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WebTracks is a JISC project which is exploring how to communicate and use links between data to support research.

Its easy to add links – in the web, or using RDF statements to capture relationships in the semantic web. But it is sometimes useful to tell someone else that you have made the link – particularly the person you have linked to. For example, if you cite someone else’s data in your work, in your paper or your blog, it would be a good idea to tell them that you have made the link. Its good for them – they know that their data has been reused. And its also good for you – if they then create a link back to you, people can find your work more easily.

So rather than waiting for others to harvest your linked data, offer it to them so they can add it to their linked data store.

WebTracks is exploring protocols and tools to allow people to communicate links and relationships simply and automatically, and with the minimum of changes to what they already do. And by building knowledge of how resources are linked together we can identify particular research objects, which collect data together which share relationships.

WebTracks follows on from two previous JISC projects – Claddier and Storelink – which started to develop this idea. Webtracks generalises the idea to a general level and explores its practical use futher.

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