W3C home > Mailing lists > Public > www-rdf-interest@w3.org > March 2000

RDF data model: too flat?

From: <R.van.Dort@Everest.nl>
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 11:20:37 +0100
To: www-rdf-interest@w3.org
Message-ID: <OF6DD0B632.9C609E20-ON4125689D.0037796F@everest.nl>
Working with the basic RDF model I get the feeling that the RDF data model
is too flat.

One of the aspects that has a contradiction with the world around us is
that in RDF there is (speaking in terms of frame based theory) only one
type of slot: Property.

In real world we see objects or things (RDF: Resources) with attributes and
relations between objects.
Attributes are dependent on their objects in which they are contained, in a
(binary) relation two objects are independent in existence but connected.

For example the weight, color of the eyes and day of birth are typically
attributes of a Person instance; the father, mother, spouse, car and bank
account are independent objects related to a certain Person.

I would make a plea for a second type of slot in the RDF model: Relation or
BinaryRelation.

I think that my suggestion is close to the CKML fundamentals, maybe the
CKML model would be the outcome when we think things all over.
Received on Thursday, 9 March 2000 05:23:11 UTC

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Friday, 17 January 2020 22:44:22 UTC