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16 <h1 align="center">MathQL-1</h1>
18 <h2 align="center">A query language for RDF metadata</h2>
20 <table cellpadding="10" cellspacing="2" border="0" width="95%"
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36 <li><a href="features.html">Features</a></li>
43 <li><a href="whatsnew.html">What's new</a></li>
48 <li><a href="documentation.html">Documentation</a></li>
55 <li><a href="implementation.html">Implementation</a><br>
63 <li><a href="authors.html">The authors</a><br>
71 <li><a href="links.html">Links</a><br>
80 <div align="right"><b>Forward</b><br>
83 The MathQL proposal rises in the context of the <a
84 href="http://helm.cs.unibo.it/">HELM project</a>, which aims at the development
85 of a suitable technology for the creation and maintenance of a virtual,
86 distributed, hypertextual library of structured mathematical knowledge
87 based on <a href="http://www.w3.org/XML/">XML</a> technology, through the
88 integration of the current proof assistants and logical frameworks with
89 the most recent technologies for the development of Web applications and
90 electronic publishing.<br>
92 The objective of the MathQL proposal is the development of a
93 set of query languages enabling the retrieval of formalized mathematical
94 Web resources on the basis of content-aware requests. The first of these
95 languages, <b>MathQL-1</b>, is focused on querying an arbitrary
96 <a href="http://www.w3.org/RDF/">RDF</a> database because RDF is
97 the <a href="http://www.w3.org/">W3C</a> standard for describing
98 Web resources at the general-purpose content level.<br>
100 As an RDF query language, MathQL-1 provides the main features
101 required by the RDF community while complying with the needs of HELM.
102 The peculiar aspects of this language concern the query results, which
103 are highly structured and possess their own syntax, formally explained
104 by a rigorous semantics.<br>
106 MathQL-1 is particularly helpful in distributed systems where
107 query engines are implemented as stand-alone units, because in this
108 situation the query results are exchanged between the system components
109 as well as the queries, and thus both the queries and the query results
110 need to be encoded in a clearly defined format.<br>
112 Other languages to be developed in the context of the MathQL proposal
113 will be suitable for queries about the semantic structure of mathematical
114 data: this will include content-based pattern-matching (MathQL-2) and possibly
115 other forms of formal matching involving for instance isomorphism, unification
116 and definitions expansion (MathQL-3).<br>
125 <div align="center">This site is maintained by <a
126 href="mailto://fguidi@cs.unibo.it">Ferruccio Guidi</a>, last update: July