A semantic net "is a structure which is used to represent associations between objects. For each object of a given type, there is a corresponding collection of attributes which are applicable to it; some of these provide simple values, but others are found by following links in the net, which connect the object to other objects of various types".
[Reference: "Logic, Algebra and Databases"; Gray, P. M. D.; Ellis Horwood Limited (1984); page 200. For the purposes of this document, the word "attributes" has been substituted for "functions", and the word "links" for "arcs".]
The following diagram illustrates a simple semantic net describing a mapObject (in this case, a point on a map of mineral occurrences). The coloured annotation introduces terms used in LegendBurster documentation to refer to different parts of a semantic net.
To see how this semantic net is stored in LegendBurster, click here. To see another example of a semantic net graphic, click here.
The following diagram illustrates a query expressed as a semantic net, and explains two important features of LegendBurster queries.
To see how this semantic net is stored in LegendBurster, click here.
To see a much simpler semantic net query, click here.
Proceed to "Representing Entity-Attribute-Value Associations"