What the Heck is Semantic Web? Cristos Lianides-Chin [email_address] http://blog.cristoslc.com

Tonight’s presentation is brought to you by… The letters C , B , and Y , and the number 5 C hris Amato, Knectar Design B est Buy of Holyoke YOU , the audience! and $5 is how much you should chip in for food & drinks :-)

The letters C , B , and Y , and the number 5

C hris Amato, Knectar Design

B est Buy of Holyoke

YOU , the audience!

and $5 is how much you should chip in for food & drinks :-)

Cristos Lianides-Chin Chief Information Officer at Dexrex Background in usability & interaction design Who am I?

Cristos Lianides-Chin

Chief Information Officer at Dexrex

Background in usability & interaction design

Who am I? Cristos Lianides-Chin 20+ years of experience in the field of computers

Cristos Lianides-Chin

20+ years of experience in the field of computers

Who am I? Cristos Lianides-Chin 20+ years of experience in the field of computers NOT AN EXPERT Just a guy with a lot of questions

Cristos Lianides-Chin

20+ years of experience in the field of computers

NOT AN EXPERT

Just a guy with a lot of questions

First, let’s ask what the “web” is… What is “Semantic Web”?

First, let’s ask what the “web” is…

1980s: send a text file from Stanford to UCLA 1990s: Hypertext, email; World-Wide Web “Pages" 2000s: Web 2.0, APIs, mashups; Rich Internet Applications What is the “Web”?

1980s:

send a text file from Stanford to UCLA

1990s:

Hypertext, email; World-Wide Web “Pages"

2000s:

Web 2.0, APIs, mashups; Rich Internet Applications

What is the “Web”?

Web 2.0 Humans can understand things on the web, and how they’re related to each other What is “Semantic Web”?

Web 2.0

Humans can understand things on the web, and how they’re related to each other

Web 3.0 Machines can do the same thing What is “Semantic Web”?

Web 3.0

Machines can do the same thing

Mashups – HousingMaps, WalkScore Combine data from several sources Primitive Semantics

Mashups – HousingMaps, WalkScore

Combine data from several sources

Primitive Semantics – Mashups

Primitive Semantics

Mashups – HousingMaps, WalkScore Combine data from several sources Hard to build Have to understand APIs from two or more different services Primitive Semantics

Mashups – HousingMaps, WalkScore

Combine data from several sources

Hard to build

Have to understand APIs from two or more different services

Smart Agents – OpenCalais, TripIt Perform ad-hoc analysis of content Primitive Semantics

Smart Agents – OpenCalais, TripIt

Perform ad-hoc analysis of content

Primitive Semantics – Smart Agents

Primitive Semantics – Smart Agents

Primitive Semantics – Smart Agents

Primitive Semantics – Smart Agents

Smart Agents – OpenCalais, TripIt Perform ad-hoc analysis of content Not as reliable as standardized constructions; can go terribly wrong if document structure changes Can be tricky to train correctly; often have bias when “guessing” Primitive Semantics

Smart Agents – OpenCalais, TripIt

Perform ad-hoc analysis of content

Not as reliable as standardized constructions; can go terribly wrong if document structure changes

Can be tricky to train correctly; often have bias when “guessing”

A Little Story You have a shopping list

You have a shopping list

A Little Story Store Flyers

Store Flyers

A Little Story Recipes Nutritional Content

Recipes

Nutritional Content

Let machines do the reading for you! STANDARDS Microformats – hCard, hCalendar Official standards – RDF/OWL How could we make this better?

Let machines do the reading for you!

STANDARDS

Microformats – hCard, hCalendar

Official standards – RDF/OWL

Microformats are “grassroots” initiatives No central library Hard to communicate and get adoption. RDF & OWL A little scary to implement Adds a lot of overhead What haven’t I heard of these before?

Microformats are “grassroots” initiatives

No central library

Hard to communicate and get adoption.

RDF & OWL

A little scary to implement

Adds a lot of overhead

Sample RDF

Sample RDF (zoom)

Machine-only format Standard, but useful? object format for APIs to output Have to build a separate web-service BUT: Official standard – well-documented, officially endorsed by W3C Sample RDF

Machine-only format

Standard, but useful?

object format for APIs to output

Have to build a separate web-service

BUT: Official standard – well-documented, officially endorsed by W3C

Without hCard: Sample hCard

Without hCard:

With hCard: Sample hCard

With hCard:

Sample hCard Human-readable Simple to implement Only have to give one kind of output bots can crawl normal webpages and extract the info they need BUT: No central library of formats, so not easy to implement broadly

Human-readable

Simple to implement

Only have to give one kind of output

bots can crawl normal webpages and extract the info they need

BUT: No central library of formats, so not easy to implement broadly

Where is this going? 2010s: Ubiquitous computing – not just desktops, but portable devices too (iPhone, anyone?)

2010s:

Ubiquitous computing – not just desktops, but portable devices too (iPhone, anyone?)

What questions are out on the floor? What projects are you working on that you wish could give/take data more easily? What areas of your *life* would be better with a more semantic web? Portable address books Scheduling appointments Shopping for groceries Discussion

What questions are out on the floor?

What projects are you working on that you wish could give/take data more easily?

What areas of your *life* would be better with a more semantic web?

Portable address books

Scheduling appointments

Shopping for groceries