Semantic Web - Interoperability, Usability, Applicability

While this statement seems obvious, this has not been so a few years ago, when basic research funding seemed to be running out, and industrial uptake was hardly happening. In the meantime, we do not only see sustained funding for Semantic Web related research (in particular by the European Commission), but also significant investment by industry, including major IT and venture capital companies. The Semantic Web is here to stay – and to grow. The Semantic Web is multidisciplinary and heterogeneous. Many Semantic Web researchers maintain close ties to neighboring disciplines which provide methods or application areas for their work. However, the Semantic Web has now established itself as a research field in its own rights. Consequently, a growing number of researchers, in particular those of the second or third generation, seem to identify themselves with the Semantic Web as their primary field of work. The growing number of top quality events dedicated to Semantic Web topics is also a clear indication of this trend. Another indicator is the increasing interweavement of Semantic Web methods into related disciplines leading to research topics such as geospatialsemantics, the Semantic Sensor Web, semantic desktop, or work on cultural heritage. The Semantic Web journal is set up to be a forum for highest-quality research contributions on all aspects of the Semantic Web. Its scope encompasses work in neighboring disciplines which is motivated by