RDF* in CBOR?

[ChristopherA]

We are working a new specification for a binary format using IETF CBOR called "Gordian Envelopes". We are planning to submit this spec for Gordian Envelopes that leverages deterministic CBOR as an IETF Internet-Draft by end of the week:

ABSTRACT: The envelope protocol specifies a format for hierarchical binary data built on CBOR. Envelopes are designed with "smart documents" in mind, and have a number of unique features including easy representation of semantic structures like triples, built-in normalization, a built-in Merkle-like digest tree, and the ability for the holder of a document to selectively encrypt or elide specific parts of a document without invalidating the digest tree or cryptographic signatures that rely on it

https://blockchaincommons.github.io/WIPs-IETF-draft-envelope/draft-mcnally-envelope.html

In particular for this group, it supports triples where both the predicates and objects can be fully nested, i.e. "envelopes in envelopes". Part of the goal for this was to support annotation to allow for semantic clarity of both.

As I understand it, this approach comes closest to RDF* in approach, as it is more that a LPG (labeled property graph). Gordian Envelopes are, however, ONLY a data format, it does not specify or require semantic data.

We have a high-level overview of Gordian Envelops at:

https://www.blockchaincommons.com/introduction/Envelope-Intro/

A more engineering-level introduction at:

https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/Gordian/blob/master/Docs/Envelope-Tech-Intro.md

We have a video playlist starting with a 10m high-level introduction:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCkrqxOY1FbooYwJ7ZhpJ_QQk8Az1aCnG

We have a reference CLI implementation (written in Swift) available now, and some of our patrons have begun porting libraries to more languages like Kotlin, Typescript, Python, and Blockchain Commons is also committed to porting to Rust as funding allows. Let us know your needs!

For those of you who don't like videos, we have an annotated introduction to our CLI reference implementation that really demonstrates of the power of CBOR with Gordian Envelopes:

https://github.com/BlockchainCommons/envelope-cli-swift/blob/master/Transcripts/1-OVERVIEW-TRANSCRIPT.md

I'm seeking someone with a greater familiarity with RDF* architectures to identify if Gordian Envelopes might be useful to this community.

cc/ @wolfmcnally @selfissued @drummondreed

[TallTed]

RDF* is a long outdated name for something described by a long outdated preliminary spec.

Please always use RDF-star when referring to the current effort, and ensure that any (preliminary and experimental!) implementations you're working on are based on the current draft spec, which has many significant differences from the outdated documents.

(P.S. Drummond is @talltree.)

[gkellogg]

There was some work started on CBOR-LD, which I believe is in the domain of the JSON-LD Working Group (actually, work is part of the JSON-LD CG, which feeds into the working group).

Standardizing on something like CBOR-LD, if it were to track updates suggested in JSON-LD-star, perhaps by exposing capabilities that might make it directly in to a JSON-LD update, would seem to satisfy this. In fact, the CG document is largely writen as a transform layer on top of JSON-LD already.

Perhaps the issue should be brought up, or moved to, https://github.com/w3c/json-ld-syntax/issues.

[pchampin]

Perhaps the issue should be brought up, or moved to, https://github.com/w3c/json-ld-syntax/issues

+1 to move it there; this is in scope of the JSON-LD WG, out of scope for the RDF-star WG.