Semantic Web facts for kids

The Semantic Web is like an upgrade for the internet that helps computers understand information better. Imagine if computers could not just show you a webpage, but also understand what the words on that page actually mean. This idea comes from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), a group that sets standards for the internet. It uses special "metadata" – which is like extra notes or labels – to give computers more details about what they are looking at. This makes it easier for computers to find, share, and combine information, almost like they can think about it.

The Semantic Web was a big dream of Tim Berners-Lee, the person who invented the World Wide Web. He wanted the internet to be more "intuitive," meaning it would understand what users need without them having to be super specific. He imagined a web where machines could talk to each other and handle many daily tasks, making things like shopping or finding information much easier.

What is the Semantic Web?

Tim Berners-Lee's big idea was to make the internet smarter. He wanted computers to be able to analyze all the information online – the text, the links, and even how people and computers interact. He called this the 'Semantic Web'. His goal was for computers to do more of the hard work in finding and using information.

He once said:

I have a dream for the Web [in which computers] become capable of analyzing all the data on the Web – the content, links, and transactions between people and computers. A ‘Semantic Web’, which should make this possible, has yet to emerge, but when it does, the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy and our daily lives will be handled by machines talking to machines. The ‘intelligent agents’ people have touted for ages will finally materialize.

This means that instead of just showing you words, the web would understand the meaning behind those words. For example, if you search for "apple," the computer would know if you mean the fruit or the company, based on other clues.

How Does the Semantic Web Work?

Today's internet mainly uses HTML (HyperText Markup Language) to build webpages. HTML tells your browser how to display text and images. The Semantic Web adds another layer using something called Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Web Ontology Language (OWL).

Think of it this way:

• HTML tells a computer, "This is a heading," or "This is a picture."
• RDF and OWL tell a computer, "This heading is about a person," or "This picture shows a type of animal."

This extra information helps machines understand the meaning of data. It's like giving computers a dictionary and a grammar book for the entire internet. By using this deeper understanding, computers can process information in ways that are more like how humans think. This allows them to give you more accurate and helpful results when you search or use online services.

For example, if you're planning a trip, a Semantic Web-powered system could not only find flights and hotels but also understand your preferences (like "family-friendly" or "near the beach") and suggest activities that fit your interests, all by understanding the meaning of the data.

See also

• In Spanish: Web semántica para niños