Use RDF if…
Resource Description Framework (or RDF) is something that’s long held my interest. RDF stores things like we thing in triples. Triples are very similar to sentences. They have subject (resources), predicates (traits or aspects that express relationship to the object), and objects.
Without going into to much more technical information, imagine that your computer had access to data stored in a similar method that your mind stores information (once you know a language anyway). Applications could then create relationships between things that have similar subjects, predicates, or objects–”if the sky is blue, what else is blue?”
In the book, Practical RDF, I picked up this “rule of thumb” for when to use RDF:
Use RDF if “
the data is of interest, descriptive, and not easily discovered by any other means.” — page 11, Practical RDF
That said, RDF seems to be best suited for data that’s not available in the document, but that the computer may need to know about (now or later). Things like “last modified,” “program used to create,” “mood of author upon creation of piece,” or whatever.
As the “Semantic Web” (or “Web 3.0“) finally begins to become a reality, you may run into the letters, RDF, as you wonder around the web. In any case, RDF will likely form the backdrop for many programs you use. If you’re using Mozilla Firefox or Thunderbird, it already does.
I personally hope to see RDF take a bigger role in our data processing and distribution as the web becomes more open and useful for more than just browsing.
January 28th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Thanks for posting this. As someone who considers himself and “organized creative” I find this topic very interesting. I’ll be looking into it more and more and seeing how this can be incorporated into my work flow.