W3C RDF and OWLActivity
RDF and OWL are two important Semantic Web technologies.
Semantic Web
The Semantic Web provides a framework for asset management, enterprise integration, and the sharing and reuse of data on the Web.
The Semantic Web provides a platform-independent and software-independent framework for data sharing among enterprises, applications, companies, communities, and individuals.
RDF and OWL are key technologies of the Semantic Web. They respectively describe structural descriptions and World Wide Web-based ontology.
RDF - Resource Description Framework
RDF is a language for expressing information on the World Wide Web.
RDF can be used to describe Web resources, such as titles, authors, version information, content descriptions, availability schedules, and so on.
If you need to learn about RDF, please visit ourRDF Tutorial。
OWL - Web Ontology Language
OWL is a language for defining ontologies.
Ontologies can describe domains of knowledge. They can be used by humans or software to share information about objects, which can be cars, houses, machines, books, products, financial transactions, and so on.
OWL is designed to process information (rather than real-world information).
If you need to learn more about OWL, please visit ourRDF Tutorial。
SPARQL - Query Language for RDF
SPARQL is the standard query language for RDF data, providing developers with a way to write query programs that span a wide range of RDF information across the Web.
W3C Specifications and Timeline
| Specification | Draft/Proposal | Recommendation Date |
|---|---|---|
| RDF Primer | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Test Cases | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Concept | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Semantics | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Schema | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Syntax | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Overview | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Guide | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Reference Manual | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Syntax | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Test Cases | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Use Cases | 10. Feb 2004 | |
| Parsing OWL in RDF | 21. Jan 2004 | |
| SPARQL Language | 15. Jan 2008 |