Bio-IT World.com

Semantic Web technology has the potential to greatly improve the way researchers find, access, share, and use data. But like any new technology, there is a learning curve that must be overcome before the technology is widely adopted.

An online poll of Bio-IT World readers found that many life scientists do not know much about the Semantic Web. For example, about 37 percent of the poll’s 150 respondents said they were clueless when it came to the Semantic Web. Another 16 percent said they were vaguely aware, but needed more information. An additional 15 percent said they were intrigued by the Semantic Web, but were unsure of how to get involved (see Masters of the Semantic Web, October 2005, Bio-IT World).

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has been doing its part by developing Semantic Web standards for data description and identification, an ontology language, and a Semantic Web rules language. Respectively, these standards are the Resource Description Framework (RDF), Web Ontology Language (OWL), and the Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL).

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