Engineering Semantic Web Information Systems

Web Information Systems (WIS) use the Web paradigm and technologies to retrieve information from sources connected to the Web, and present the information in a web or hypermedia presentation to the user. Hera is a design methodology that supports the design of WIS. It is a model -driven method that distinguishes integration, data gathering, and presentation generation. In this paper we address the Hera methodology and specifically explain the integration model that covers the different aspects of integration, and the adaptation model, that specifies how the generated presentations are adaptable (e.g. device capabilities, user preferences). The Hera software framework provides a set of transformations that allow a WIS to go from integration to presentation generation. These transformations are based on RDF(S), and we show how RDF(S) has proven its value in combining all relevant aspects of WIS design. In this way, RDF(S) being the foundation of the Semantic Web, Hera allows the engineering of Semantic Web Information Systems (SWIS).

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