DOM Definition
The Document Object Model (DOM) is an interface used in the interpretations of web documents. The DOM represents each webpage and it's elements as nodes and objects in order to allow programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript to edit the webpage. In shorter terms, when programming and editing a webpage the DOM is what allows us to access the page and it's elements.
DOM Specifications
The DOM specifications are updated and managed by the World Wide Web Consortium(W3C). The W3C started the document in 1998 and have been updating it ever since. The specifications cover the DOM requiremnets and implementation as a base and for specific languages such as HTML, XML, and CSS
DOM Implementation in Browsers
When reading HTML code the DOM takes each element and creates a node from it. Every time it encounters a node it adds it to a tree diagram that, in essence, organizes the entire page. For instance, in the body element of my HTML code the DOM has a node for the body element, now I add a div inside the body element so a div node is added by the DOM under the body node. This logic continues until the entire site is neatly organized and can be easily interpreted by the browser.
Summary of Documentation
The DOM is an essential part in web development. It take existing code and translates it into an organized tree system making it easier for the browser of choice to interpret the original code. Thanks to the W3C the DOM specificaitons have been kept up to date.