Data

Imagining solutions to industry needs for Linked Open Data and digital transformation.

Linked Open Data is a key part of the digital transformation which positively impacts society.

Data and digital transformation are increasingly important to society, especially with the rise of IoT and Big Data. Opportunities around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, as well as the need for greater flexibility and agility for adapting to change are challenges for Data and knowledge on the Web, and various W3C work groups imagine the solutions to industry problems.

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§ Our community is focusing on

  • Simplifying semantic interoperability across different kinds of information systems
  • Role of Linked Data in relation to trust and privacy for digital dataspaces and associated marketplaces
  • Supporting vocabulary development for operating on imperfect knowledge
  • RDF-star, N3 rule language, Human-like AI, Linked Building Data, and more

Active groups

These groups imagine and specify the solutions to industry needs for Linked Open Data and digital transformation.

Dataset ExchangeWorking group

The mission of the Dataset Exchange WG is to: 1. Maintain and revise the Data Catalog Vocabulary, DCAT, taking into account feature requests from the DCAT user community. 2. Define and publish guidance on the specification and use of application profiles when requesting and serving data on the Web. Visit the Dataset Exchange Working Group

Decentralized IdentifierWorking group

The mission of the Decentralized Identifier Working Group is to standardize the DID URI scheme, the data model and syntax of DID Documents, which contain information related to DIDs that enable the aforementioned initial use cases, and the requirements for DID Method specifications. Visit the Decentralized Identifier Working Group

JSON-LDWorking group

The mission of the JSON-LD Working Group is to maintain the family of JSON-LD 1.1 Recommendations and related Working Group Notes. Visit the JSON-LD Working Group

RDF Dataset Canonicalization and HashWorking group

The mission of the RDF Dataset Canonicalization and Hash Working Group is to define a standard to uniquely and deterministically calculate a hash of RDF Datasets for use cases such as Detecting changes in Datasets. The work will include defining RDF Dataset Canonicalization algorithms. Visit the RDF Dataset Canonicalization and Hash Working Group

RDF-starWorking group

The mission of the RDF-star Working Group is to extend a set of RDF and SPARQL related recommendations, with the ability to concisely represent and query statements about statements. Visit the RDF-star Working Group

Spatial Data on the WebWorking group

The mission of the Spatial Data on the Web Working Group is to: 1) develop and maintain vocabularies and best practices that encourage better sharing of spatial data on the Web; 2) identify areas where standards should be developed jointly by both W3C and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). Visit the Spatial Data on the Web Working Group

Verifiable CredentialsWorking group

The mission of the Verifiable Credentials Working Group is to maintain the Verifiable Credentials Data Model specification and related Working Group Notes. Visit the Verifiable Credentials Working Group

Web Machine LearningWorking group

The mission of the Web Machine Learning Working Group is to develop APIs for enabling efficient machine learning inference in the browser. Visit the Web Machine Learning Working Group

CredentialsCommunity group

The mission of the W3C Credentials Community Group is to explore the creation, storage, presentation, verification, and user control of credentials. We focus on a verifiable credential (a set of claims) created by an issuer about a subject—a person, group, or thing—and seek solutions inclusive of approaches such as: self-sovereign identity; presentation of proofs by the bearer; data minimization; and centralized, federated, and decentralized registry and identity systems. Our tasks include drafting and incubating Internet specifications for further standardization and prototyping and testing reference implementations. Visit the Credentials Community Group

Knowledge Graph ConstructionCommunity group

The overall goal of this community group is to support its participants into developing better methods for Knowledge Graphs construction. The Community Group will (i) study current Knowledge Graph construction methods and implementations, (ii) identify the corresponding requirements and issues that hinter broader Knowledge Graph construction, (iii) discuss use cases, (iv) formulate guidelines, best practices and test cases for Knowledge Graph construction, (v) develop methods, resources and tools for evaluating Knowledge Graphs construction, and in general (vi) continue the development of the W3C-recommended R2RML language beyond relational databases. The proposed Community Group could be instrumental to advance research, increase the level of education and awareness and enable learning and participation with respect to Knowledge Graph construction. Visit the Knowledge Graph Construction Community Group

RDF Test Suite CurationCommunity group

The purpose of this group is to provide a home for the test suites and implementation reports of various Semantic Web/Linked Data specifications. After the end of a working group, the test suites often become frozen, and it is difficult to add new tests for issues that come to light later on. Similarly, some specs are implemented on a base technology, which eventually evolves (e.g. SPARQL 1.1 and RDF 1.1), and developers need access to updated tests. This group will create a home for forks of the various test suites that would be appropriate to act as a redirect for existing tests. Test updates will be considered based on the consensus of those invested in the related specifications. Implementation reports can be updated as new reports are received, giving implementations visibility. This group will not publish Specifications. Visit the RDF Test Suite Curation Community Group

Social Web IncubatorCommunity group

The Social Web Incubator Community Group (also known as SocialCG, or SWICG) is the successor of the Social Web Working Group, which ran from 2014 to 2017. The SocialCG provides space to collaborate and coordinate for implementors who are building on any of the specifications published by the Social Web WG, and related technologies. It is also a place to incubate new proposals which build on or complement the Social Web WG recommendations.

Discussions and meeting announcements happen on the SocialHub forum or on project-specific version control repositories.

Meetings are not always weekly, but can be requested or convened by any member of the group. If you have a specific item to discuss, please contact a chair if you need help with meeting logistics, and make a post on the SocialHub forum, ideally with two or more weeks notice. Visit the Social Web Incubator Community Group

SolidCommunity group

The aims of the Solid project are in line with those of the Web itself: empowerment towards an equitable, informed and interconnected society. Solid adds to existing Web standards to realise a space where individuals can maintain their autonomy, control their data and privacy, and choose applications and services to fulfil their needs.

The mission of the Solid Community Group is to describe the interoperability between different classes of products by using Web communication protocols, global identifiers, authentication and authorization mechanisms, data formats and shapes, notifications, and query interfaces.

To contribute towards a net positive social benefit, we use the Ethical Web Principles to orient ourselves. The consensus on the technical designs are informed by common use cases, implementation experience, and use.

Solid Technical Reports lists Work Items, information on how to Participate, and the Solid of Code of Conduct (in addition to the Positive Work Environment at W3C: Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.)

Visit the Solid Community Group

Web Machine LearningCommunity group

The mission of the Web Machine Learning Community Group (WebML CG) is to make Machine Learning a first-class web citizen by incubating and developing a dedicated low-level Web API for machine learning inference in the browser. Please see the charter for more information. The group invites browser engine developers, hardware vendors, web application developers, and the broader web community with interest in Machine Learning to participate. Visit the Web Machine Learning Community Group

§ Why join?

Since 1994, we have been leading the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth of the web.

By joining these groups, you have the ability to discuss and drive the standards produced by W3C. The conversations occurring in the groups concern both current and future standards, constantly aiming to make the web a better place. You have the ability to take part in guiding the future of the web.

Our values revolve around building the web for all

The social value of the web is that it enables human communication, commerce, and opportunities to share knowledge. One of W3C's primary goals is to make these benefits available to all people, whatever their hardware, software, network infrastructure, native language, culture, geographical location, or physical or mental ability.

W3C Members

138 member organizations are involved in the data ecosystem, including:

ByteDance
Government Technology Agency
Criteo
Identity.com
Vrije Universiteit
China Mobile Communications Corporation
View all members of the data ecosystem

Ways to get involved:

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