Order matters!

Abstract

More and more applications require real-time processing of massive, dynamically generated, ordered data; order is an essential factor as it reflects recency or relevance. Semantic technologies risk being unable to meet the needs of such applications, as they are not equipped with the appropriate instruments for answering queries over massive, highly dynamic, ordered data sets. In this vision paper, we argue that some data management techniques should be exported to the context of semantic technologies, by integrating ordering with reasoning, and by using methods which are inspired by stream and rank-aware data management. We systematically explore the problem space, and point both to problems which have been successfully approached and to problems which still need fundamental research, in an attempt to stimulate and guide a paradigm shift in semantic technologies.