X3D Semantic Web Working Group Charter

Overview

The X3D Semantic Web Working Group mission is to publish models to the Web using X3D in order to best gain Web interoperability and enable intelligent 3D applications, feature-based 3D model querying, and reasoning over 3D scenes.

Motivations

  1. Establish best practices for metadata and semantic information/relationships using X3D as a Web-based presentation layer.
  2. Enable authors to utilize the power of X3Dv4 and HTML5/DOM together in any Web page utilizing a family of specifications and practices provided by the Semantic Web, such as HTML5 Microdata (microformats) and Linked Open Data, (possibly) MPEG-7 and related references.
  3. Align the X3Dv4 specification with these standards as best possible to further enable the Digital Publishing industry and communities.
  4. Describe value proposition for utilizing semantic information in concert with archival export, publishing, visualization, and printing of any 3D model as X3D.

Goals

  1. Enable more effective indexing, search, comparison, and analysis of X3D models through the advanced use of metadata, shape geometry, etc.
  2. Create and partially autogenerate X3Dv4 OWL ontology from the X3D Unified Object Model (X3DUOM) using best-practice design patterns, starting with those shown by prior published work.
  3. Support various Web3D Working Groups including Computer-Aided Design (CAD), 3D printing/scanning, Medical, Cultural and Natural Heritage, Humanoid Animation (HAnim) design work may consider other potential domains such as Building Information Models (BIM), etc.
  4. Build and maintain a list of domain-specific controlled vocabularies and taxonomies that are suitable for use in concert with the X3D Ontology.
  5. Maximize interoperability with Semantic Web standards for greatest possible reuse and integration with the Web.

Objectives

The working group will collaboratively design a general framework that supports:

  1. representation of semantics of 3D objects within X3D documents,
  2. representation of semantics of the counterpart real objects within X3D documents,
  3. automatic generating of X3D documents based on ontologies and vice versa,
  4. queries to semantic X3D documents
  5. correlating formal metadata, authentication, encryption, visualization, printing and scanning for a given model.

If successfully designed, such a general framework might be gradually extended with new concepts related to a variety of different semantic areas using X3D presentation.

Practices

The X3D Semantic Web Working Group follows Web3D Working Group Practices.

The role of the X3D community has been crucial throughout every stage of development for the VRML and X3D International Standards. The public community of interested Web authors has always been a principal stakeholder for success, and indeed is often a primary driver of long-term progress. Open public discussion and periodic community review of key issues remains an essential activity for the X3D Semantic Web Working Group.

Meetings

The Working Group holds twice-monthly teleconferences and face-to-face meetings annually at the Siggraph and Web3D conferences.

Participants

The X3D Working Group is a Web3D Consortium members-only activity. Non-member experts may be invited to participate in topics of special interest. The leadership of the Working Group consists of 2-4 co-chairs.

Dependencies and Liaisons

The X3D Semantic Web Working Group supports other Web3D Working Groups and Web3D Consortium Liaisons and Partnerships. Efforts and products are coordinated via the X3D working group to achieve planned specification milestone activities and effective external liaisons.

Confidentiality

Working group communications are published in the X3D members-only mailing list. At the discretion of the Working Group, as appropriate, information may also be released to the public.

Communication

Creation and Approval Dates

This charter was approved by the Web3D Consortium Board of Directors on 2019-01-08.