Using Resource Description Framework (RDF) for Description and Modeling Place Identity

Abstract

Place identity is a moot notion which encompasses a large heterogeneous set of components. In this paper, we propose the use of abstraction from the real world, Place entity, to describe and model the place identity concept. Place entity can be deemed as a mosaic of physical and social settings of a real place, or of a place representation (virtual or literary). We represented the Place entity as a hierarchical structure and we tried using the Resource Description Framework (RDF) to emulate the place identity process. A preliminary structure of the Place entity is illustrated in this paper, and its components described and analyzed. Considering the huge amount of data available on the Web, we are persuaded that Place entity may be a useful framework for modeling the place dynamics in a moment of great social change.