Query Language for Web Apps Expanded by W3C

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/20/08
##AUTHORSPLIT##<--->

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which develops Web standards, published three new semantic Web standards for SPARQL (pronounced "sparkle"), a query language. SPARQL queries hid the details of data management, which makes it easier for users to access multiple data sources.

Because SPARQL has no tie to a specific database format, it can be used to work with Web 2.0 data and mash it up with other semantic Web resources. Also, because disparate data sources may not have the same "shape" or share the same properties, SPARQL is designed to query non-uniform data.

Trying to use the Semantic Web without SPARQL is like trying to use a relational database without SQL," explained Tim Berners-Lee, W3C director, in a press release. "SPARQL makes it possible to query information from databases and other diverse sources in the wild, across the Web."

There are 14 implementations of SPARQL available, many open source. For example, Hewlett-Packard's Jena Semantic Web framework, a freely available open source Java framework for building semantic Web applications, now includes SDB, a SPARQL database system.

Get daily news from THE Journal's RSS News Feed

About the author: Dian Schaffhauser covers high tech, business and higher education for a number of publications. Contact her at [email protected].

Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at [email protected].

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • open book with glowing AI-generated text, images, and diagrams

    AI Can Help Educators Avoid the Mistakes of the Past or Repeat Them

    Generative AI is already shaping the future of education, but its true potential is only beginning to unfold.

  • three main icons—a cloud, a user profile, and a padlock—connected by circuit lines on a blue abstract background

    Identity Has Become a Critical Security Perimeter for Cloud Services

    A new threat landscape report from Fortinet points to new cloud vulnerabilities. According to the company's 2025 Global Threat Landscape Report, while misconfigured cloud storage buckets were once a prime vector for cybersecurity exploits, other cloud missteps are gaining focus.

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.