W3C RDF and OWL Activities
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 offers a platform- and software-independent framework for data sharing between enterprises, applications, companies, groups, and individuals.
RDF and OWL are key technologies of the Semantic Web. They respectively address structural descriptions and ontologies based on the World Wide Web.
RDF - Resource Description Framework
RDF is a language for expressing information on the World Wide Web.
RDF can be used to describe web resources, such as titles, authors, version information, content descriptions, availability schedules, and more.
If you need to learn about RDF, please visit our RDF Tutorial.
OWL - Web Ontology Language
OWL is a language for defining ontologies.
Ontologies describe knowledge domains and can be used by humans or software to share information about objects, which can range from cars and houses to machines, books, products, financial transactions, and more.
OWL is designed for processing information (rather than presenting it).
If you need to learn more about OWL, please visit our RDF Tutorial.
SPARQL - Query Language for RDF
SPARQL is the standard query language for RDF data, providing developers with a way to write queries across wide-area RDF information on the Web.
W3C Specifications and Timelines
| Specification | Draft/Proposal | Recommendation Date |
|---|---|---|
| RDF Primer | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Test Cases | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Concept | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Semantics | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Schema | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| RDF Syntax | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Overview | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Guide | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Reference | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Syntax | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Test Cases | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| OWL Use Cases | 10 Feb 2004 | |
| Parsing OWL in RDF | 21 Jan 2004 | |
| SPARQL Language | 15 Jan 2008 |