>even if there is other data out there that we can >query, we have to know the URI where it is located.
I'd rephrase that: "if there is data out there that you can query, all you need to know is the URI where it is located!" Neither relational or XML approaches can offer this. For your scenario, I'd say that some of the key benefits are the ease of sharing data, ease of aggregation, and flexibility of the potential data models. If you're going to have a single application that all users log into, and the data fits neatly into normalized tables, than a relational database may well be a better solution, but the success of GEDCOM XML has already shown that greater flexibility and a more distributed approach is better than a centralized relational one for genealogical data. A semantic web approach adds to the XML approach by letting you, for example, add your own properties to the model that you use for your own family data while still keeping your data compatible with that of other people doing genealogy work. This sort of thing is possible with XML, but it's much more difficult to do well. Building applications to make use of data in a semantic web model--especially if you've customized any of the models of the data used in the application--will also be easier with a semantic web application platform like TopBraid than with any XML tools that I can think of. The web page "The Semantic Web for Family History" at http://jay.askren.net/Projects/SemWeb/ shows that this guy has done some interesting explorations in this direction. Bob DuCharme TopQuadrant On Sun, Jan 15, 2012 at 3:16 AM, Bruce Whealton <[email protected]>wrote: > I have been developing this Genealogy website which I will have a TBC > component that is separate eventually. I was looking for help on > Odesk.com and someone said that he found the Semantic Web very > interesting but he admitted he was very new to this area and so he > didn't want to be hired until he got up to speed. > > Anyway, we have been looking at the ways that a Semantic Web > application can be different and better - open data, open database, > global database, etc. He brings up an important point when trying > to promote this or "sell" this to a public that may not be all very > tech savvy. They care about benefits and features. ... whether it > is the benefits of Open-Linked Data or other features of the giant > global graph, and the reasoning that can be done. > > I could use any advice or ideas on how we can promote the benefits of > Semantic Web Technologies and applications. My future helper pointed > out the question why not just do this with a relational db model. I > think we got stuck on the fact that even if there is other data out > there that we can query, we have to know the URI where it is located. > However, there indeed are ways to discover this information. Some of > this, in this last paragraph deals with technical issues which may not > be of interest to those who only care about features and are not tech > savvy. > Thanks in advance for any and all feedback, > I'm collecting all the ideas I get - it's always been a challenge to > me to "sell" Semantic Web Technologies or the Semantic Web, no matter > how fascinating it is to me and fun. > Bruce > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Group "TopBraid Suite Users", the topics of which include TopBraid > Composer, > TopBraid Live, TopBraid Ensemble, SPARQLMotion and SPIN. > To post to this group, send email to > [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/topbraid-users?hl=en > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Group "TopBraid Suite Users", the topics of which include TopBraid Composer, TopBraid Live, TopBraid Ensemble, SPARQLMotion and SPIN. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/topbraid-users?hl=en
