WHAT IS WEB 3.0? Abstract. While the concept of Web2.0 has made a significant impact on the

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1 Abstract While the concept of Web2.0 has made a significant impact on the businesses of today, Impetus goes a step forward and tries to comprehend the phenomenon that is most likely to be the next avtaar of the World Wide Web. In this document, we discuss what Web3.0 will be all about, and try to comprehend its ramifications. Abstract 1 Semantic Web 2 Transforming the Web 2 into a database An evolutionary path 2 to artificial intelligence Evolution towards 3D 3 Impetus Belief 3 The Web as Database 3 would be partitioned into Knowledge domains Information vs Knowledge 3 Inference Engines 3 Info Agents 4 Technology Landscape 4 for Web3.0 Business Landscape 5 for Web 3.0 Summary 6 How Impetus can help? 1 6 About Impetus 7 Impetus Technologies Inc. February 2009

2 Over the last couple of months the Web 3.0 buzz word has been catching on. So is it fact or fiction; an immediate reality, or a distant dream? We have researched the topic and tried to demystify the buzz word in this white paper. People keep asking what Web 3.0 is. I think maybe when you ve got an overlay of scalable vector graphics - everything rippling and folding and looking misty - on Web 2.0 and access to a semantic Web integrated across a huge space of data, you ll have access to an unbelievable data resource. Tim Berners-L -Lee A more revolutionary Web There are many viewpoints that have been put forward in order to explain the Web 3.0 concept. The key definitions are : Transforming the Web into a database Another similar viewpoint considers Web 3.0 as the emergence of The Data Web in which structured data records are published to the Web in reusable and remotely query-able formats, such as XML, RDF and micro-formats. The recent growth of SPARQL technology provides a standardized query language and API for searching across distributed RDF databases on the Web. The Data Web enables a new level of data integration and application interoperability, making data as openly accessible and linkable as web pages. The Semantic Web The Semantic Web view point explains Web 3.0 Data Web is the first step on the path towards the full Semantic Web. as an evolving extension of the World Wide Web in which Web content can be expressed not only in natural language, but also in a form that can be understood, interpreted and used by software agents. It, therefore, permits them to find, share and integrate information more easily. This definition derives from W3C director Tim Berners-Lee s vision of the Web as a universal medium for data, information, and knowledge exchange An evolutionary path to artificial intelligence One viewpoint of Web 3.0 describes it as an evolutionary path for the Web that leads to artificial intelligence that can reason about the Web in a quasi-human fashion. Some companies such as IBM and Google are implementing new technologies that are yielding surprising information such as making predictions of hit songs from mining information on college music Web sites. Regarding this view of Web 3.0 there is also 2

3 Web 1.0 was dial-up, 50K average bandwidth, Web 2.0 is an average 1 megabit of bandwidth and Web 3.0 will be 10 megabits of bandwidth all the time, which will be the full video Web, and that will feel like Web 3.0. Reed Hastings CEO of Netflix debate over whether the driving force behind Web 3.0 will be intelligent systems, or whether intelligence will emerge from systems of intelligent people, such as via collaborative filtering services like del.icio.us, Flickr and Digg that extract meaning and order from the existing Web and how people interact with it. The Web as Database would be partitioned into Knowledge domains A knowledge domain is something that categorizes information into separate subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Politics, the Web, Sociology, Psychology, History, etc. There can be various sub-domains under each domain, each having its own sub-domains and so on. Evolution towards 3D Another viewpoint for Web 3.0 describes the Web transforming into a series of 3D spaces, taking the concept realized by Second Life further. This could open up new ways to connect and collaborate using 3D shared spaces. Information vs Knowledge Impetus believes that most of today s Web is based on information, there are tools and technologies available today that allow Web applications and sites to comprehend information through the application of deductive reasoning to existing information. Impetus Belief Impetus has spent significant time and effort researching into the different viewpoints to glean knowledge that is more practical and usable for our customers. Our understanding of Web 3.0 is based on the following key observations: Inference Engines In the context of Web 3.0, Inference Engines will be combining the latest innovations from the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) together with domain-specific ontologies (created as formal or informal ontologies by, say, Wikipedia, as well as others), domain inference rules, and query structures to enable deductive reasoning at the machine level. 3

4 Info Agents Info Agents are instances of an Inference Engine, each working with a domain-specific ontology. Two or more agents working with a shared ontology may collaborate, to deduce answers to questions. Such collaborating agents may be based on differently designed Inference Engines and they would still be able to collaborate. We further believe that Web 3.0 has already arrived in a prototype or proof of concept and it can be leveraged by today s business to derive newer and more competitive business models. Consider this; would you like to build a Web system that can give a reasonable and complete response to a simple question like: I m looking for a sunny place to vacation and I have a budget of $3,000. And by the way I have a 2 year-old child. This is not possible in Web 2.0 systems, but using the technologies and tools that visualize the Web as a database you can build a portal to search and call up a complete vacation package that was planned as meticulously as if it had been assembled by a human travel agent. Technology Landscape for Web3.0 Semantic Web Technologies The Semantic Web comprises standards and tools of XML, XML Schema, RDF, RDF Schema and OWL. The OWL Web Ontology Language Overview describes the function and relationship of each of these components of the Semantic Web: XML provides a surface syntax for structured documents, but imposes no semantic constraints on the meaning of these documents. XML Schema is a language for restricting the structure and content elements of XML documents. RDF is a simple data model for referring to objects ( resources ) and how they are related. An RDF-based model can be represented in XML syntax. RDF Schema is a vocabulary for describing properties and classes of RDF resources, with semantics for generalization-hierarchies of such properties and classes. OWL adds more vocabulary for describing properties and classes: among others, relations between classes (e.g. disjointness), cardinality (e.g. exactly one ), equality, richer typing of properties, characteristics 4

5 of properties (e.g. symmetry), and enumerated classes. SPARQL is a protocol and query language for Semantic Web data sources. exact duplicates of the company s options for cars. You can create a Web 3.0 portal where all the set-up, problem specification, and solution propagation aspects of the problem will be part of a standardized Web 3.0 service call, instead of the ad-hoc hand crafting of a Business Landscape for Web 3.0 Let us take a bold new step into an unknown world. Suppose Second Life created games where the players were solving complex live virtual contest event. Can you imagine other possibilities in this new world of thinking? problems to have fun, except these problems were actually key commerce problems that needed to be solved? For example, imagine a game where players compete to equip a car with options available for engines, add ons etc. This car would be then be put on display for others to judge and would also race in a Indy 500. This game could very well be a job requisitioned by a major car manufacturer that Web 2.0 is well documented and talked about. The power of the Net reached a critical mass, with capabilities that can be done on a network level. We are also seeing richer devices over last four years and richer ways of interacting with the network, not only in hardware like game consoles and mobile devices, but also in the software layer. You don t have to be a computer scientist to create a program. We are seeing that manifest in Web 2.0 and 3.0 will be a great extension of that, a true communal medium the distinction between professional, semi-professional and consumers will get blurred, creating a network effect of business and applications. Jerry Yang wants to get advanced market research on what cars buyers will prefer. The virtual car options in the game could be detailed in-game 3D objects that are 5

6 Summary Impetus believes there is fact in the Web 3.0 fiction and major parts of it are already reality. We further believe ubiquitous connectivity, broadband adoption, mobile Internet access and mobile devices proliferation will lead to newer demands of Software-As-A-Service business models. How Impetus can help? Impetus has invested significant time, effort and technology expertise to research open source technologies that can help you leverage Web 3.0 concepts for your new idea or existing web apps/sites. Please feel free to drop an to for a free consultation or discussion on the subject. Existing technologies such as Web services interoperability, distributed computing, grid computing coupled with Semantic Web technologies such as RDF, OWL, SWRL, SPARQL can be leveraged to create business models of the future. Impetus further believes that existing Web 2.0 technologies can be leveraged to build new kind of business solutions. Consider the API services form the foundation layer (GOOGLE, AdWORDS, AMAZON and so many others), the aggregation services form the middle layer and on top of that the application services are a new class of composite applications that bring together functionality from multiple services to help users achieve their objectives in a flexible, intuitive and self-evident way. 6

7 About Impetus Impetus is a pure play product engineering company providing outsourced software product design, R&D and related services to leading global software and technology enabled companies. Headquartered in San Jose (CA), and with multiple development centers across India, Impetus has been involved in hundreds of product launches over its 15 year association with clients ranging from enterprise class companies to innovative technology start-ups. Impetus builds cutting-edge products utilizing the latest and emerging technologies for a diverse client base across domains including Digital Media, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Mobile Applications, Web2.0, IPTV, and Internet Advertising. The company creates leading edge products that underscore future trends while also offering premium design consulting and product architecture services. Corporate Headquarters UNITED STATES TES Impetus Technologies, Inc Stevens Creek Boulevard, Suite 450 San Jose, CA 95129, USA. Phone: Regional Development Centers INDIA New Delhi Indore Hyderabad To o know more Visit: qlabs@impetus.com Impetus brings forth a perfect synergy of expert talent and competent engineering skills, coupled with technology frameworks and product development maturity to help you build sustainable, scalable and efficient nextgeneration products, and bring them faster to the market. Copyright 2009 Impetus Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved All trademarks and registered trademarks used in this whitepaper are property of their respective owners Last Revised on February