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