|
Explorer's Guide to the Semantic Web Thomas B. Passin 2004 | 304 pages ISBN: 1932394206 |
|||
 |
$39.95 | Softbound print book | |
|
$20.00 | PDF ebook | |
Table of Contents
preface xiii
acknowledgments xv
about this book xvii
- 1 The Semantic Web 1
- 1.1 What is the Semantic Web? 3
- Indexing and retrieving information 5
- Meta data 5
- Annotation 6
- A huge interoperable database 6
- Machine retrieval of data 6
- Services 7
- Discovery 7
- Intelligent agents 8
- 1.2 Two Semantic Web scenarios 8
- Can the Semantic Web work this way? 10
- 1.3 The Semantic Web’s foundation 10
- Resources 11
- Standardized addressing 11
- Small set of commands 12
- Scalability and large networks 12
- Openness, completeness, and consistency 13
- The Web and the Semantic Web 13
- 1.4 The Semantic Web layer cake 14
- The base 16
- Properties and relationships 17
- Analysis, verification, and trust 17
- 1.5 Summary 18
- 2 Describing data with RDF 19
- 2.1 Introducing RDF 22
- Some terminology 22
- Identifying resources 23
- Anonymous resources 25
- RDF and conventional databases 25
- 2.2 Working with RDF properties 28
- Properties as resources 28
- Names, labels, and identifiers 29
- Properties of statements 30
- 2.3 Visualizing statements with RDF graphs 30
- Resources with many statements 31
- Anonymous nodes 32
- Resources as objects of statements 33
- Container nodes 34
- Graphing properties of statements 35
- 2.4 Six RDF applications 37
- RDF in Mozilla 37
- RSS 37
- RDF for annotations: Annotea 38
- Bibliographic meta data: Dublin Core 39
- WebScripter: fusing information 39
- Haystack: personal information management 40
- 2.5 Meshing data and meta data 41
- The data model 41
- The data in table format 42
- The relationships between tables 43
- The RDF version of the data 44
- Table versions of the data 46
- Why bother with RDF? 47
- 2.6 Sharing data 47
- RDF/XML syntax 48
- Non-XML formats 56
- 2.7 RDF in the real world of the Web 56
- What does a URI reference indicate? 56
- Contradictory statements 58
- Incomplete information 58
- Limitations 58
- 2.8 Summary 59
- 3 Navigating information with topic maps 60
- 3.1 What are topic maps? 61
- An example index 62
- The subject of a topic 66
- Properties 68
- Scopes 69
- Summary of key features 70
- Collocation, navigation, and representation of information 70
- Merging topic maps 71
- Maturity of Topic Maps software 72
- 3.2 Basic models of topic maps 72
- Abstract model 73
- Implementation approaches 77
- 3.3 Sharing topic maps between computers 78
- 3.4 Topic map examples 79
- Weather events 80
- Conference proceedings 81
- 3.5 Topic maps and the Web 82
- 3.6 Topic maps and RDF 84
- RDF: information by the atom 84
- Topic maps: proteins of knowledge 85
- The subject, revisited 85
- Theoretical basis 86
- Data structures as first-class citizens 86
- Strengths and weaknesses 86
- 3.7 How topic maps are used in practice 87
- 3.8 Summary 88
- 4 Annotation 90
- 4.1 What is annotation? 91
- 4.2 Annotations at full power 92
- 4.3 Current web annotation systems 94
- Wiki collaboratives 95
- Annotea 96
- Multivalent browser 99
- 4.4 Improving annotation 103
- 4.5 Summary 105
- 4.2 Annotations at full power 92
- 5 Searching 106
- 5.1 Searching the Web 108
- Kinds of searches 108
- So near and yet so far 109
- Behind the scenes 110
- 5.2 Search strategies 112
- Keywords 112
- Ontologies 113
- Meta data 114
- Semantic analysis 114
- Semantic focusing 117
- Social analysis 118
- Multiple passes 120
- Peer to peer 120
- Clustering 121
- 5.3 Distorting results and spoofing search engines 123
- 5.4 Searching and the Semantic Web 124
- Self-describing meta data: no panacea 124
- Semantic Web possibilities for improving searching 124
- Searching and web services 125
- 5.5 Summary 126
- 6 The role of logic 127
- 6.1 What logic is good for 128
- Rules 129
- Inferring facts 130
- Explanations 131
- Contradictions and interpretations 131
- Ontologies 133
- The representation of knowledge 134
- Queries 134
- Combining information 135
- 6.2 All logics aren’t created equal 135
- First-order logic: the logic of individual things 136
- Second-order logic: the logic of types and relationships 136
- Finessing complexity 137
- Life beyond first-order logic 137
- 6.3 Two pitfalls 138
- Don’t swallow the whole Web 138
- Knowledge pollution 139
- 6.4 Patchwork quilt or seamless whole? 139
- 6.5 Summary 140
- 7 Ontology 141
- 7.1 Basic classification 143
- Lists, hierarchies, and trees 143
- Classification groups 145
- 7.2 Arranging names 148
- Names and identifiers 148
- Properties 149
- 7.3 Building ontologies 150
- Frameworks 151
- On designing ontologies 151
- Other considerations 152
- 7.4 Languages for ontologies 155
- RDFS 155
- OWL 161
- DAML + OIL 168
- 7.5 Summary 169
- 8 Semantic Web services 170
- 8.1 What are web services? 171
- Web pages as services 172
- Beyond the plain web page 172
- How semantic are today’s web services? 173
- Elements of web services 173
- 8.2 Exchanging data 174
- Web only? 175
- To RDF or not? 175
- SOAP 175
- RDF with SOAP 177
- HTML forms 177
- 8.3 Invoking services 178
- Using HTTP for web services 178
- About HTTP messages 178
- Remote procedure calls 181
- The Web versus RPC 181
- The RPC controversy 184
- 8.4 Describing and finding services 186
- Connecting to services 186
- Discovering services 194
- Describing web service processes 198
- 8.5 Will web services converge with the Semantic Web? 201
- 8.6 Summary 202
- 9 Agents 204
- 9.1 What is an intelligent agent? 205
- 9.2 Agents at work 207
- 9.3 Basic agent types 207
- Logic-based agents 208
- Reactive agents 209
- Belief-desire-intention agents 209
- Layered architectures 209
- 9.4 Agent interactions 210
- 9.5 Agents on the Semantic Web 212
- Beyond factory agents 212
- Agent evolution 213
- 9.6 Frameworks and standards 213
- Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents 213
- FIPA-OS and other FIPA implementations 215
- Java Agent Services 217
- 9.7 Summary 217
- 9.2 Agents at work 207
- 10 Distributed trust and belief 219
- 10.1 The territory 221
- 10.2 Tools of trust 222
- Private keys 222
- Public keys 223
- Digests 223
- Public Key Infrastructure 223
- Digital signing 227
- A trust scorecard 228
- 10.3 Reliable and believable? 229
- All statements aren’t equal 230
- Handling contradictory information 230
- Dealing with information of uncertain reliability 231
- 10.4 Agents and the Web of Trust 233
- 10.5 Summary 234
- 10.2 Tools of trust 222
- 11 Putting it all together 236
- 11.1 Just what is the Semantic Web? 237
- 11.2 Scenarios redux 238
- The first scenario 238
- The second scenario 242
- The scenarios in perspective 244
- 11.3 Some Key Issues 244
- Scalability 245
- Ontologies—universal or piecework 245
- Identity 246
- Strong AI and the role of logical reasoning 247
- Embedded semantic markup 247
- Web services and the Semantic Web 248
- Trust, belief, and confidence 248
- 11.4 How semantic will it be? 249
- 11.5 Can it really come about? 250
- The technology front 250
- Plugging in 251
- Growing the Semantic Web 254
- 11.2 Scenarios redux 238
- Appendix Case studies 256
- A.1 FOAF: Friend of a Friend 257
- Sharing a bit of yourself 257
- A FOAF example 258
- Identification without universal IDs 259
- Board of a board 260
- Lessons 262
- A.2 Browser bookmarks 262
- Goals for the case study 263
- Conventional bookmark managers 263
- Modeling the bookmark collection 264
- Simple means 268
- A.3 Reflections on the case studies 268
references 269
index 275DESCRIPTION
A complex set of extensions to the World Wide Web, the Semantic Web will make data and services more accessible to computers and useful to people. Some of these extensions are being deployed, and many are coming in the next years. This is the only book to explore the territory of the Semantic Web in a broad and conceptual manner.
This Guide acquaints you with the basic ideas and technologies of the Semantic Web, their roles and inter-relationships. The key areas covered include knowledge modeling (RDF, Topic Maps), ontology (OWL), agents (intelligent and otherwise), distributed trust and belief, "semantically-focused" search, and much more.
The book's basic, conceptual approach is accessible to readers with a wide range of backgrounds and interests. Important points are illustrated with diagrams and occasional markup fragments. As it explores the landscape it encounters an ever-surprising variety of novel ideas and unexpected links. The book is easy and fun to read - you may find it hard to put down.
The Semantic Web is coming. This is a guide to the basic concepts and technologies that will come with it.
Threads Explored
- Scenarios of use
- Semantic Web layering
- A society of agents
- Trust and belief
- The life of annotations
- Collective knowledge
- The challenge of information:
- incomplete
- erroneous
- conflicting
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK...
Outstanding Academic Title for 2005
"A thorough look at one vision of the Web's future …particularly well written...Highly recommended."
-- Choice Magazine"I recommend this book to students, developers, and researchers who are curious about the Semantic
Web, or who are looking for an upper-level viewpoint..."
-- Computing ReviewsABOUT THE AUTHOR...
Thomas Passin is Principal Systems Engineer with Mitretek Systems, a non-profit systems and information engineering company. He has been involved in data modeling and created several complex database-backed web sites and also became engaged in a range of conceptual modeling approaches and graphical modeling technologies. He was a key member of a team that developed several demonstration XML-based web service applications, and worked on creating XML versions of draft standards originally written in ASN.1.
He graduated with a B. S. in physics from the Massachussetts Institute of Technology, then studied graduate-level physics at the University of Chicago. He became involved with XML-related work in 1998, with Topic Maps in 1999 and developed the open-source TM4JScript Javascript topic map engine.
Mr. Passin is the coauthor of the book Signal Processing in C. He lives in Reston, Virginia.