Linked Data

Linked Data refers to a collection of best practices for publishing data on the semantic web. It is also, in part, a re-branding of the semantic web itself, with less emphasis on semantics, and more on RDF linkages amongst data sources. Also heavily emphasized is the proper role of web architecture (http requests and responses; 303 redirects; etc.), and the distinction between information resources (those that physically reside on the web), and non-information resources (those that exist in the so-called real world).

I'll give a brief overview of Linked Data, followed by a discussion of some issues that Linked Data raises for the SPIRE project. These issues include how Swoogle should handle information sources such as DBpedia, and how to link ETHAN to other sources of taxonomic and natural history information.