Database Reference
In-Depth Information
more detail, starting with Linked Data in the next chapter. This chapter describes the
RDF, the basic language for expressing Linked Data, and then the following chapter
applies RDF to GI.
NOTES
1. There is often an assumption that assignment of identity can only be made by the owner
of the real-world thing; therefore, some people have argued that it is a limiting factor of
the Semantic Web. However, we can all assign our own notion of identity to something
without implying ownership, so this assumption is clearly unfounded.
2. We are grateful to Dr. Muki Hakley of UCL for tracking down the origins of the state-
3. Diversity can be a direct reflection of the complexity of the world; this is what we would
term
necessary diversity
. It can also be a consequence of different people describing the
same underlying complexity in different ways; this is
unnecessary complexity
, and here
standards can help to reduce the diversity. However, it is not always easy to distinguish
between the two cases. If standards are necessary, they can also be represented in terms
of ontology patterns, providing a new way to express old ideas.
