ebXML Registry and the Semantic Web

["Chiusano Joseph" <chiusano_joseph@bah.com>]

I've been thinking more about the Semantic Web lately, and how we've
discussed incorporating Semantic Web features into our Registry
architecture for v4. I've been reviewing information on DAML-S [1] and
found the following information interesting (along with a figure at
bottom) - is this the direction we're considering heading in?

INFO ON FIGURE:

- The class SERVICE provides a organizational point of reference for
declaring Web services; one instance of SERVICE will exist for each
distinct published service. 

- The properties presents, describedBy, and supports are properties of
SERVICE. 

- The classes SERVICEPROFILE, SERVICEMODEL, and SERVICEGROUNDING are the
respective ranges of those properties. Each instance of SERVICE will
present a descendant class of SERVICEPROFILE, be describedBy a
descendant class of SERVICEMODEL, and support a descendant class of
SERVICEGROUNDING. 

- The details of profiles, models, and groundings may vary widely from
one type of service to another--that is, from one descendant class of
SERVICE to another. Each of these three classes provides an essential
type of information about the service. 

- The service profile tells ``what the service does''; that is, it gives
the types of information needed by a service-seeking agent (or
matchmaking agent acting on behalf of a service-seeking agent) to
determine whether the service meets its needs. In addition to
representing the capabilities of a service, the profile can be used to
express the needs of the service-seeking agent, so that a matchmaker has
a convenient dual-purpose representation upon which to base its
operations. 

- The service model tells ``how the service works''; that is, it
describes what happens when the service is carried out. For nontrivial
services (those composed of several steps over time), this description
may be used by a service-seeking agent in at least four different ways:
(1) to perform a more in-depth analysis of whether the service meets its
needs; (2) to compose service descriptions from multiple services to
perform a specific task; (3) during the course of the service enactment,
to coordinate the activities of the different participants; and (4) to
monitor the execution of the service. 

- A service grounding (``grounding'' for short) specifies the details of
how an agent can access a service. Typically a grounding will specify a
communication protocol, message formats, and other service-specific
details such as port numbers used in contacting the service. In
addition, the grounding must specify, for each abstract type specified
in the SERVICEMODEL, an unambiguous way of exchanging data elements of
that type with the service (that is, the serialization techniques
employed). 

[1] http://www.daml.org/services/daml-s/0.9/daml-s.html

Joe