Balisage Paper: Semantics and the Internet of Things

Abstract

It usually starts with a coffeemaker. The number and variety of devices now connected to the internet is astonishing: computers and laptops, phones and tablets, of course, but also game consoles and televisions, heating and cooling systems, automobiles, sensors of every variety. Not far behind are watches, eye glasses, shoes, jackets, and fobs of every variety. Beyond simple connectivity, many of these devices carry significant processing power of their own: the ability to recognize faces, extract conversations from noisy rooms, or tell the difference between spoilt milk and stinky cheese in the refrigerator. Looking beyond the obvious concerns about privacy and security, if we want these devices to work for us as well as against us, they will have to be connected in ways that we can leverage. Using semantic technologies and SPARQL could save us from vendor or aggregator lock-in. Maybe.