Towards a comprehensive functional layered architecture for the Semantic Web

Abstract

The Semantic Web, as the foreseen successor of the current Web, is envisioned to be a semantically enriched information space usable by machines or agents that perform sophisticated tasks on behalf of their users. The realisation of the Semantic Web prescribe the development of a comprehensive and functional layered architecture for the increasingly semantically expressive languages that it comprises of. A functional architecture is a model specified at an appropriate level of abstraction identifying system components based on required system functionality, whilst a comprehensive architecture is an architecture founded on established design principles within Software Engineering. Within this study, an argument is formulated for the development of a comprehensive and functional layered architecture through the development of a Semantic Web status model, the extraction of the function of established Semantic Web technologies, as well as the development of an evaluation mechanism for layered architectures compiled from design principles as well as fundamental features of layered architectures. In addition, an initial version of such a comprehensive and functional layered architecture for the Semantic Web is constructed based on the building blocks described above, and this architecture is applied to several scenarios to establish the usefulness thereof. In conclusion, based on the evidence collected as result of the research in this study, it is possible to justify the development of an architectural model, or more specifically, a comprehensive and functional layered architecture for the languages of the Semantic Web.