RESTdesc: a functionality-centered approach to semantic service description and composition
Ruben Verborgh, Thomas Steiner, Davy Van Deursen, Sam Coppens, Erik Mannens, Rik Van de Walle, Joaquim Gabarró · 2012
Abstract. If we want automated agents to consume the Web, they need to understand what a certain service does and how it relates to other services and data. The shortcoming of existing service description paradigms is their focus on technical aspects instead of the functional aspect—what task does a service perform, and is this a match for my needs? This paper summarizes our recent work on restdesc, a semantic service description approach that centers on functionality. It has a solid foundation in logics, which enables advanced service matching and composition, while providing elegant and concise descriptions, responding to the demands of automated clients on the future Web of Agents. 1 Where are the agents? When asked as researchers to explain what the Semantic Web is about, how do we respond? Many would refer to the initial vision of automated agents browsing the Web and executing tasks for us. But exactly how far are we today? Ten years have passed since the famous Scientific American article [2], yet co-author