John Hughes
The Semantic Web is the W3C's dream of a next generation internet whereby standard protocols are in place for different machines and applications to communicate efficiently with each other. One example of a current technology that is a stepping stone towards this dream is XML, the eXtensible Mark-up Language.
The concept involves information not just being passed between machines, but also being given meaning, in order that a machine can interpret the infomation effectively.
XML, for example, allows the definition of Mark-up tags. For example, a (concise) journal by Craig David might look like this:
The example above, while not as catchy as Mr David's lyrics, is a good example of how simple information can easily be given meaning in a flexible Mark-up language like XML.
More obvious and important uses for such information could be in medicine and research for example, where patient records could be transferred meaningfully and swiftly. Finance could benefit also, and it goes without saying that there are military benefits to be had.
To find out more about the draft released this week, visit http://www.internetwk.com / story / INW20020801S0008
