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Encyclopedia of Database Systems pp 1–4Cite as

Resource Description Framework (RDF) Schema (RDFS)

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Synonyms

Conceptual schemas

Definition

An RDF schema (RDFS) is represented in the basic RDF model and provides (i) abstraction mechanisms, such (multiple) class or property subsumption and (multiple) classification of resources; (ii) domain and range class specifications to which properties can apply; (iii) documentation facilities for names defined in a schema.

RDF/S follow the W3C design principles of interoperability, evolution and decentralization. In particular, it is possible to interconnect in an extensible way resource descriptions (by superimposing different statements using the same resource URIs) or schema namespaces (by reusing or refining existing class and property definitions) regardless of their physical location on the Web.

Key Points

Over the last decade, RDF and its accompanying RDFS specifications has been the subject of an extensive collaborative design effort. (1 http://www.w3.org/RDF) RDF/S was originally developed as an application-neutral model to represent...

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Recommended Reading

  1. Beckett D. RDF/XML syntax specification (revised). W3C recommendation. Available online at: http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-syntax-grammar/. 2004.

  2. Brickley D, Guha RV. RDF Vocabulary Description Language 1.0: RDF Schema. W3C Recommendation. Available online at: http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-schema/. 2004.

  3. Hayes P. RDF Semantics. W3C Recommendation. Available online at: http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-mt/. 2004.

  4. Klyne G, Carroll J. Resource Description Framework (RDF): Concepts and Abstract Syntax. W3C Recommendation. Available online at: http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-concepts/. 2004.

  5. Manola F, Miller E. RDF Primer W3C Recommendation. Available online at: http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-primer/. 2004.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INRIA Paris-Roquencourt, Paris, France

    Vassilis Christophides

Authors
  1. Vassilis Christophides
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vassilis Christophides .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Ling Liu

  2. University of Waterloo School of Computer Science, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    M. Tamer Özsu

Section Editor information

  1. Fac. of IE & Mgmt., Technion--Israel Inst. of Technology, Haifa, Haifa, Israel

    Avigdor Gal

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Christophides, V. (2016). Resource Description Framework (RDF) Schema (RDFS). In: Liu, L., Özsu, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7993-3_1319-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7993-3_1319-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7993-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Computer SciencesReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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