Altova Releases Semantic Web Development Tool
Altova announced the addition of Altova SemanticWorks 2006 to its line of XML applications. SemanticWorks 2006 is a visual Semantic Web development tool with support for Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Web Ontology Language (OWL) creation and editing. Altova created SemanticWorks to help customers learn and work with emerging Semantic Web technologies in an intuitive way.
According to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the Semantic Web is the next evolution in Web technologies. In the Semantic Web, data itself becomes part of the Web and is able to be processed independently of application, platform, or domain. Where the current Web is a collection of documents, the Semantic Web is more like a huge database, in which data on Web pages (as well as in databases and other information management systems) can be searched, processed, and acted on by machines in meaningful ways. The Semantic Web relies on structured sets of metadata and inference rules that allow it to understand the relationship between different data resources. The technologies that form the basis of the Semantic Web by adding these metadata and inference rules are RDF and OWL.
Altova SemanticWorks allows developers to graphically create and edit RDF instance documents, RDF Schema (RDFS) vocabularies, and OWL ontologies with full syntax checking. Context-sensitive entry helpers present developers with a list of permitted choices based on the RDF or OWL dialect they are using. In particular, SemanticWorks provides functionality for:
- Visual creation and editing of RDF, RDFS, OWL Lite, OWL DL, and OWL Full documents using an intuitive, graphical interface and drag-and-drop functionality.
- Syntax and semantics checking according to selected conformance level (RDF, RDFS, OWL Lite, OWL DL, and OWL Full).
- Auto-generation and editing of RDF/XML or N-triples formats based on visual RDF/OWL design.
- Printing the graphical RDF and OWL representations to create documentation for ontologies.
In SemanticWorks, developers can switch from the graphical RDF/OWL view to the text view to see how their documents are being built in RDF/XML or N-triples format, and they can export files from RDF/XML to N-triples or vice versa at any time. And, because the RDF/XML or N-triples code is auto-generated based on their design, developers can learn and experiment with the concepts of the Semantic Web without having to write complicated code. Visit http://www.altova.com/products_semanticworks.html for additional information.
Altova SemanticWorks 2006 is immediately available for download and purchase via the Altova Online Shop at https://shop.altova.com. A 30-day free trial may be downloaded from http://www.altova.com/download.html.
SemanticWorks 2006 is also included with the Enterprise and Professional Editions of Altova XML Suite 2006 (which also includes XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and SchemaAgent).
Existing Altova XML Suite customers with a valid Support and Maintenance Package (SMP) are eligible to get SemanticWorks 2006 at no additional cost. These customers can request their new key code for SemanticWorks 2006 at http://www.altova.com/GetSemanticWorksKey.asp.
The Altova Support and Maintenance Package (SMP) can be purchased for 25% of the product price for a one-year period or 20% of the product price per year for a two-year period. Altova SMP provides free major software updates, maintenance releases, and priority technical support for the duration of the support period. SMP renewals are available beginning 90 days prior to expiration.
Altova
Price: Single-user license starts at US$249.
Web Site: http://www.altova.com
