A Context-Oriented RDF Database

The importance of contextual knowledge in knowledge management and organizational memory is shown in topical literature. Even in an initial visionary scenario for the Semantic Web, one can immediately encounter the contextual knowledge needed to realize the necessary services. Hence, it is not inappropriate to claim that context management is an integral service of the Semantic Web. After discussing the distributed nature of contextual knowledge, we define some requirements for a context-oriented database service and then introduce CORD as a service satisfying those requirements based on the Semantic Web technologies. Selected features of CORD that provide some contribution to the discussions within the Semantic Web research community, like embedded resources, query language, and definition of rules, are discussed in some detail.