Tabulator: Exploring and Analyzing linked data on the Semantic Web

Abstract. A web of linked RDF data may be enabled by standards specifying how links should be made in RDF and under what conditions they should be followed as well as powerful generic RDF browsers that can traverse an open web of RDF resources. The Tabulator is an RDF browser, which is designed both for new users to provoke interest in the Semantic Web and give them a means to access and interact with the entire web of RDF data, and for developers of RDF content to provide incentive for them to post their data in RDF, to refine and promote RDF linking standards, and to let providers see how their data interacts with the rest of the Semantic Web. A challenge for Semantic Web browsers is to bring the power of domain-specific applications to a generic program when new unexpected domains can be encountered in real time. The Tabulator project is an attempt to demonstrate and utilize the power of linked RDF data with a user-friendly Semantic Web browser that is able to recognize and follow RDF links to other RDF resources based on the user’s exploration and analysis. 1