Gartner Research

Finding Meaning in the Enterprise: A Semantic Web and Linked Data Primer

Published: 22 December 2011

ID: G00225035

Analyst(s): Darin Stewart

Summary

The modern enterprise exists within a world of information abundance. Applications and business processes generate data at an ever-accelerating rate and in increasingly diverse formats. Semantic Web technologies provide a practical solution for integrating these resources and analyzing them in a way that preserves their original meaning. Linked open data (LOD) is a rich source of data that can augment internal, proprietary information sources to yield insights without the expense of creating the data internally. Together, the Semantic Web and linked data can provide a distinct competitive advantage to the information-intensive enterprise.

Table Of Contents

Summary of Findings

Analysis

  • A Public/Private Data Integration Example
    • The Traditional Approach: Copy and Transform the Silos
    • The New Approach: Connect the Silos
  • The Semantic Web and Linked Data
  • The Semantic Technology Stack
    • Uniform Resource Identifiers
    • The Resource Description Framework (RDF)
    • RDF/XML and RDF Schema (RDFS)
    • Web Ontology Language (OWL)
  • The Future of the Semantic Web
  • Strengths
  • Weaknesses
  • Adopt a Long-Term View of Information Management
  • Take a Go Slow, Incremental Approach to the Semantic Web
  • Establish a Semantic Lab
  • Give a Little, Get a Little
  • Adopt Standard Vocabularies and Use Ontologies Only When Necessary

The Details

  • Case Study 1: Expertise Location at NASA
  • Case Study 2: Clinical Research at the Cleveland Clinic
  • Case Study 3: Semantic Enrichment of Mobile Content at Vodafone

Recommended Reading

Notes

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