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RDF (Resource Description Framework)

The Resource Description Framework (RDF),  is a labeled graph data format for representing information on the Web. As Lassila and Swick (1999) describe it, “is a foundation for processing metadata; it provides interoperability between applications that exchange machine-understandable information on the Web. RDF emphasizes facilities to enable automated processing of Web resources.” The authors also explain that “The foundation of RDF is a model for representing named properties and property values. (…) RDF properties may be thought of as attributes of resources and in this sense correspond to traditional attribute-value pairs. RDF properties also represent relationships between resources and an RDF model can therefore resemble an entity-relationship diagram.” In other words, RDF is used to represent personal information, social networks, metadata about digital artifacts, among other things. Besides, it provides a means of integration over distinct sources of information.

 

Reference

Lassila, Ora, and Ralph R Swick. 1999. “Resource Description Framework (RDF) Model and Syntax Specification.” February 1999. https://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-rdf-syntax-19990222/.