A Novel Knowledge Organization Scheme for the Web: Superlinks with Semantic Roles

We discuss the needs of a knowledge organization scheme for supporting Web-based software applications. We show how it differs from traditional knowledge organization schemes due to the virtual, dynamic, ad-hoc, userspecific and application-specific nature of Web-based knowledge. The sheer size of Web resources also adds to the complexity of organizing knowledge on the Web. As such, a standard, global scheme such as a single ontology for classifying and organizing all Web-based content is unrealistic. There is nevertheless a strong and immediate need for effective knowledge organization schemes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Web-based applications. In this context, we propose a novel knowledge organization scheme wherein concepts in the ontology of a domain are semantically interlinked with specific pieces of Web-based content using a rich hyper-linking structure known as Superlinks with well-defined semantic roles. We illustrate how such a knowledge organization scheme improves the efficiency and effectiveness of a Web-based e-commerce retail store.