What is SWS

Web services revolutionize use of information systems and to some extent academic research. Put it simply, web services come in small pieces of software, which can be put together to address complex tasks over heterogeneous and distribute data sources. In doing so, services represent an effective solution to isolated software integration. Web services are based on standards; HTML is used as communication protocol layer and XML is used as basic language. Web service composition and orchestration is not trivial. Representation of a human inquiry to an efficient orchestra of services must pass from a translation step, made possible via the use of metadata, which carry real world semantics. To this end, semantic web services denote intention to provide additional information about, and to facilitate, individual service integration and automatic composition. The chapter presents a concrete methodology to support the use of automatic composition of complex semantic web services with natural language. Web service semantics are linked with natural language processing capabilities to empower users to write descriptions in their own language and in the sequel to have these descriptions mapped automatically into a well tuned web service orchestra.