A Semantic Web Primer (Cooperative Information Systems series) [Hardcover]

Grigoris Antoniou (Author), Frank van van Harmelen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262012421 | ISBN-13: 978-0262012423 | Publication Date: March 21, 2008 | Edition: second edition

The development of the Semantic Web, with machine-readable content, has the potential to revolutionize the World Wide Web and its use. A Semantic Web Primer provides an introduction and guide to this still emerging field, describing its key ideas, languages, and technologies. Suitable for use as a textbook or for self-study by professionals, it concentrates on undergraduate-level fundamental concepts and techniques that will enable readers to proceed with building applications on their own and includes exercises, project descriptions, and annotated references to relevant online materials. A Semantic Web Primer provides a systematic treatment of the different languages (XML, RDF, OWL, and rules) and technologies (explicit metadata, ontologies, and logic and inference) that are central to Semantic Web development as well as such crucial related topics as ontology engineering and application scenarios. This substantially revised and updated second edition reflects recent developments in the field, covering new application areas and tools. The new material includes a discussion of such topics as SPARQL as the RDF query language; OWL DLP and its interesting practical and theoretical properties; the SWRL language (in the chapter on rules); OWL-S (on which the discussion of Web services is now based). The new final chapter considers the state of the art of the field today, captures ongoing discussions, and outlines the most challenging issues facing the Semantic Web in the future. Supplementary materials, including slides, online versions of many of the code fragments in the book, and links to further reading, can be found at http://www.semanticwebprimer.org.Grigoris Antoniou is Professor at the Institute for Computer Science, FORTH (Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas), Heraklion, Greece. Frank van Harmelen is Professor in the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The substantially updated second edition of a widely used guide to the key ideas, languages, and technologies of the Semantic Web, featuring additional coverage of new application areas, new tools, and other recent developments.

"This book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to learn about the Semantic Web. By gathering the fundamental topics into a single volume, it spares the novice from having to read a dozen dense technical specifications. I have used the first edition in my Semantic Web course with much success."--Jeff Heflin, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University

(Jeff Heflin )

"This book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to learn about the Semantic Web. By gathering the fundamental topics into a single volume, it spares the novice from having to read a dozen dense technical specifications. I have used the first edition in my Semantic Web course with much success." Jeff Heflin , Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University

About the Author

Grigoris Antoniou is Professor at the Institute for Computer Science, FORTH (Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas), Heraklion, Greece. Frank van Harmelen is Professor in the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; second edition edition (March 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262012421
• ISBN-13: 978-0262012423
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not much beyond the basics, April 7, 2008

By 

C. Schumacher - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Semantic Web Primer (Cooperative Information Systems series) (Hardcover)

If you've read about the basics of the semantic web online, you won't get much more from this book. There's only 6 pages devoted to SPARQL, and no mention of RDFa. Later chapters (especially "Ontology Engineering") are thin and weak. You learn the dirt basics, but not how to build anything meaningful with it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good book, December 26, 2008

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D. von Lucken "clucken" (Paraguay) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Semantic Web Primer (Cooperative Information Systems series) (Hardcover)

It is a really good book that clearly introduces principal aspects of ontologies: tools, applications, logic, engineering design and research topics.
The material is easy to read and suggested readings are useful for a deeper insight of the presented topics. In fact, one of the best thinks the book have are the supplemental reading suggestions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good general overview, November 14, 2009

By 

Owen Lawlor "@owlDiscourse" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Semantic Web Primer (Cooperative Information Systems series) (Hardcover)

A good overview of Semantic Web from a beginner's standpoint. Would not recommend if you are looking for more advanced reading in this area but is a fantastic entry level text. Recommended.