This book envisages the intelligent combination of Web services and the Semantic Web. The semantic web will create an environment where computers are able to understand the meaning of information and automatically process it. Web services support application-to-application Internet communication, allowing applications at different network locations to function as if they were part of a single, large software system. The book brings together contributions from research scientists in both industry and academia to study, explore and understand the phases that compose the lifecycle of Semantic Web processes. Detailing, in short, a technological revolution that will ultimately lead to a new breed of web-based applications.

Semantics, Web services, and Web processes promise better re-use, universal interoperability and integration. Semantics has been recognized as the primary tool to address the challenges of a broad spectrum of heterogeneity and for improving automation through machine understandable descriptions.

Semantic Web Services, Processes and Applications brings contributions from researchers who study, explore and understand the semantic enabling of all phases of semantic Web processes. This encompasses design, annotation, discovery, choreography and composition. Also this book presents fundamental capabilities and techniques associated with ontological modeling or services, annotation, matching and mapping, and reasoning. This is complemented by discussion of applications in e-Government and bioinformatics.

Semantic Web Services, Processes and Applications is structured for research scientists and graduate-level students in computer science, as well as practitioners in industry.

From the reviews:

"Editors Cardoso and Sheth present a collection of papers on the usage of semantic Web technologies within service-oriented architectures, to provide seamless interoperability between loosely coupled heterogeneous systems. ? This book will be useful to anyone interested in applying semantic Web services and processes to develop real-world applications. It can be used as a textbook at the graduate level or as a reference book ? ." (Alessandro Berni, ACM Computing Reviews, Vol. 49 (12), December, 2008)

"A structured approach to understanding and programming semantic Web services, processes, and applications is provided in this book. ? Each chapter closes with a section of review and discussion questions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced readers, and practical exercises are also provided. ? Thanks to its explicit structure, the book is equally suitable for research scientists, courses at the graduate level, and practitioners." (Annika Hinze, ACM Computing Reviews, Vol. 49 (3), March, 2008)