W3C RDF and OWL Events
RDF and OWL are two important Semantic Web technologies.
Semantic Web
The Semantic Web provides a framework for asset management, enterprise integration, and the sharing and reuse of network data.
The Semantic Web provides a platform-independent and software-independent framework for data sharing among enterprises, applications, companies, groups, and individuals.
RDF and OWL are key technologies of the Semantic Web. They respectively elaborate on structural descriptions and ontology based on the World Wide Web.
RDF - Resource Description Framework
RDF is a language used to express information on the World Wide Web.
RDF can be used to describe web resources, such as titles, authors, version information, content descriptions, available schedules, and so on.
If you need to learn about RDF, please visit our RDF Tutorial.
OWL - Web Ontology Language
OWL is a language used to define ontologies.
Ontologies can describe the domain of knowledge. They can be used by humans or software to share information about objects, which can be cars, houses, machines, books, products, financial transactions, and so on.
OWL is designed to process information (not real information).
If you need to learn more about OWL, please visit our RDF Tutorial.
SPARQL - Query Language for RDF
SPARQL is a standard query language for RDF data, which provides developers with a way to write wide-area RDF information query programs on the WEB.
W3C Standards and Timeline
| Standard | Draft/Proposal | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| RDF Primer | February 10, 2004 | |
| RDF Test Cases | February 10, 2004 | |
| RDF Concept | February 10, 2004 | |
| RDF Semantics | February 10, 2004 | |
| RDF Schema | February 10, 2004 | |
| RDF Syntax | February 10, 2004 | |
| OWL Overview | February 10, 2004 | |
| OWL Guide | February 10, 2004 | |
| OWL Reference | February 10, 2004 | |
| OWL Syntax | February 10, 2004 | |
| OWL Test Cases | February 10, 2004 | |
| OWL Use Cases | February 10, 2004 | |
| Parsing OWL in RDF | January 21, 2004 | |
| SPARQL Requirements | March 25, 2005 | |
| SPARQL Language | January 15, 2008 |
