The Semantic Web: from Concept to Percept
Ying Ding, Dieter Fensel, Hans Georg Stork · 2003
Abstract. We give a brief overview of a new and exciting research area: the Semantic Web. We introduce some of its main ideas and application domains (with an emphasis on e-business and e-commerce), and report on relevant public funding initiatives in Europe and the US. Finally, we discuss current challenges. The paper also contains a short bibliography as well as pointers to pertinent web sites and European Semantic Web projects. 1 The Concept „The Semantic Web is an extension of the current web in which information is given well-defined meaning, better enabling computers and people to work in co-operation. “ – Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler, Ora Lassila, The Semantic Web, Scientific American, May 2001 The computer has been invented as a device for computation. Today it is also a portal to cyberspace, an entry point to a world-wide network of information exchange and business transactions. The Internet and its most popular application, the World Wide Web, have brought about this change. The World Wide Web in particular, is an impressive success story, both in terms of the amount of available information and the number of people using it. It has reached a critical mass very rapidly and now starts to penetrate most areas of our