The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is promoting the usage of common data file types on the Internet. It is a framework that would allow data to be shared and reused because of the set standards.
As a framework that is used to represent knowledge, ontology is used to define the types, properties, and relationships of entities. It is used to organize information.
Semantic Web and Online Library Catalog
Libraries are starting to convert their catalogs to conform with this framework for organizing data. It is a big change from the systems they have been using and will require a lot of time and effort to convert the catalog over to the new system.
Used to define data, the XML schema is a programming language used to tag information within certain categories. This is done through hierarchical trees, with one or more categories fitting under another category to define the outer category.
Another programming language used to tag information, the RDF schema is similar to the XML schema. The exception is that the RDF schema does not used hierarchical trees to define the information.
Working in conjunction with the RDF schema, OIL used simple description logic to define the classes, properties, and hierarchy of data. It is used in classifying data.
Web Services use web applications to connect devices, laptops, tablets, smart phones, to each other over the Internet. These applications have code that allow them to work together over the different platforms and exchange and manipulate data.
A combination of semantic web and web services, semantic web services is something that does not fully exist yet, but is being continually pursued. Using the framework of the semantic web, the organization of ontology, and the connectivity of the web services, semantic web services would streamline and greatly improve the functionality of the creation, transfer, and manipulation of data.
Semantic Web Services and Libraries
All of this is important to libraries because libraries classify, organize, and catalog information and the semantic web services will greatly improve this process. All of this coming together will improve the interaction between people and information.
http://semanticweb.com/the-future-of-libraries-linked-data-and-schema-org-extensions_b35315
