RDF, or Resource Description Framework, is a data format for describing web resources. It has come to be used as a general method for conceptual description or modeling of information that is implemented in web resources, using a variety of syntax formats. RDF is based upon the idea of making statements about resources (in particular Web resources) in the form of subject-predicate-object expressions. These expressions are known as triples in RDF terminology. The Cognitive Atlas can export the data stored within it as RDF triples, which can be imported into other programs, mashed together with other datasets, or queried through our SPARQL endpoint.

For more information about RDF, please consult the links below:

• A Quick Intro to RDF
• Joshua Tauberer's article "What is RDF and what is it good for?"
• W3C's FAQ on the Semantic Web
• Keith Alexander's article "RDF for the Rest of Us"
• Michael Bergman's article on the "Advantages and Myths of RDF"
• Janus Boye's article "RDF - What's in it for us?"
• For more detail on the specification itself, here is the W3C syntax specification
• And of course, the Wikipedia page for Resource Description Framework