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FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-HELLAS

INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Head: Prof. Panos Constantopoulos

INFORMATION SYSTEMS LABORATORYhttp://www.forth.gr/ics/isl/

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Current R&D activities

Information modelling

Inheritance mechanisms in conceptual models Locality of information and context Semantic similarity

Data and knowledge base systems

Maintaining semantic integrityRepresenting incomplete temporal informationMethods and tools for transactions designAI techniques for the analysis and design of business processes

Ontology-driven systems

Formal foundation of ontologies and term thesauriDeveloping and managing multilingual thesauri Property-oriented ontologiesOntology-based agent co-operation

Information integration and access in the Web

XML/S and RDF/S Data Models and LanguagesDatabase Technology for Web resources and metadata XML/RDF Query OptimizationBrokering/Composition of Web services

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Application areas

Scientific, technical and legal documentation and knowledge bases Organizational memories, digital libraries

Web data and service platforms Portlets, Active Workflows

E-business product catalogues, service brokering

Enterprise resource planning

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Centre for Cultural Informatics

A unit of ISL specializing in the analysis, design, development and application of IT systems in the cultural heritage sector

Follows a cross-disciplinary approach Aims at covering the entire lifecycle of cultural information and of

documentation processes Areas of activity

monument and museum information systems source material management systems models and standards for cultural data terminology systems

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Technological results highlights Standards

The Conceptual Reference Model of the Documentation Committee, International Council of Museums now a candidate ISO standard.

Enabling technologies The Semantic Index System (SIS)

A versatile, high performance tool for concept and semantic link management, especially suited for meta-modelling. Offered as product.

The RDF SuiteIncludes a parser supporting semantic validation, a database generator,

and a declarative query language, all the first of their kind. Open source. Selected application systems

The SIS-TMS multilingual thesaurus management system.Offered as product. 35 installations to-date.

The POLEMON National Monuments Record systemApproved by the Central Archaeological Council for application at all units

and supervised organizations of the Ministry of Culture. Already deployed at 21 locations.

Integrated documentation and document management system for the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg.

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Personnel

(November 2002)

Researchers: 2

Univ. of Crete faculty: 5

Affiliated researcher: 1

R&D engineers: 12

Doctoral research assistants: 3

M.Sc. Research assistants: 12

Graduate trainees: 6

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Collaborations

National National Technical University (NTUA), Aristotle University of

Thessaloniki, Institute for Language and Speech Processing (ILSP), Greek Ministry of Culture, Minoan Lines, ...

International University Paris-Sud, Institut National de Recherche en Informatique

et Automatique (INRIA), Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers (CNAM), Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications – Bretagne (ENST), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), Getty Information Institute, Ministere de la Culture (France), Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Germanisches Nationalmuseum –Nuremberg,…

Industrial Intrasoft SA, Epsilon Software SA, Unixfor (UF), Bull, Valoris, Finsiel,

System Simulation Limited (SSL), ...

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The ICS-FORTH R&D Activities on the Semantic Web

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Community

Webs

Portal

What is a Community Web ?

The main requirement is to provide a single point of useful, ubiquitous comprehensive, and integrated access to various information resources

Education

Health

Workplace

Commerce

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Dissemination of knowledge within community

Generating new knowledge Accessing knowledge from external sources

Representing knowledge in documents and databases

Embedding knowledge in services and processes

Using knowledge in decision making

Community Knowledge Processes

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Community Information Resources: Cultural Example

Guernica Picasso Spain Knossos Fresco Greece

Thinker Rodin France

Where I can findMinoan artifactsfor my homework in history ?

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Metadata exists for Almost Anything/Everywhere

Physical Objects, Places,

People,

Devices, Networks,

Infrastructure,

Digital Documents, Data,

Programs,

User Profiles, Preferences,

<tag1> <tag2> <tag3></tag1>

<tag1> <tag2> <tag3></tag1>

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Advanced Knowledge Schemas

(ontologies, thesauri)

<tag1> <tag2> <tag3></tag1>

<tag1> <tag2> <tag3></tag1>

Complexity and diversity

of information resources

Heterogeneous

resource descriptions

Semantic Web Resource Descriptions

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A Cultural Community Web Portal: Example

r2: museoreinasofia.mcu.es/guernica.jpg

r1:www.rodin.fr/thinker.gif

PortalSchema

PortalResourceDescriptions

ExtResource

last_modified title

StringDate

“oil on canvas”technique

exhibited

“Reina Sofia Museum”

title2000/06/09

last_modified

&r3

&r1

&r2

&r4

Artist

Sculptor

StringArtifact

Sculpture

Painting

sculpts

createsfname

lname

paints

StringMuseum

exhibited

techniqueStringPainter

paints

creates

&r5

&r6

fname

lname

lname

paints

“Pablo”

“Picasso”

“Rodin”

2000/01/02last_modified

r4:museoreinasofia.mcu.esr3:www.artchive.com/woman.jpg

Web Resources

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Community Semantic Webs: Navigating/Querying

Museums

Artists

Artifacts

Techniques

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Mediators over ontology-based sources

Mediator

Simple ontology(a terminology + a

subsumption relation)

Information sources

Articulations(subsumption

across ontologies)

DBs : descriptions of objects using terms of the ontologies

Ontologies

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Mediators over ontology-based sources, cont.

Integration approach for providing unified access over ontology-based information sources of the kind of Web Catalogs (e.g. Yahoo!, ODP)

e.g. for defining user views over the catalogs of the web

Sources and mediators can operate in a variety of modes according to specific application needs (recall or precision)

lower & upper approximation sure & possible answer

Articulation (instead of merging) enables a very natural, incremental evolution of a network of information sources.

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The ICS-FORTH RDFSuite Main Components

Open Source Code (C-Web license): http://139.91.183.30:9090/RDF/

The Validating RDF Parser (VRP): Karsten Tolle Diploma Thesis The First RDF Parser supporting semantic validation of both resource

descriptions and schemas

The RDF Schema Specific DataBase (RSSDB): Sophia Alexaki MSc. Thesis

The First RDF Store using schema knowledge to automatically generate an Object-Relational (SQL3) representation of RDF metadata and load resource descriptions

The RDF Query Language (RQL): Greg Karvournarakis MSc. Thesis The First Declarative Language for uniformly querying RDF schemas

and resource descriptions

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The RDFSuite Architecture

Parser

VRP InternalRDF Model

Validator

RD

F Lo

ader

Loadin

g R

DF

Java A

PIsICS-VRP

JDBC

Class Property

ICS-RSSDB

DB

MS R

DF

qu

ery

API

SQ

L3+

SP

I fu

nctio

ns

LIBC++

p_namedomain range

c_name

URI

creates

subcl

supcl

subpr

suppr

SubClass SubProperty

source

paints

target

creates

class1 property

SQL3 SQL3

ICS-RQL Interpreter

Typing

Evaluation

GraphConstructor

Parser

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The C-Web Platform Architecture

RSSDB

HTTPDAV

Robot

Loader

HTTPDAV

RQL

Server-side app.

Concept. schema+ metadata

Legacy DB

ImportRWOS

WRS WRS

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The C-Web Project

EC IST Project (13479) 1999-2000 Overall Aim: Set-up methodologies and

infrastructure for fast deployment and easy management of Web Portals for communities requiring effective knowledge

assimilation,elicitation efficient semantic query answering

Partners: INRIA(FR), FORTH(GR), EDW(IT)

Application Scenarios: Learning Portals for

intranets or the Internet Corporate Knowledge Servers (e.g.,

automobile, telecommunications) Memory Organizations (e.g., museums,

libraries, archives)

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The Project “MESMUSES” EC IST Project (26074) 2001 –2003 Overall Aim: design and experiment

knowledge maps for organising, structuring and presenting scientific and technical knowledge

semantic portals: create and offer a cartography of connected or neighbouring knowledge domains

knowledge itineraries: navigate either on predefined routes, or on new routes that users define in a cooperative manner

Partners: INRIA(FR), FINSIEL(IT) FORTH (GR), ENSTB (FR), VALORIS (FR), IMSS (IT), CSI (FR), EDW (IT), DET-UNIFI (IT)

Application Scenario: scientific museums

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Effective Knowledge Management: 5 biggest Barriers

35%

36%

36%

38%

62%

Intransparency

Neglectance

Knowledge asPower

Unawareness

Lack of time

Source: Infratest Burke

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How the Semantic C-Webs addresses the 5 obstacles

Direct publishing of information resources by the contributors

Semantic descriptions of resources used by consumers

Automatic publication of new versions of resources

Contributors control their knowledge

Obstacles Solutions

Lack of time

Unawareness about Need

Neglectance

Intransparency

Knowledge is Power

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A Wider Perspective for SeLene:Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Sharing

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What is P2P ?

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What is P2P ?

ClientServer

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What is P2P ?

Peer Peer

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What is P2P ?

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The P2P Paradigm for Knowledge Management

Three examples: Searching information resources in a research organization On the fly Collaborations between People Knowledge exchange without central cost center

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Sharing Knowledge in Research Organization

Vassilis searches tutorials on “P2P”

Vassilis browses the KM server

Dimitris has worked on “P2P” but forgot to publish the information to the KM server

Vassilis calls Dimitris to ask about “P2P”

Dimitris e-mails Vassilis relevant files

Vassilis searches desktops of her fellow researchers and downloads information

Meta-information is transmitted on request

Time-efficient

Dimitris doesn’t have to think about publishing his information

Dimitris could restrict access to meta data and “sell” the full tutorial

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On the fly Collaborations between People

Collaborative Commerce is the next wave of enterprise applications Customer Relationship Management Supply Chain (B2B) Management Product Lifecycle Management

Distributed collaborative networks of data, applications and knowledge Spontaneous online collaboration with colleagues, suppliers,

customers, ... Central administration can not provide the necessary flexibility to

manipulate user data and applications on each other’s computers Many people resort to e-mail as communication tool:

Necessity for active (push) publication and distribution New versions have to be resend People get flooded by information

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On the fly Collaborations between People

Extended relationship management (XRM) requires truly decentralized administration to collaborate in an ever faster

changing environment peering management and connection technology on a scalable network

architecture semantic vs physical network oriented message routing

Product Lifecycle Management Supplier Management

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Departments around the world want to share information. They decide to use the Internet (or VPN):

Allocate a budget for web server, administration, and content management

Structure the available information

Administrate users on web server

P2P platform allows exchange of information without upfront investments

Every participant pays for his own platform

Contributors keep control of their knowledge

Paris London

Knowledge Exchange without Central Cost Center

Athens Nicosia

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Planet of Contenteous Planet Instantia

Nomadict Planet Planet of Cafélattia

KM and e-Learning: Four Scenarios

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Planet of Contenteous

Classical transmission model of knowledge rich content & learning process formal testing & feedback assessment on reproduction & critique

Technology as a content delivery system content & learning management systems, multi media, DVDs, digital & cable TV.a

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) support different media automatic testing & tracking eye into reality, simulations, virtuality mass viewing, individual assessment asynchronous & synchronous scheduling

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Planet Instantia

Continuous, autonomous, adaptive skill’s development flexible & instant just for me, just in time just for now, just enough assessment on authenticity & tracking

Technology as a tool for in-house knowledge assimilation from computer desk learning objects rule the planet!

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) high reliable, scalable as courses increase individualisation, customisation

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Nomadict

Truly any time, any place learning work with varying cultures & traditions learner chooses style, focused learning components interact with learners’ environments student designed assessments (with helpers)

Wearable, portable & embedded technologies promote student ownership of learning process

PDAs, Palms tops, 3rd generation mobile phones GPS, wireless & personal national & international communication networks

VLEs accessible anywhere without client software support tiny chunks of learning activities (modularity) ambient intelligence personalized assessment

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Planet of Cafélattia

Social context for learning: p2p information exchange & knowledge construction processes

acquisition, argument & application find & interact with like-minded others free expression, intellectual extension by dialogue sharing of tacit knowledge (professional communities) negotiated assessment: problem solving skills

Developed Internet (beyond the browser!) technologies as mediating devices contexts & community space asynchronous & synchronous groupware distributed computing resources: P2P memory space sharing

VLE support many standards and/or compatibility addressed knowledge management tools much improved group working tools sophistication in collaborative environments

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2 Views of Developing online Learning Processes

Cognitive/behaviourist Moderated interaction

Human intervention & support

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Individual Learning Systems Organizational Learning Systems

IntelligentLearning Agents

AdvancedSimulations

VirtualCommunities

E-nnovationStudies

e-Learning KnowledgeManagement

Innovation &Change Processes

e-Business &e-Management

From e-Learning to e-Business & Management

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Individual Learning Systems Organizational Learning Systems

IntelligentLearning Agents

AdvancedSimulations

VirtualCommunities

E-nnovationStudies

e-Learning KnowledgeManagement

Innovation &Change Processes

e-Business &e-Management

From e-Learning to e-Business & Management

* effectiveness of advanced experiential learning systems* design of multi-user, virtual reality environments* object-oriented modelling of organizational dynamics

* modelling of highly inter- active learning & change processes* modelling of knowledge domains (ontologies)* intelligentconversational agents (InCAs)

* cyberentrepreneurship cases and studies* innovation processes at company and market level* sector-specific studies (banking, content, etc.)

* online platforms design and evaluation* analysis of online social dynamics* analysis of knowledge- & value-creating processes (learning communities)