What is the Resource Description Framework (RDF) used for?

The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is primarily used to describe resources on the web through a structured format that employs subject-predicate-object statements. Each statement, or triple, represents a relationship between the subject (who or what is being described), the predicate (the property or characteristic of the subject), and the object (the value or another resource related to the subject). This framework facilitates interoperability and the linking of data across different sources, making it a foundational technology in the semantic web and in data integration practices.

In contrast to this, tracking digital asset ownership is typically handled through metadata and rights management systems rather than RDF alone, which doesn’t specifically focus on ownership. While RDF can support the description of digital materials, it does not specifically deal with non-digital materials, which are often managed with different archival methods. Creating visual representations of data may involve RDF data but is not the primary function of RDF itself; rather, it's more related to graphical models and data visualization tools.