Semantic Web Support for Business Processes

Development of semantic web technologies has been initiated to improve the utilization of web resources particularly by software applications. Semantic web is intended to extend the current web by metadata adding meaning to web resources. In an interorganizational business process context, semantic web could be an extension of the current intranet, extranet, and internet resources better enabling computers and people in business processes to work in cooperation. In the paper we will explore the possibilities of the semantic web technologies to support business processes. Particularly we will evaluate the possibilities and problems related to the utilization of RDF (Resource Description Framework), a method supporting the formal presentation of metadata and metadata schemas. We will use the Finnish legislative process as a case to demonstrate the issues discussed.