Database Reference
In-Depth Information
The following are points to remember:
• RDF is a graph data model, most easily understandable using the
Turtle format, which exposes the triple structure more clearly than the
XML syntax.
•
Separate the identification of a document or data about a resource from the
URI of the resource itself so that your data is semantically accurate.
•
The Linked Data approach is to publish using a standard data structure,
namely RDF, which offers considerable advantages when it comes to data
integration, compared with the proprietary data structure offered by a
REST Web service API.
•
Many Linked Data technologies, particularly those relating to link discov-
ery, authentication, and trust, as well as Linked Data user interfaces such as
browsers, are still very immature.
11.6 BENEFITS AND BUSINESS MODELS
There are four primary reasons for using Semantic Web technology, namely, for
data integration; for data repurposing; for data collection, classification, and quality
control; and finally for data publishing and discovery.
The majority of Linked Data is open and free at the point of use with varying
licensing restrictions. This model is attractive to many governments where there is
the need to make their data more accessible to the population. Much open Linked
Data has also been published by individuals and voluntary groups such as GeoNames,
where the driver is an altruistic desire to provide publicly available resources.
A number of commercial business models have been suggested for Linked Data
publication: the subsidy model, increasing traffic to the publisher's site, advertis-
ing, certification, affiliation, service bundles and data aggregation, branding, and
finally the direct payment model, either pay as you go or via subscription. This
last case is most likely to occur as part of a freemium model, where some portion
of the data is provided free and users upgrade to the paid version for enhanced
data access.
Of all the business model options, we would argue that the freemium model is
of the most interest to a commercial GI publisher since it can provide the open-
ness required to improve discoverability while also protecting the value of the data;
however, to date only the subsidy model has really been implemented.
The following are points to remember:
•
Semantic Web technology brings benefits to data integration; data repurpos-
ing; data collection, classification, and quality control; and data publishing
and discovery.
•
The majority of data currently in circulation is published as open data by
governments and voluntary groups.
•
Thus far, only the subsidy business model has been used, although we
would recommend a freemium model for GI publishers.
