Ontologies and Intelligent Agents: A Powerful Bond

Abstract

The emerged form of information with computer-processable meaning (semantics) as presented in the framework of the Semantic Web (SW) facilitates machines to access it more efficiently. Information is semantically annotated in order to ease the discovery and retrieval of knowledge. Ontologies are the basic element of the SW. They carry knowledge about a domain and enable interoperability between different resources. Another technology that draws considerable attention nowadays is the technology of Intelligent Agents. Intelligent agents act on behalf of a user to complete tasks and may adapt their behavior to achieve their objectives. The objective of this chapter is to provide an exhaustive description of fundamentals regarding the combination of SW and intelligent agent technologies.