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Basic RDF
RDF is a Graph


  • An (s,p,o) triple can be viewed as a labelled edge in a graph
    • i.e., a set of RDF statements is a directed, labelled graph
      • both “objects” and “subjects” are the graph nodes
      • “properties” are the edges
    • the formal semantics of RDF is also described using graphs
    • (see the RDF Semantics document)
  • One should “think” in terms of graphs, and…
  • …XML or n3 syntax are only the tools for practical usage!
    • the term “serialization” is often used for encoding
  • RDF authoring tools usually work with graphs, too
  • (XML or n3 is done “behind the scenes”)

Ivan Herman, W3C 14 (134)