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The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding. On this page, you'll find W3C news, links to W3C technologies and ways to get involved. New visitors can find help in Finding Your Way at W3C. We encourage organizations to learn more about W3C and about W3C Membership.

## News

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### W3C Invites Community Discussion at WWW2008 Track

2008-03-18: W3C invites WWW2008 conference attendees to discuss pressing Web issues at the W3C Track in Beijing, China, on 23-24 April. Chaired by Marie-Claire Forgue, W3C track will present nearly 25 topics, some of them are related to the Internet use in China; read the press release. In addition to the W3C Track, Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the Web, will give a keynote titled "The Future of Web Applications" on Thursday, 24 April. A press conference with Tim Berners-Lee is scheduled on Wednesday 23 April at the Beijing International Convention Center; more details will be available on the W3C track page. (Permalink)

### W3C Staff to Participate in Research on Privacy and Identity Management

2008-03-27: Privacy assures autonomy of the individual, a necessary precondition for a democratic society. W3C is pleased to announce the launch of the PrimeLife research project. W3C Staff members Thomas Roessler and Rigo Wenning will participate in this three-year, 10 Million Euro multi-partner research effort. The goal of the project is to develop scalable tools to help people protect their privacy and manage their identities in new and emerging services and applications (such as virtual communities and collaborative applications). Read more about the W3C Policy Languages Interest Group. (Permalink)

### Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) Format 1.0

2008-03-27: The Efficient XML Interchange Working Group has published a Working Draft of Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) Format 1.0. This document is the specification of the Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) format. EXI is a very compact representation for the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Information Set that is intended to simultaneously optimize performance and the utilization of computational resources. The EXI format uses a hybrid approach drawn from the information and formal language theories, plus practical techniques verified by measurements, for entropy encoding XML information. Using a relatively simple algorithm, which is amenable to fast and compact implementation, and a small set of data types, it reliably produces efficient encodings of XML event streams. Learn more about the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Activity. (Permalink)

### XML Query (XQuery) 1.1 Use Cases

2008-03-27: The XML Query Working Group has published the First Public Working Draft of XML Query (XQuery) 1.1 Use Cases. This document specifies usage scenarios for XML Query (XQuery) 1.1, to illustrate important applications for the query language. Each use case is focused on a specific application area, and contains a Document Type Definition (DTD) and example input data. Each use case specifies a set of queries that might be applied to the input data, and the expected results for each query. See changes from the previous draft and learn more about the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Activity. (Permalink)

### Internationalization Tag Set Interest Group Launched

2008-03-26: W3C is pleased to announce the launch of the Internationalization Tag Set (ITS) Interest Group, chaired by Yves Savourel (ENLASO Corporation). The ITS IG is a forum to foster a community of users of the Internationalization Tag Set (ITS), by promoting its adoption, and gathering information on its further development. The ITS defines data categories that may be used with schemas to support the internationalization and localization of schemas and documents. Participation in the new ITS IG is open to W3C Members and the public. Read about the W3C Internationalization Activity. (Permalink)

### Call for Review: XML Signature Syntax and Processing (Second Edition) Proposed Edited Recommendation

2008-03-26: The XML Security Specifications Maintenance Working Group has published the Proposed Edited Recommendation of XML Signature Syntax and Processing (Second Edition). This document specifies XML digital signature processing rules and syntax. XML Signatures provide integrity, message authentication, and/or signer authentication services for data of any type, whether located within the XML that includes the signature or elsewhere. Read the list of changes and the implementation report. Comments are welcome through 30 April. Learn more about the Security Activity. (Permalink)

### Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) Requirements Version 2.0; Comments Welcome on First Public Draft

2008-03-26: The XSL Working Group has published the First Public Working Draft of Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) Requirements Version 2.0. This document enumerates the collected requirements for a 2.0 version of XSL Formatting Objects (XSL-FO), not for XSLT. XSL-FO is widely deployed in industry and academia where multiple output forms (typically print and online) are needed from single source XML. It is used in many diverse applications and countries on a large number of implementations to create technical documentation, reports and contracts, terms and conditions, invoices and other forms processing, such as driver's licenses and postal forms. The XSL Working Group invites people to help prioritize the feature set of XSL 2.0 by completing a survey until the end of September 2008. Learn more about the W3C XML Activity. (Permalink)

### Protocol for Web Description Resources (POWDER): Grouping of Resources

2008-03-26: The Protocol for Web Description Resources (POWDER) Working Group has published a Working Draft of Protocol for Web Description Resources (POWDER): Grouping of Resources. The purpose of the Protocol for Web Description Resources (POWDER) is to provide a means to describe a group of resources through the publication of machine-readable metadata, as motivated by the POWDER Use Cases. The current document sets out how Description Resources (DRs) can be created and published, whether individually or as bulk data, how to link to DRs from other online resources, and, crucially, how DRs may be authenticated and trusted. The aim is to provide a platform through which opinions, claims and assertions about online resources can be expressed by people and exchanged by machines. See the change log and learn more about the Semantic Web Activity. (Permalink)

### Last Call: Cool URIs for the Semantic Web

2008-03-21: The Semantic Web Education and Outreach (SWEO) Interest Group has published the Last Call Working Draft of Cool URIs for the Semantic Web. The Resource Description Framework (RDF) allows users to describe both Web documents and concepts from the real world people, organizations, topics, things in a computer-processable way. Publishing such descriptions on the Web creates the Semantic Web. URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers) are very important to the Semantic Web, providing both the core of the framework itself and the link between RDF and the Web. This document presents guidelines for the effective use of URIs in the context of the Semantic Web. Comments are welcome through 28 March. Learn more about the Semantic Web Activity. (Permalink)

### Call for Review: XML Base (Second Edition) Proposed Edited Recommendation

2008-03-20: The XML Core Working Group has published the Proposed Edited Recommendation of XML Base (Second Edition). This document describes a facility, similar to that of HTML BASE, for defining base URIs for parts of XML documents. All changes to the document are recorded in the XML Base Errata document. Comments are welcome through 30 June. Learn more about the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Activity. (Permalink)

### Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) Version 1.1

2008-03-17: The Voice Browser Working Group has published an updated Working Draft of Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) Version 1.1, part of the W3C framework for enabling access to the Web using spoken interaction. SSML provides a rich, XML-based markup language for assisting the generation of synthetic speech in Web and other applications. It provides a standard way to control aspects of speech such as pronunciation, volume, pitch, rate, etc. across different synthesis-capable platforms. See the list of changes in this draft and learn more about W3C's Voice Browser Activity. (Permalink)

### RDFa Primer

2008-03-17: The Semantic Web Deployment Working Group and the XHTML2 Working Group have jointly published an updated Working Draft of the RDFa Primer 1.0. The primer is an introduction to RDFa, a method for embedding structured data in XHTML. Changes in this draft align it with the the interpretation of the `@src` attribute as specified in the 21 February 2008 RDFa Syntax Last Call Working Draft. Visit the XHTML2 and Semantic Web home pages. (Permalink)

### SVG Open 2008 Conference and Exhibition

2008-03-17: SVG Open 2008, the 6th International Conference on Scalable Vector Graphics, will be held at the Maritim Hotel conference center in Nuremberg, Germany on 26-28 August 2008, with additional workshops on 29 August. Co-sponsored by W3C, the SVG Open conference series is the premier forum for SVG designers, developers, and implementors to share ideas, experiences, products, and strategies. The W3C SVG Working Group and W3C staff members Chris Lilley and Doug Schepers will participate. Proposals for presentation abstracts and course outlines are welcome through 31 March. Early-bird registration is now open, with a 25% discount for W3C Members. Learn more about the W3C Graphics Activity (Permalink)

### Mauro Nunez Named W3C Business Manager

2008-03-16: W3C has named Mauro Nunez W3C Business Manager. This is a broadening of his initial position as North American Business Manager, and incorporates the already broader role that Mauro has assumed at the Consortium since he was hired in October 2006. Mauro's primary objective will be to foster a business and operating environment that is cost-effective, productive and positive, across all W3C operating locations. Please join us in congratulating Mauro on his new role at W3C. (Permalink)

### W3C Invites Implementations of XQuery Update Facility 1.0 (Candidate Recommendation)

2008-03-14: The XML Query Working Group has published the Candidate Recommendation of XQuery Update Facility 1.0. This document defines an update facility that extends the XML Query language, XQuery. The XQuery Update Facility provides expressions that can be used to make persistent changes (including node insertion, deletion, modification, and creation) to instances of the XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Data Model. The Working Group also published today two additional documents that will become Working Group notes: XQuery Update Facility 1.0 Requirements and XQuery Update Facility 1.0 Use Cases. Learn more about the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Activity. (Permalink)

### User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0: Comments Welcome on First Public Working Draft

2008-03-13: The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines Working Group has published a first public Working Draft of the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0. UAAG 2.0 addresses accessibility of browsers and media players and their interoperability with assistive technologies. It will cover more advanced Web technologies than UAAG 1.0. Read the invitation to review the UAAG 2.0 Working Draft and about the Web Accessibility Initiative. (Permalink)

### Mobile Technologies for Sustaining Development Focus of Workshop

2008-03-11: W3C invites people to participate in a Workshop on the Role of Mobile Technologies in Fostering Social Development in São Paulo, Brazil, on 2-3 June 2008. W3C intends for this public Workshop to be a multidisciplinary forum where mobile and Web technology experts, NGO specialists, and egovernment representatives gather to learn more about the specific needs, expectations, and challenges of deploying services for underprivileged populations. Position papers are due 20 April. Read the press release and learn more about the W3C Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) and the Digital World Forum project. (Photo credit: kiwanja.net. Permalink)

### Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0: Working Draft

2008-03-10: The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines Working Group published updated Working Drafts of Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 and Implementation Techniques for ATAG 2.0. ATAG helps developers design tools that are accessible so that people with disabilities can use the tools, and so that the tools help produce accessible Web content. Read the invitation to review the updated ATAG 2.0 Working Drafts and learn more about the Web Accessibility Initiative. (Permalink)

### Note: Web Security Experience, Indicators and Trust: Scope and Use Cases

2008-03-07: The Web Security Context Working Group has published the Group Note Web Security Experience, Indicators and Trust: Scope and Use Cases. The Working Group is chartered to recommend user interfaces that help users make trust decisions on the Web. This Note explains the group's technical aims (complementing the group charter), what technologies may be used to achieve the group's mission, and how proposals will be evaluated. This Note also includes an initial collection of use cases that the group expects will drive its technical work. Learn more about the Security Activity. (Permalink)

### RDB2RDF Incubator Group to Study Mapping Relational Data into RDF

2008-03-05: W3C is pleased to announce the creation of the RDB2RDF Incubator Group, sponsored by W3C Members Oracle, HP, PartnersHealthcare, and OpenLink Software. The mission of this Incubator Group is twofold: (1) to examine and classify existing approaches to mapping relational data into RDF and assess whether standardization is possible and/or necessary in this area, and (2) to examine and classify existing approaches to mapping OWL classes to Relational data, or, more accurately, SQL queries, moving towards the goal of defining a standard in this area. See the charter for more information. Read more about the Incubator Activity, an initiative to foster development of emerging Web-related technologies. (Permalink)

### Last Call: Element Traversal Specification

2008-03-03: The Web API Working Group has published the Last Call Working Draft of Element Traversal Specification. This specification defines the ElementTraversal interface, which allows script navigation of the elements of a DOM tree, excluding all other nodes in the DOM, such as text nodes. It is intended to provide a more convenient alternative to existing DOM navigation interfaces, with a low implementation footprint. Comments are welcome through 3 April. Learn more about the Rich Web Client Activity. (Permalink)

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