Semantic Web Activity and Web Ontology Working Group

The initial response to the call for participation in the new Web
Ontology Working Group prompted us to solicit a bit more review and
discussion of the charter in the context of the larger Semantic Web
Activity.

While the charter is under Member review, W3C invites you to discuss
the charter on the RDF IG mailing list.

The Semantic Web Activity remains as announced Feb 2001:

   Activity Statement
   http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/Activity

   "The Semantic Web Activity [...] has been established to
   serve a leadership role, in both the design of enabling
   specifications and the open, collaborative development of
   technologies that support the automation, integration and reuse of
   data across various applications. To facilitate this goal, the
   Semantic Web Activity builds upon the existing foundation work
   accomplished by the W3C Metadata Activity with the following
   additional objectives:

   1.Continue the work of the RDF Interest Group

   2.Undertake revisions to the RDF Model and Syntax Recommendation

   3.Complete work on the RDF Schema specification

   4.Coordinate with W3C initiatives focussed on defining semantics for
   supporting Web technologies

   5.Coordinate with selected non-W3C initiatives and individual
   activities working on Semantic Web technologies

     This coordination includes, but is not limited to, DCMI, DAML,
     OIL, and SHOE. The current international collaboration between
     DAML and OIL groups on a Web ontology layer is expected to become
     a part of this W3C Activity.

   6.Perform advanced development to design and develop supporting XML
   and RDF technologies"

The coordination with DAML and OIL has been effective and we now
propose to move from an external coordination into W3C Recommendation
track process by chartering a Web Ontology Working Group as part of
this Activity.

A broad set of people from the academic community and commercial early
adopters have worked for a year on a draft of a vocabulary that was
recently published.  These communities have also worked on associated
tools and applications; the commercial interests are clear. If W3C
delays in providing a forum for theses communities to iron out
details, we will lose an important opportunity to foster
interoperability early in the process.  With the creation of a Web
Ontology Working Group at this time, we ensure that the work in RDF
Core and the work currently engaged outside of W3C will grow together,
and in a complementary manner.

Details of the technical scope of this Working Group and its relation
to other groups inside and outside W3C are in the proposed charter.

   W3C Web Ontology Working Group Charter
   http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/WebOnt/charter

The first face to face meeting for the Web Ontology Working Group is
expected after mid-November.

The Intellectual Property policy remains as announced Feb 2001

   section 4. Intellectual Property
   Semantic Web Activity Statement
   http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/Activity#IPR

   "W3C was founded in order to create technology freely available to
   all, Members or not.  All advanced development work that will be
   done with W3C resources under the Semantic Web Activity will be
   distributed under W3C's software license.

   W3C promotes an open working environment. Whenever possible,
   technical decisions should be made unencumbered by intellectual
   property right (IPR) claims. W3C's policy for intellectual property
   is set out in section 2.2 of the W3C Process Document."


Background:

  W3C Web Ontology Working Group
  http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/WebOnt/

  W3C Web Ontology Working Group Charter
  http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/WebOnt/charter

  W3C Web Ontology (WebOnt) WG is open
  Dan Connolly (Tue, Aug 14 2001)
  http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-rdf-logic/2001Aug/0014.html
  

Eric Miller, W3C Semantic Web Activity Lead
Dan Connolly, W3C Web Ontology Working Group team contact

Received on Monday, 27 August 2001 17:24:12 UTC