Hypothesis for a
Web Science
Degree Course
Ing. Federico Bo
Image by October 2008
nabskater/DeviantArt

Based on an idea of
Sir Berners-Lee
(and other professors of the MIT and the
University of Southampton)
here's to you ...
2

Web Science
to be more precise…
3

“The Web Science is the science that
studies the behaviour and properties of W
complex systems formed by persons, e
services and software agents who operate b
on the infrastructure of global
S
communication” c
i
e
n
c
e
Ernesto Damiani, Dept. of Computer Technology,
University of Milan, Italy
4

“There will be Sciences of the Web, those involved in Web
space technology, but also
Science, disciplines studying
a political, social and economic context which
is closely related to everyday life. The discipline of
Web Science in this sense, with its proactive intention, shall assume
a great responsibility to direct and guide the future of
the Net, and thus the key issues of the twenty-first century.”
Gaia Bottà, Punto Informatico
5

Key Concepts
• Networked structure
• Relations W
e
• Data, Information, Knowledge, Experience b
• Social perspective S
c
• Machines/Humans integration i
• Small / Large scale e
n
• Emerging Behaviours c
e
6

Web:
W
e
b
to be
studied, modeled, S
c
understood, designed, developed, governed. i
e
n
c
To be analyzed and synthesized e
7

W
e
b
S
Password: c
i
e
n
c
e
8

multidisciplinarity
9

10

And now let me introduce you to the….
11

Web Science
Degree Course
e
12

A graduate in Web Science should have the ability to:
• move between different sizes and different levels of the
network, analyzing and modeling, predicting and
W interpreting, the identifying dynamics and emerging
S behaviors in connections between humans and technology
D
C
and…
13

• define and develop theories, models, methodologies,
metrics that help to formulate systematically the principles of
the “Web discipline”
• create more effective systems for the processing of data
and information, go from the Era of Computation to the
Era of Problem Solving*
W
S
• design and develop tools and applications improvingly
D tailored to the particular nature of the Web
C
* Michael L. Brodie, Chief Scientist of Verizon Communication
again…
14

• discover the emerging trends of the Net, opportunities
created by ubiquity, mobility, new media and the increasing
amount of available on-line data
• study and understand the new social interactions and new
W political and economic models that occur with the mediation
S of the Web
D
• identify and preserve the essential invariants of the Web
C
15

Sectors
W
S
D
C
16

Data Web
• Data storage,
management, retrieval
and distribution
• Semantic web
W Web
Analysis
S and
Engineering
D
C
Analytic Web Web Architecture
• Topology, metrics, • Protocols,
statistics, web applications,
analytics interfaces, standards
17

Social Web
• Social software, Social
Networking, Social
Media
• Virtual Universes
W Web
Society
S and
Economy
D
C
Economic Web Web InfoCom
• Economics of Social • Convergence culture,
Production, Networked new media, grassroots
Information Economy creativity
• Enterprise 2.0 • New models of
• Web Marketing information
18

W
S
D
C
by Wordle
19

W
S
Data Web
D
C Social Web
Analytic Web
Web
Architecture
Economic
Web
InfoCom
Web
by yEd 20

First year
Fundamentals of Physics
C Mathematical Analysis
Theory of Society
d
Fundamentals of Computer Science
L History of the Internet and the Web
Foundations of Economics
S
English I
d Languages of the Web I
Web Content Lab
W
Fundamentals of Psychology
21

Web is…
a net
so…
22

Network Theory
(Graphs Theory)
Computer Networks
W
S
D
C
23

Web is…
a social system
so…
24

Theory of Society
Cultural Anthropology of the Web
Sociology of Groups
Sociology of Media Culture
Theory and Design of Social Network
W
Theory and Design of Virtual universes
S Sociology of Communication
Social Computing
D
Systems ranking and evaluation of reputation
C
on the Web
Security and Privacy on the Web
25

Web is…
a information system
so…
26

Fundamentals of Logic
Natural Language Processing
Information architecture
Information Retrieval
Semantic Web
W Infographics
S Cryptography
D
C
27

Web is…
a database
so…
28

Databases
Statistics
Web Analytics
Data Mining / Warehousing
W
S
D
C
29

Web is…
frequented by humans
so…
30

Fundamentals of Psychology
Social Psychology
Elements of Cognitive Sciences
Elements of Interaction Design
Psychology of New Media
W
S
D
C
31

Web is…
a distributed
computer system
so…
32

History of the Internet and the Web
Fundamentals of Computer Science
Web Languages
C
Software Engineering
d Web Services
Petri Networks
L Process Algebra
Web 2.0 Appl. Lab: Open APIs, Mashups,
S Widgets
Mobility and Pervasive Computing
d
Social Computing
W Distributed systems on the Web: p2p, grid /
cloud computing
33

Web is…
an evolving
complex system
so…
34

Chaos Theory
Complex Systems
Elements of Evolutionary Biology
Analysis of Ecosystems
W
Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms
S Artificial Intelligence
D
C
35

Web is…
an economic system
so…
36

Foundations of Economics
Institutional Ecology of the Digital
Environment
C
Web Marketing
d Economics of Social Production
Political Economy of Property and Commons
L Economics and Management of Digital
Industry
S Game Theory
Visual Communication and Video Publishing
d
W
37

Web is…
a medium
so…
38

Web Content Lab.
History of Media
Sociology of Media Culture
Languages of Journalism
Theory and Methods of Media
W
History of the Computer-mediated
S Communication
Sociology of Communication
D
C
39

It is not easy to create a new graduate school or a new degree
course: see the example of US Computer Sciences during
the '50s.
The Computer Science for years has been \"distributed\" in the
departments of Physics, Mathematics, Engineering.
40

Often this operation has reached great success due to a
convergence of academic, industrial and social interests
An example is the Chemistry in Germany in the second half of
the nineteenth century. A choice that has enabled a leadership
in this field for over seventy years.
41

Creating an academic community dedicate to the study and
understanding of this historical \"unicum\" named Web does
not only mean to form a knowledge base but to obtain an
authentic competitive advantage.
42

Interdisciplinary collaboration, the active contribution of
students, the adoption of open/p2p philosophies,
and the use of a 2.0 educational (and next versions...):
all this will help the Web study to become a bridge towards a
future of “pluralities” rather than a “singularity”.
43

One of the most fascinating aspects of the
birth of a new science is the new language
that arises, and that allows us to converse
amiably of topics and ideas that first
struggled to deliver.
Albert-László Barabási
44

Thanks
(also to Prof. Damiani, Holger Lenz and the
visitors of my blog for comments, suggestions, criticisms)
http://motobrowniano.wordpress.com/
Image by Genetrix205/DeviantArt