Free-text user queries for semantic search

The amount of linked open data is growing fast. Yet, it is difficult for the end users to access the semantic data without having the in depth knowledge of the SPARQL language. The modern semantic search engines tackled the problem with standard user interfaces. However, these interfaces are not very usable for people with no understanding of semantic technologies. It is challenging for the semantic search tools to meet the criteria of a user-friendly search interface and the biggest challenge is to translate informal free text user queries to formal queries that can be resolved by a query processor i.e. SPARQL. In the present work the authors introduce an interface based on their previously modelled framework. The interface translates end user queries to SPARQL syntax by tagging the search terms with related concepts and properties. The authors explain the implementation of the search framework followed by the evaluation of the process.