Rule interchange format

The Rule Interchange Format (RIF for short) is a recommendation of the W3C in the context of the Semantic Web . Rules are used in the Semantic Web to formalize knowledge. In order for a program to be able to deal with them, the rules must be described in a precisely defined rule description language. There are several of these descriptive languages, and RIF is used to translate rules from these languages ​​into others. The OWL and RDF standards are closely related to RIF . The working committee for this standard was established on November 7, 2005 and the format was adopted as a standard on June 22, 2010.

regulate

Computers can only draw logical conclusions by following certain guidelines. A rule is a construct with the structure "IF ... THEN ..." that expresses a conclusion. The rules of logic now allow a computer to infer the second part from the first part of the rule. An example of a rule is “If B is A's brother and A is a woman, then A is B's sister”. In a formal language, this state of affairs is expressed with predicates : “IF brother (B, A) AND wife (A) THEN sister (A, B)”. With this expression we have already decided on one language. RIF would now be used to translate this phrase into another language.

RIF dialects

As with natural languages, there are dialects in formal languages.

The Basic Logic Dialect (RIF-BLD) uses Horn formulas . The Production Rule Dialect (RIF-PRD) formalizes production rules . The Core Dialect (RIF-Core) is a common subset of the RIF-BLD and RIF-PLD.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ W3C: World Wide Web Consortium starts Rule Interchange Format Working Group , November 7, 2005.
2. ↑ Rule Interchange Format (RIF) is Now a W3C Recommendation Standard . June 22, 2010.
3. ^ RIF Basic Logic Dialect. W3C Recommendation, June 22, 2010.
4. ^ RIF Production Rule Dialect. W3C Recommendation, June 22, 2010.
5. ^ RIF Core Dialect. W3C Recommendation, June 22, 2010.