Semantic Search in Linked Data: Opportunities and Challenges

In this abstract, we compare semantic search (in the RDF model) with keyword search (in the relational model), and illustrate how these two search paradigms are different. This comparison addresses the following questions: (1) What can semantic search achieve that keyword search can not (in terms of behavior)? (2) Why is it difficult to simulate semantic search, using keyword search on the relational data model? We use the term keyword search, when the search is performed on data stored in the relational data model, as in traditional relational databases, and an example of keyword search in databases is [Hri02]. We use the term semantic search, when the search is performed on data stored in the RDF data model. Note that when the data is modeled in RDF, it inherently contains explicit typed relations or semantics, and hence the use of the term “semantic search.” Let us begin with an example, to illustrate the differences between semantic search and keyword search.