The current stack of modeling languages for the web of data provide excellent mechanisms for capturing the static structure of data. SKOS can be used to describe concept hierarchies and vocabularies. RDF Schema and OWL can be used to define classes, properties and relationships between these conceptual entities. There is, however, a key set of application requirements these languages have not dealt with. Namely, the way to describe general computational behavior of objects.

These requirements are now addressed by an emerging standard that uses SPARQL to express rules for the Semantic Web. It is called SPARQL Inferencing Notation or SPIN. Because of its heavy use of SPARQL it is also known as SPARQL Rules. SPIN has recently been accepted by W3C as a member submission from TopQuadrant, OpenLink and RPI.

SPIN combines concepts from object oriented languages, query languages, and rule-based systems to describe object behavior on the web of data. Read more

SemTechBiz is Less Than 2 Weeks Away

The Semantic Tech & Business Conference (SemTechBiz) is coming to San Francisco on June 3-7! Join us for case studies, innovative panels, tutorials, and keynotes that will provide you with practical advice, hands-on guidance, and breakthrough approaches to solving business problems with semantic technology. Passes go up $200 at the door. Sign up now and save !

Semantic Technologies have much to offer today’s successful business, with regulatory, operational and economic forces combining to require that timely and accurate data from across the enterprise be available on demand and at the point of need. Clear benefits are often disguised, though, by obscure language, serious misconceptions about what ‘the Semantic Web’ could or should be, and an unfortunate tendency to advocate ‘semantic technology’ per se rather than specific solutions to tangible business problems.

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