A data querying and mapping framework for linked data applications

The Linked Open Data (LOD) cloud has grown significantly in the past years. However, the integration of LOD into applications has not yet become mainstream because managing LOD for applications can be a challenging task and adapting (existing) applications for use with LOD is complicated. We have build a Linked Data Framework (LDF) that makes it easy for application administrators to integrate and maintain LOD sources in their application. The framework enables the integration of LOD in existing applications that make use of web services by providing a way to create a customized API wrapper for the application to interact with LOD, using existing web service description languages such as WSDL to define the needs of the application. The framework allows for easy editing and testing of the used queries and processing of query result data by the means of plug-ins. We have performed evaluation of the framework to demonstrate its usability. We have found that the first prototype of our framework simplifies the development, deployment and maintenance of Linked Data applications. Its modular structure and support for standards are important properties. It can therefore contribute to the increase of Linked Data usage in mobile and web applications.