Semantic Web and the underling family of web technologies, from XML, through RDF to various ontology-description languages like OWL, can considerably reduce system integration time and effort. They can also provide a level of independence from environmental changes that would otherwise require extensive re-engineering of software systems. A case in point are systems supporting the working of government organizations, particularly the production and delivery of public services to citizens, businesses and other arms of the government, and their dependence on changing administrative rules and regulations.
This project aims at developing foundational and technical solutions to the problem of semantic interoperability, particularly for public organizations, and disseminating the findings among e-Government experts and practitioners. The project is a collaboration effort between UNU-IIST and Microsoft Corporation carried out within the framework of the UNeGov.net initiative.