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Scaffolding the Semantic WebScaffolding the Semantic WebAaron B. HeltonSt. Edward’s UniversityMCIS 6309.01February 10, 20081
 
Scaffolding the Semantic WebAbstractTim Berners-Lee described his vision of a Web in which information could be transferred not just to humans but also to machines, ushering in an era where machines could combine data inways that only humans could do before. The end goal is the potential generation of newknowledge, machine-interpretable intelligence, and the ability for machines to determine theanswer to specific questions. While his vision has yet to materialize significantly, many of theenabling factors have begun to form and mature, and it is from these that the next steps, albeitintermediary in nature, can be taken. Based on existing case and use studies available at theWorld Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web site (Herman, I. & Stephens, S., 2007), such earlySemantic Web enabling factors to date have been in very specific domains, solving specific problems. This is likely to continue, but it is only by building these foundations that a fullrealization of the Semantic Web can be achieved. This paper demonstrates how such building blocks can be created here and now, with an eye on a particular domain: the United Statestourism industry, especially as it applies to taxpayer funded programs.2
 
Scaffolding the Semantic WebIntroduction to the Semantic WebAccording to Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web (“Tim Berners-Lee,”2008), the Semantic Web is a Web in which computers “become capable of analyzing all the dataon the Web…machines talking to machines.” (“Semantic Web,” 2008) The repercussions of thisinclude the recombination of Web-enabled data and information in ways unimagined by theoriginal creators and extensible to the application of any new domain. In short, the SemanticWeb will allow both end users and machines to ask specific questions and get meaningfulanswers, as opposed to being presented a simple list of documents with keyword matches.The concept of the Semantic Web is not new. At the time of this writing, it is nearly tenyears old, and yet it has not fully materialized beyond an extensive set of framework andspecification documents; implementations exist in domain-specific forms, where it is used tosolve domain-specific problems. But lest it remain forever locked in architectural documents, itselements must be applied to as many domains as possible, solving as many domain-specific problems as possible. This will ultimately enable the full realization of the Semantic Web.While the architecture and framework pieces have been fairly well documented,application has only recently begun, and there is still much to be done. The next step is to createspecific use cases so that others may follow suit. An iterative approach seems most likely, asadoption in some industries is evident, while the Semantic Web is largely absent in many others.As new implementations arise, adoption will reach a critical mass, and early efforts should provide ample payoff for the pioneers.Getting There from Here: US Tax Funded TourismThe Semantic Web is not going to build itself. New implementations will foster other new implementations, but those intermediary applications have to be created. What is needed,3
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