Public Domain Calculator 
Marco Montanari 
Pierre Chrzanowski 
Primavera DeFilippi
Index 
• What is the Public Domain Calculator? 
• What did we learn doing it? 
• Where are we going with it?
What is PDCalc?
Mankind has spread its knowledge all over the world without 
considering how in time technology (and lawyers) could have changed 
the interactions and the use and reuse of art and content
Institutions are collecting Metadata in 
semantic form... 
And many more to come...
... Everyone with its own ontology 
• Europeana => custom ontology 
• BNF => custom ontology (with coverage of artists’ lifes) 
• CulturaItalia => Erlangen-CRM based ontology (why??) 
• Smithsonian => Europeana 
• OpenCultuurData => custom ontology 

Copyright law makes everything complicated (and is complicated)
Every country has a different graph (very complex)
With very specific questions
All in all there are a LOT of questions
A graph made of graphs made 
of.... 
Ok we need to stop. After 3 levels of abstraction it is almost impossible to manage 
complexity with the tools we have now
What did we learn? 
Let’s state even the obvious
Having a Hammer does not make everything 
a nail 
• Semantic technologies are fascinating 
• They are not the panacea 
• Perfect for knowledge representation 
• Not perfect for operation representation 
• Yet, operations are a form of knowledge 
• Yet, representing operations as semantic elements is complicated 
• Yet, there is an interesting task ontology 
• Yet unifying the representation of something practical is complicated
Knowledge representation is not unique 
• The representation itself depends on 
• Historical moment 
• Cultural background 
• Complexity of the field 
• Common knowledge 
• Political context 
• Social context 
• Perceived and real relevance 
• Aim of the representation
Knowledge representation is not final 
• We need tools to easily reflect the changing knowledge 
• As well as the fact that the knowledge itself changed
Oh, the Tools... 
• Working with Semantic technologies can be 
complex 
• Lots of Java stuff, some Python works, something in 
JavaScript 
• Lots too experimental, something too enterprisey 
• WE NEED MODERN KILLER APPLICATIONS!
Where are we going? 
And which way is the future?
PDCalc 
• Major archives are starting to get interested 
• The project will grow and evolve 
• We are starting to discuss the value of the information we calculate 
• It is not easy, but it can be very interesting 
• Integration with major SPARQL backends 
• WikiData, DBPedia, ...
Semantic technologies 
• Estabilshed as high end complex infrastructure 
• Data integration in (illuminated) Public Administrations 
• Where is the end user?  
• Custom tools 
• Custom queries 
• Custom taxonomies
Culture 
• Semantic tech is the «technological form» of the sharing economy 
• An endpoint gains value sharing its resource elements and taking shared 
resource elements 
• We need to decide where the Commons end and where Private data 
starts 
• This decision is probably the most complicated in the world
Need for developers  Need for tools 
• DBPedia, WikiData can be the starting point 
• We need to create new tools to leverage semantic data 
• We need to create new tools to create new semantic data 
• We need to keep our feet on the ground and remember that 
Technology is just a pretext for the bigger prize
WE NEED KILLER APPLICATIONS
GigaPixel
StoryMap
WE NEED KILLER APPLICATIONS
Thanks 
@ingmmo 
marco.montanari@gmail.com 
sirmmo.blogspot.com, … 
sirmmo 
http://it.linkedin.com/in/montanarim/ 
https://www.facebook.com/marco.montanari 
marco.montanari

Public domain calculator

  • 1.
    Public Domain Calculator Marco Montanari Pierre Chrzanowski Primavera DeFilippi
  • 2.
    Index • Whatis the Public Domain Calculator? • What did we learn doing it? • Where are we going with it?
  • 3.
  • 4.
    Mankind has spreadits knowledge all over the world without considering how in time technology (and lawyers) could have changed the interactions and the use and reuse of art and content
  • 5.
    Institutions are collectingMetadata in semantic form... And many more to come...
  • 6.
    ... Everyone withits own ontology • Europeana => custom ontology • BNF => custom ontology (with coverage of artists’ lifes) • CulturaItalia => Erlangen-CRM based ontology (why??) • Smithsonian => Europeana • OpenCultuurData => custom ontology 
  • 7.
    Copyright law makeseverything complicated (and is complicated)
  • 8.
    Every country hasa different graph (very complex)
  • 9.
  • 11.
    All in allthere are a LOT of questions
  • 12.
    A graph madeof graphs made of.... Ok we need to stop. After 3 levels of abstraction it is almost impossible to manage complexity with the tools we have now
  • 17.
    What did welearn? Let’s state even the obvious
  • 18.
    Having a Hammerdoes not make everything a nail • Semantic technologies are fascinating • They are not the panacea • Perfect for knowledge representation • Not perfect for operation representation • Yet, operations are a form of knowledge • Yet, representing operations as semantic elements is complicated • Yet, there is an interesting task ontology • Yet unifying the representation of something practical is complicated
  • 19.
    Knowledge representation isnot unique • The representation itself depends on • Historical moment • Cultural background • Complexity of the field • Common knowledge • Political context • Social context • Perceived and real relevance • Aim of the representation
  • 20.
    Knowledge representation isnot final • We need tools to easily reflect the changing knowledge • As well as the fact that the knowledge itself changed
  • 21.
    Oh, the Tools... • Working with Semantic technologies can be complex • Lots of Java stuff, some Python works, something in JavaScript • Lots too experimental, something too enterprisey • WE NEED MODERN KILLER APPLICATIONS!
  • 22.
    Where are wegoing? And which way is the future?
  • 23.
    PDCalc • Majorarchives are starting to get interested • The project will grow and evolve • We are starting to discuss the value of the information we calculate • It is not easy, but it can be very interesting • Integration with major SPARQL backends • WikiData, DBPedia, ...
  • 24.
    Semantic technologies •Estabilshed as high end complex infrastructure • Data integration in (illuminated) Public Administrations • Where is the end user?  • Custom tools • Custom queries • Custom taxonomies
  • 25.
    Culture • Semantictech is the «technological form» of the sharing economy • An endpoint gains value sharing its resource elements and taking shared resource elements • We need to decide where the Commons end and where Private data starts • This decision is probably the most complicated in the world
  • 26.
    Need for developers Need for tools • DBPedia, WikiData can be the starting point • We need to create new tools to leverage semantic data • We need to create new tools to create new semantic data • We need to keep our feet on the ground and remember that Technology is just a pretext for the bigger prize
  • 27.
    WE NEED KILLERAPPLICATIONS
  • 28.
  • 29.
  • 30.
    WE NEED KILLERAPPLICATIONS
  • 31.
    Thanks @ingmmo marco.montanari@gmail.com sirmmo.blogspot.com, … sirmmo http://it.linkedin.com/in/montanarim/ https://www.facebook.com/marco.montanari marco.montanari