A semantic mapper is tool or service that aids in the transformation of
data elements from one
namespace
In computing, a namespace is a set of signs (''names'') that are used to identify and refer to objects of various kinds. A namespace ensures that all of a given set of objects have unique names so that they can be easily identified.
Namespaces ...
into another namespace. A semantic mapper is an essential component of a
semantic broker and one tool that is enabled by the
Semantic Web technologies.
Essentially the problems arising in semantic mapping are the same as in
data mapping
In computing and data management, data mapping is the process of creating data element mappings between two distinct data models. Data mapping is used as a first step for a wide variety of data integration tasks, including:
* Data transforma ...
for
data integration
Data integration involves combining data residing in different sources and providing users with a unified view of them.
This process becomes significant in a variety of situations, which include both commercial (such as when two similar companies ...
purposes, with the difference that here the semantic relationships are made explicit through the use of
semantic nets or
ontologies which play the role of
data dictionaries in data mapping.
Structure
A semantic mapper must have access to three data sets:
# List of data elements in source
namespace
In computing, a namespace is a set of signs (''names'') that are used to identify and refer to objects of various kinds. A namespace ensures that all of a given set of objects have unique names so that they can be easily identified.
Namespaces ...
# List of data elements in destination namespace
# List of semantic equivalent statements between source and destination (e.g
owl:equivalentClassowl:equivalentPropertyo
owl:sameAsin
OWL).
A semantic mapper processes on a list of data elements in the source namespace. The semantic mapper will successively translate the data elements from the source namespace to the destination namespace. The mapping does not necessarily need to be a
one-to-one mapping. Some data elements may map to several data elements in the destination.
Some semantic mappers are static in that they will do a one-time data transforms. Others will generate an executable program to repeatedly perform this transform. The output of this program may be any transformation system such as
XSLT
XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) is a language originally designed for transforming XML documents into other XML documents, or other formats such as HTML for web pages, plain text or XSL Formatting Objects, which may subseq ...
, a
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
program or a program in some other
procedural language
Procedural programming is a programming paradigm, derived from imperative programming, based on the concept of the '' procedure call''. Procedures (a type of routine or subroutine) simply contain a series of computational steps to be carrie ...
.
See also
*
Data model
A data model is an abstract model that organizes elements of data and standardizes how they relate to one another and to the properties of real-world entities. For instance, a data model may specify that the data element representing a car be c ...
*
Data wrangling
Data wrangling, sometimes referred to as data munging, is the process of transforming and mapping data from one " raw" data form into another format with the intent of making it more appropriate and valuable for a variety of downstream purposes ...
*
Enterprise application integration
Enterprise application integration (EAI) is the use of software and computer systems' architectural principles to integrate a set of enterprise computer applications.
Overview
Enterprise application integration is an integration framework comp ...
*
Mediation
Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...
*
Ontology matching
Ontology alignment, or ontology matching, is the process of determining correspondences between concepts in ontologies. A set of correspondences is also called an alignment. The phrase takes on a slightly different meaning, in computer science, ...
*
Semantic heterogeneity
Semantic heterogeneity is when database schema or datasets for the same domain are developed by independent parties, resulting in differences in meaning and interpretation of data values. Beyond structured data, the problem of semantic heterogen ...
*
Semantic integration
Semantic integration is the process of interrelating information from diverse sources, for example calendars and to do lists, email archives, presence information (physical, psychological, and social), documents of all sorts, contacts (including ...
*
Semantic translation
*
Semantic unification
References
Ontologies & the Semantic Web for Semantic Interoperability Leo Obrst{{Semantic Web
Semantic Web
Data mapping