Simplified Surface Syntax for RDF XML

A simplified surface syntax for RDF is proposed. Its major characteristics are:

1. namespace = http://www.openhealth.org/RDF/syntax
2. attribute aboutQ="ex:name" accepts QName as value indicating subject
3. attribute resourceQ="ex:value" accepts QName as value indicating object
4. rdf:parseType="Resource" is default
5. The subject or object of a statement may be either a qualified name, a quantified variable or another statement.
6. ?x defines a quantified variable, ...x a row variable

An example:

         <web:RDF xmlns:web="http://www.openhealth.org/RDF/SurfaceSyntax"
                  xmlns:ex="http://example.org/ex">
           <web:Description web:aboutQ="ex:Jon">
            <ex:says>
             <ex:color web:aboutQ="ex:sky" web:resourceQ= "ex:blue"/>
            </ex:says>
           </web:Description>
         </web:RDF>
   

=>

• [ex:says, ex:Jon,[ex:color ex:sky ex:blue]]

The s-expression:

(or a b c) can be expressed in XML as:

<web:Expression>
 <web:predicate web:resourceQ="logic:Or"/>
 <web:first web:resourceQ="ex:a"/>
 <web:rest>
   <web:Expression>
    <web:predicate web:resourceQ="web:etc"/>
    <web:first web:resourceQ="ex:b"/>
    <web:rest>
     <web:Expression>
       <web:predicate web:resourceQ="web:etc"/>
       <web:first web:resourceQ="ex:c"/>
       <web:rest web:resourceQ="web:nil"/>
     </web:Expression>
    </web:rest>	
   </web:Expression>
</web:Expression>

=>

• [log:or, ex:a, [etc ex:b [etc ex:c web:nil]]]

(not a)

 <web:Expression>
   <web:predicate web:resourceQ="logic:not">
   <web:first web:resource="ex:a"/>
   <web:rest web:resourceQ="web:nil"/>
 </web:Expression>

=>

• [log:not ex:a web:nil]

web:parseType="Expression"

<web:Or>
 <ex:a/>
 <ex:b/>
 <ex:c/>
</web:Or>

is expanded as

<web:Expression>
 <web:predicate web:resourceQ="logic:Or"/>
 <web:first web:resourceQ="ex:a"/>
 <web:rest>
   <web:Expression>
    <web:predicate web:resourceQ="web:etc"/>
    <web:first web:resourceQ="ex:b"/>
    <web:rest>
     <web:Expression>
       <web:predicate web:resourceQ="web:etc"/>
       <web:first web:resourceQ="ex:c"/>
       <web:rest web:resourceQ="web:nil"/>
     </web:Expression>
    </web:rest>	
   </web:Expression>
</web:Expression>