ITWS Capstone Lecture:

The Semantic Web

John S. Erickson, Ph.D.
Director, Web Science Operations
Tetherless World Constellation
RPI
...the purpose of the lecture is
to summarize the Semantic Web
with key concepts and
the introduction of a few advanced ideas
that will be useful to these graduating seniors
in grad school
or their careers...
...the purpose of the lecture is
to summarize the Semantic Web
with key concepts and
the introduction of a few advanced ideas
that will be useful to these graduating seniors
in grad school
or their careers...
Boil the ocean!
What really matters?
Is this “Semantic Web” for real?
1989...
““Vague but exciting...”
Vague but exciting...”

1989...
2001...
2001...
2001...
Today...
Today...
Today...
Today...
Today...
Today...
Today...
Today...
Percent of total catalogs
(from 192 catalogs)

20
20
Percent of total catalogs
(from 192 catalogs)

Int'l Open Gov't Dataset Search:
searching 1,022,787 datasets
from 192 catalogs
in 24 languages
representing 43 countries
and international organizations
(Summer 2012)

21
21
Today...
2012...
Semantic Web?
Semantic Web?
“Web of meaning”
Semantic Web?
“Web of meaning”
Web of Data

Make meaningful
Make meaningful
assertions
assertions
about things
about things
on the Web...
on the Web...
Semantic Web?
“Web of meaning”
Web of Data
Link ideas...
Link ideas...

Linked Data
Assertions...
...about ideas???
subject
subject

predicate

object
object
subject
subject

predicate

object
object

““article”
article”

“has creator”

““Jim”
Jim”
doi:10.1109/MC.2009.30

http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/ creator

http://dbpedia.org/resource/James_Hendler
http://dbpedia.org/resource/James_Hendler
doi:10.1109/MC.2009.30

http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/ creator

http://dbpedia.org/resource/James_Hendler
http://dbpedia.org/resource/James_Hendler
That's how to describe things...
...but how do we find things?
SPARQL:
pattern matching
over RDF graphs
SPARQL:
pattern matching
over RDF graphs
““SPARQL Protocol
SPARQL Protocol
and
and
Query Language...”
Query Language...”
http://bit.ly/RumkhW
http://bit.ly/RumkhW

?s
?s

dbpedia2:blackboard

?blackboard
?blackboard
http://bit.ly/Rumtlp
http://bit.ly/Rumtlp

?s
?s

dbpedia2:blackboard

?blackboard
?blackboard
http://bit.ly/RumQwu
http://bit.ly/RumQwu
http://bit.ly/RumQwu
http://bit.ly/RumQwu

?s
?s

dbpedia2:blackboard

“There is no such month
“There is no such month
as “Rocktober”
as “Rocktober”
http://bit.ly/RumQwu
http://bit.ly/RumQwu
http://bit.ly/RumQwu
http://bit.ly/RumQwu

http://dbpedia.org/resource/Double,_Double,_Boy_in_Trouble
http://dbpedia.org/resource/Double,_Double,_Boy_in_Trouble
When in 2009 The Inventor said unto us...
Use URIs as names for things
Use URIs as names for things
Use HTTP URIs so that people can look up
Use HTTP URIs so that people can look up
those names (on the Web)
those names (on the Web)
When someone looks up a URI, return
When someone looks up a URI, return
useful information, using the standards
useful information, using the standards
((RDF*,SPARQL))
RDF*, SPARQL
Include links to other URIs, so that they can
Include links to other URIs, so that they can
discover more things
discover more things
Use URIs as names for things
Use URIs as names for things
Use HTTP URIs so that people can look up
Use HTTP URIs so that people can look up
those names (on the Web)
those names (on the Web)
When someone looks up a URI, return
When someone looks up a URI, return
useful information, using the standards
useful information, using the standards
((RDF*,SPARQL))
RDF*, SPARQL
Include links to other URIs, so that they can
Include links to other URIs, so that they can
discover more things
discover more things
The Linked Data Cloud
The Linked Data Cloud
The Linked Data Cloud
The Linked Data Cloud
The Linked Data Cloud
The Linked Data Cloud
How does this
help us?
Linked Data
enables agile
data integration
and
application creation
Mashup: OrgPedia Open Corporate Data
Mashup: OrgPedia Open Corporate Data

http://tw.rpi.edu/orgpedia/
Mashup: RPI Research Centers
Mashup: RPI Research Centers
Mashup: RPI Research Centers
Mashup: RPI Research Centers
Mashup: Research Data
Mashup: Research Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Linked Data Publication: HHS Health Data
Example: Extending a Sci Publishing Portal
Example: Extending a Sci Publishing Portal
Idea: Linking Data-driven Apps with “Smart Content”

http://inference-web.org/wiki/Semantic_Water_Quality_Portal
http://inference-web.org/wiki/Semantic_Water_Quality_Portal
[data integration/data science]
Schematic for Deep Carbon Virtual Observatory and Interoperability
Integrated
Applications

Discovery
visualizations

Semantic
interoperability

Analytics
and mining

Global Census, Virtual
Mineral Laboratory, ...

Application-level mediation: vocabulary,
mapping to science and data terms

Software,
Tools & Apps

Deep Energy/
Life
Applications

Semantic
interoperability

Physics/
Chemistry
Models

Semantic query,
hypothsis and
inference

….

Res/Flux
Applications

Query,
access and
use of data

Semantic mediation: physics, chemistry, mineral, emission data - ChemML,

Data
Repositories

GVP

MINDAT

EOS

EarthChem

Metadata,
schema,
data
... ... ...

Emission/
Compositions
[data integration/data science]
...the purpose of the lecture is
to summarize the Semantic Web
with key concepts and
the introduction of a few advanced ideas
that will be useful to these graduating seniors
in grad school
or their careers...
Semantic Web
key concepts...
RDF, SPARQL,
Linked Data,
mashups, dataviz,
RDFa, microformats,
Schema.org
Semantic Web
key concepts...

advanced ideas...

RDF, SPARQL,
Linked Data,
mashups, dataviz,
RDFa, microformats,
Schema.org

ontology, inference,
reasoning, provenance,
machine learning,
policy-based systems
Semantic Web
key concepts...

advanced ideas...

RDF, SPARQL,
Linked Data,
mashups, dataviz,
RDFa, microformats,
Schema.org

ontology, inference,
reasoning, provenance,
machine learning,
policy-based systems

careers...
????

ITWS Capstone (RPI, Fall 2013)