Trends in built environment semantic Web applications: Where are we today?

The built environment sector impacts significantly on communities. At the same time, it is the sector with the highest cost and environmental saving potentials provided effective strategies are implemented. The emerging Semantic Web promises new opportunities for efficient management of information and knowledge about various domains. While other domains, particularly bioinformatics have fully embraced the Semantic Web, knowledge about how the same has been applied to the built environment is sketchy. This study investigates the development and trend of Semantic Web applications in the built environment. Understanding the different applications of the Semantic Web is essential for evaluation, improvement and opening of new research. A review of over 120 refereed articles on built environment Semantic Web applications has been conducted. A classification of the different Semantic Web applications in relation to their year of application is presented to highlight the trend. Two major findings have emerged. Firstly, despite limited research about easy-to-use applications, progress is being made from often too-common ontological concepts to more innovative concepts such as Linked Data. Secondly, a shift from traditional construction applications to Semantic Web sustainable construction applications is gradually emerging. To conclude, research challenges, potential future development and research directions have been discussed.     

Ontologies for ecoinformatics

Rapid advances in information technologies continue to drive a flood of data and analysis techniques in ecological and environmental sciences. Using these resources more effectively and taking advantage of associated cross-disciplinary research opportunities poses a major challenge to both scientists and information technologists. These challenges are now being addressed in projects that apply knowledge representation and Semantic Web technologies to problems in discovering and integrating ecological data and data analysis techniques. In this paper, we present an overview of the major ontological components of our project, SEEK (“Science Environment for Ecological Knowledge”). We describe the concepts and models that are represented in each, and present a discussion of potential applications of these ontologies on the Semantic Web.     

Semantic Web研究综述

近年来,Semantic Web逐渐成为WWW领域的研究热点以及智能化网络服务和应用开发中的关键技术之一。归纳了Semantic Web技术的研究背景和主要发展历史。在分析了典型的Semantic Web概念后,给出了Semantic Web的定义。通过讨论Semantic Web构想的层次框架模型,指出了各个层次扮演的角色,并着重分析了Semantic Web的重要研究领域,指出了它们在Semantic Web构架中的核心作用。通过分析Semantic Web的应用领域和相关开发工具以及面临的问题和挑战,指明了Semantic Web研究和实践的方向。作为总结,给出了Semantic Web领域下一步的研究趋势。     

The two cultures: Mashing up Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web

A common perception is that there are two competing visions for the future evolution of the Web: the Semantic Web and Web 2.0. A closer look, though, reveals that the core technologies and concerns of these two approaches are complementary and that each field can and must draw from the other’s strengths. We believe that future Web applications will retain the Web 2.0 focus on community and usability, while drawing on Semantic Web infrastructure to facilitate mashup-like information sharing. However, there are several open issues that must be addressed before such applications can become commonplace. In this paper, we outline a semantic weblogs scenario that illustrates the potential for combining Web 2.0 and Semantic Web technologies, while highlighting the unresolved issues that impede its realization. Nevertheless, we believe that the scenario can be realized in the short-term. We point to recent progress made in resolving each of the issues as well as future research directions for each of the communities.     

Semantic Web based innovative design knowledge modeling for collaborative design

This paper describes a study about how to use the Semantic Web technologies for innovative design knowledge modeling in a multi-agent distributed design environment. Semantic Web based knowledge modeling for innovative design is proposed as prelude to the meaningful agent communication and knowledge reuse for collaborative work among multidisciplinary organizations. A model for innovative design is proposed at first, based on which a knowledge schema is brought forward. For sharing the design knowledge among an internet-based or distributed work team, even globally, A RDF-based knowledge model is presented to realize its representation on Semantic Web. A Semantic Web based repository for innovative design and its API for topper Semantic Web applications have been also constructed. The proposed knowledge modeling extends traditional product modeling with capabilities of innovative design, knowledge sharing and distributed problem solving, and is employed as a content language within the messages in the proposed multi-agent system architecture. The proposed approach is viewed as a promising knowledge management method that facilitates the implementation of computer supported cooperative work in innovative design of Semantic Web applications.     

语义Web上本体与智能信息Agent的集成研究

该文介绍了语义Web新技术,它可以为处理Web信息的智能应用程序提供帮助。文中描述了语义Web的层次结构及其支持语义Web的基础技术如RDF(资源描述框架)和本体(Ontology)等,文章表明,Agent技术与本体的集成会扩展程序能力,更有效地为用户执行任务而较少需要人的干预,也会对Web服务的使用产生重大影响。文中介绍了本体与智能信息Agent结合的应用实例,为用户搜索Web上的服务提供帮助。     

Searching and browsing Linked Data with SWSE: The Semantic Web Search Engine

In this paper, we discuss the architecture and implementation of the Semantic Web Search Engine (SWSE). Following traditional search engine architecture, SWSE consists of crawling, data enhancing, indexing and a user interface for search, browsing and retrieval of information; unlike traditional search engines, SWSE operates over RDF Web data – loosely also known as Linked Data – which implies unique challenges for the system design, architecture, algorithms, implementation and user interface. In particular, many challenges exist in adopting Semantic Web technologies for Web data: the unique challenges of the Web – in terms of scale, unreliability, inconsistency and noise – are largely overlooked by the current Semantic Web standards. Herein, we describe the current SWSE system, initially detailing the architecture and later elaborating upon the function, design, implementation and performance of each individual component. In so doing, we also give an insight into how current Semantic Web standards can be tailored, in a best-effort manner, for use on Web data. Throughout, we offer evaluation and complementary argumentation to support our design choices, and also offer discussion on future directions and open research questions. Later, we also provide candid discussion relating to the difficulties currently faced in bringing such a search engine into the mainstream, and lessons learnt from roughly six years working on the Semantic Web Search Engine project.     

基于语义的Web挖掘

基于语义的Web挖掘是使用从现有Web数据中抽取的语义或直接使用Web数据中已有的语义结构来帮助Web挖掘。它有效地结合了语义网和Web挖掘两个领域的研究成果,既可以通过开发新的语义结构来帮助Web挖掘,又可以利用挖掘结果促进语义网的创建。本文介绍了基于语义的Web挖掘的基本思想和研究现状,分析了语义网和Web挖掘相结合的优势,并详细论述了国际上关于利用数据挖掘技术创建语义网,利用语义挖掘Web数据和直接挖掘语义网三个方面的研究工作。     

Steps, techniques, and technologies for the development of intelligent applications based on Semantic Web Services: A case study in e-learning systems

Semantic Web Services domain has gained special attention in academia and industry. It has been adopted as a promise to enable automation of all aspects of Web Services provision and uses, such as service creation, selection, discovery, composition, and invocation. However, the development of intelligent systems based on Semantic Web Services (SWS) is still a complex and time-consuming task, mainly with respect to the choice and integration of technologies. In this paper, we discuss some empirical issues associated with the development process for such systems and propose a systematic way for building intelligent applications based on SWS by providing the development process with steps, techniques and technologies. In addition, one experiment concerning the implementation of a real e-learning system using the proposed approach is described. The evaluation results from this experiment showed that our approach has been effective and relevant in terms of improvements in the development process of intelligent applications based on SWS.     

Web information fusion: A review of the state of the art

In this paper, we introduce and overview advances in the field of Web information fusion and integration. As it is such a broad and diverse topic that is researched in many different fields, we choose to provide a unified view by focusing on selected survey articles that extensively cover earlier research contributions. Given the important role that ontologies are playing in Web information fusion and the emergence and fast development of the Semantic Web and Web 3.0 technologies, a separate section is devoted to the topic of ontology research and the Semantic Web. Then, in the section on Web-based support systems, several applications that are enabled as the result of advances in Web information fusion are discussed.     

Piggy Bank: Experience the Semantic Web inside your web browser

The Semantic Web Initiative envisions a Web wherein information is offered free of presentation, allowing more effective exchange and mixing across web sites and across web pages. But without substantial Semantic Web content, few tools will be written to consume it; without many such tools, there is little appeal to publish Semantic Web content.To break this chicken-and-egg problem, thus enabling more flexible information access, we have created a web browser extension called Piggy Bank that lets users make use of Semantic Web content within Web content as users browse the Web. Wherever Semantic Web content is not available, Piggy Bank can invoke screenscrapers to re-structure information within web pages into Semantic Web format. Through the use of Semantic Web technologies, Piggy Bank provides direct, immediate benefits to users in their use of the existing Web. Thus, the existence of even just a few Semantic Web-enabled sites or a few scrapers already benefits users. Piggy Bank thereby offers an easy, incremental upgrade path to users without requiring a wholesale adoption of the Semantic Web's vision.To further improve this Semantic Web experience, we have created Semantic Bank, a web server application that lets Piggy Bank users share the Semantic Web information they have collected, enabling collaborative efforts to build sophisticated Semantic Web information repositories through simple, everyday's use of Piggy Bank.     

WritingResearchWriting: The Semantic Web and the Future of the Research Project

In this essay, I explore one advancement in particular—the Semantic Web—and discuss ways in which it stands to change students’ interaction with information in digital spaces, and how new forms of interaction could impact the teaching of writing. I go back to the earliest days of the Web in order to remind readers how information retrieval has evolved in the digital age. I also provide a general discussion of the vision, current state, and possible futures of the Semantic Web, and I focus on how the Semantic Web might alter the research process and, more importantly, the research-writing relationship. I also offer suggestions for teaching composition in advance of and for the Semantic Web. Although the Semantic Web is still several years off, I contend that research and writing will merge into a single process, thus presenting new opportunities for the teaching of writing then and, perhaps more importantly, now. These opportunities include helping students to identify the challenges of information retrieval and overload, to see research as more about establishing links and connections between information sources and less about finding the “right” sources, and to write for the Semantic Web—and, in doing so, teach students that researching and writing are inseparable.     

基于语义Web技术的上下文感知的智能移动服务

语义Web技术应用于上下文感知的智能移动服务，通过构建上下文信息本体，使得移动服务的实体之间可以进行上下文信息共享和语义互操作，并进行上下文信息推理，实现智能服务。本文首先介绍了语义Web及本体技术，其次阐述了语义Web技术应用于上下文感知的移动服务，然后详细分析了智能移动服务中的上下文信息本体构建，包括通用的上下文信息本体、用户概况本体、情境本体以及服务本体等，接着介绍了相关的研究项目，最后进行展望和总结。     

语义网在文本分类中的应用

随着因特网上信息的大量增加,如果不依靠自动分类而完全通过手工进行文本分类,文本分类是不可能完成的。因此,文本自动分类成为一个重要的研究领域。首先介绍语义网及其相关技术,最后介绍基于本体技术的语义网的自动分类器。     

Magpie: Experiences in supporting Semantic Web browsing

Magpie has been one of the first truly effective approaches to bringing semantics into the web browsing experience. The key innovation brought by Magpie was the replacement of a manual annotation process by an automatically associated ontology-based semantic layer over web resources, which ensured added value at no cost for the user. Magpie also differs from older open hypermedia systems: its associations between entities in a web page and semantic concepts from an ontology enable link typing and subsequent interpretation of the resource. The semantic layer in Magpie also facilitates locating semantic services and making them available to the user, so that they can be manually activated by a user or opportunistically triggered when appropriate patterns are encountered during browsing. In this paper we track the evolution of Magpie as a technology for developing open and flexible Semantic Web applications. Magpie emerged from our research into user-accessible Semantic Web, and we use this viewpoint to assess the role of tools like Magpie in making semantic content useful for ordinary users. We see such tools as crucial in bootstrapping the Semantic Web through the automation of the knowledge generation process.     

语义网格：语义Web与网格计算的融合

本文对近几年Web服务、语义Web及网格计算等一些新兴的技术进行了简要的回顾，并对它们的背景、特点及相互关系进行了分析，在这基础上，介绍了一种新的网格发展趋势——语义网格，对它的背景、目标、体系结构及其知识层进行了详细描述并简要总结了当前语义网格的研完现状。     

Using the Semantic Web technologies in virtual engineering tools to create extensible interfaces

Ideas and tools developed for the Semantic Web can also be applied to and integrated with engineering tools and software. The ideas upon which the Semantic Web are founded, along with the technologies that are used to implement it, provide a platform on which virtual engineering tools and interfaces can be extended to create a web in which contextual information is readily accessible to engineers. When the Semantic Web and virtual engineering methods are fully realized, computer hardware and networking capabilities will work to provide information and tools to access information meaningfully. The question that must be answered today is: how will information be integrated in a manner that will allow commercial and proprietary software tools to remain separate while also being integrated so that the end user can control and query these tools with little to no knowledge of the tools’ implementation or inner-working details? The answer to this question will depend largely on the ability to implement open interfaces and schemas that can evolve over time as well as open source toolkits that enable development teams to collaborate at a high level. This paper discusses potential applications of the Semantic Web to explore these questions. In addition, specific capabilities being developed in VE-Suite are discussed.     

语义Web服务组合综述

语义Web服务的目标是,利用语义Web技术将Web服务的静态描述和动态行为与功能有机地结合起来,解决Web服务的自动发现、组合和执行等问题。语义Web服务组合是服务资源重用的一种重要方式,也是语义Web服务研究领域的一个重要内容,它以现有的语义Web服务资源为基础,通过服务组合为基于Internet的大规模复杂应用提供新的、更多的可用资源。首先对语义Web服务相关的基本概念进行归纳和总结,概述语义Web服务组合的研究内容和目标,然后根据语义Web服务组合中使用的方法学对其进行分类并分析这些方法的实现过程和特点,最后总结全文,指出下一步的研究方向。     

语义Web链接结构分析之综述

随着语义Web研究的发展,其数据量也不断增长,要实现语义Web追求的目标——数据的共享和重用,语义Web上的实体搜索和文档搜索必不可少。而面对这样不断增长的数据以及不同于传统Web的搜索要求,就需要使用链接结构分析来指导语义Web上的搜索。同时,语义Web的发展现状也无时无刻不吸引着研究人员的关注,而链接结构分析对于揭示其宏观结构起着关键作用。分别从实体和文档两个粒度对面向语义Web链接结构分析的研究进行总结,特别关注链接模型的构建以及链接结构分析方法的应用。