and consumeropinions. When brought together in a meaningful way, these smallbits of information form a greater whole.
It takes some forward thinking and imagination to start seeinghow this approach could make your business stronger. "Whatwe're trying to do is provide the infrastructure that makesthis stuff possible at the Web level and [lets it] trickle backdown into businesses," says Miller. For instance, if you wereable to integrate your company's information on a customer withdata from partner companies or information collected from variouslocations on the Web, you'd gain a much better understanding ofthe customer and could better serve his or her needs. Bingo: betterbusiness. Remember, this is just one possible example pulled from awide-open horizon.
For tech entrepreneurs, the Semantic Web is a vast and temptingnew frontier. While the W3C is helping to shepherd enablingstandards along, it is really the work of independent organizationsand companies that will provide much of the fuel. Like the originalWeb, it's very much a grass-roots movement. Growing businessesshould look for opportunities to create new technologies andservices based on Semantic Web concepts.
Let's make sure we have a good grasp on this. What is theSemantic Web? Miller says, "It's inclusive of all sorts ofthings, not just documents," says Miller. "We'retaking ideas that have worked on the Web and extending them intothe real world and beginning to build a richer network ofinformation. Once we do this, a whole new set of services wouldtake place and are taking place." From here on out, there willbe many opportunities for entrepreneurs to take this and run withit, both as developers and as users.
The true story of the Semantic Web will be written as it becomesa global evolution. And not just in a geographic sense. Just as theWeb has worked its way inside businesses in the form of intranets,we can expect the Semantic Web to do the same, enhancingproductivity and saving time and money. Visit the W3C online atW3.org for the history, latest information and detaileddevelopments.