Making Business Sense of the Semantic Web

Abstract

Abstract. The Semantic Web and RDF offer a powerful platform for a wide range of applications. However, at this time, the semantic business is still in an embryonic stage. This paper analyses real-life applications: (i) A system in operation used to improve the presentation of corporate data, (ii) a prototype of a news clipping service and (iii) a feasibility analysis of a distributed, public administration database. Common to these applications is a "web database" model where resources are "URIed" -made available on the Web -and "RDF-ed" -described by one or multiple authorities. Descriptions are processed by RDFStore and made available to applications. The success factors of these three applications are analysed, and an application model is drawn up with requirements and desirable features for RDF Engines. In conclusion, we look at how and where the Semantic Web business can grow.