Mike Bergman has posted an interesting article on the topic of structure as it pertains to the web. Bergman writes, “One of the main reasons I am such a big fan of RDF as a canonical data model is its ability to capture information in structured, semi-structured and unstructured form. These sources are conventionally defined as: (1) Structured data — information presented according to a defined data model, often found in relational databases or other forms of tabular data. (2) Semi-structured data — does not conform with the formal structure of data models, but contains tags or other markers to denote fields within the content. Markup languages embedded in text are a common form of such sources. (3) Unstructured data — information content, generally oriented to text, that lacks an explicit data model or schema; structured information can be obtained from it via data mining or information extraction.”

He continues, “A major trend I have written about for some time is the emergence of the structured Web: that is, the exposing of structure from these varied sources in order for more information to be interconnected and made interoperable. I have posited — really a view shared by many — that the structured Web is an intermediate point in the evolution of the Web from one of documents to one where meaningful semantics occurs. It is clear in my writings — indeed in the very name of my company, Structured Dynamics — that structure plays a major role in our thinking. The use and reliance on this term, though, begs the question: just what is structure in an informational sense? We’ll find it helpful to get at the question of What is structure? from a basis using first principles. And this, in turn, may also provide insight into how structure and information are in fact inextricably entwined.”

Read more here.

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