Web Ontology Language (OWL) is a markup language for publishing and sharing data using ontologies on the Internet. OWL is a vocabulary extension of the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and is derived from the DAML+OIL Web Ontology Language (see also DAML and OIL). Together with RDF and other components, these tools make up the Semantic Web project.

OWL represents the meanings of terms in vocabularies and the relationships between those terms in a way that is suitable for processing by software.

OWL is seen as a major technology for the future implementation of a Semantic Web. OWL was designed specifically to provide a common way to process the content of web information. The language is intended to be read by computer applications instead of by humans.

OWL's main purpose will be to provide standards that provide a framework for asset management, enterprise integration and the sharing and reuse of data on the Web.

-Ganesh A.M