On Entities In The Web Of Data

This chapter aims to explore what "entities" in the Web of Data are. As a point of departure we examine a number of widely used RESTful Web APIs in terms of URI space design and hyperlinking support in the offered resource representations. Based on the insights gained from the API review, we motivate the concept of an entity as well as its boundaries. Eventually we discuss the relevance of the entity concept for publishers and consumers of Web data, as well as the impact on Web data design issues.