Semantic Web

Facilities to put machine-understandable data on the Web are becoming a high priority for many communities. The Web can reach its full potential only if it becomes a place where data can be shared and processed by automated tools as well as by people. For the Web to scale, tomorrow’s programs must be able to share and process data even when these programs have been designed totally independently. This is the vision of the Semantic Web. The idea of having data on the web defined and linked in a way that it can be used by machines not just for display purposes, but for automation, integration and reuse of data across various applications.

Semantic annotation may be used to unite the visible web (one that is accessible by search engines) to the invisible web, which primarily consists of databases and other repositories that computers would need a schema description (e.g. ontology) in order to access. Semantic annotation may also be used in future HTML web pages as a form of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practice in order to more accurately determine (and possibly increase) page relevance to certain keywords and context.

ISSEL is vividly interested and active in exploring:

1. Persistent semantic storage
2. Semantic querying
3. Semantic integration

ISSEL is involved in the following research projects related to semantics technologies:

• ASSIST: ASsociation Studies assisted by Inference and Semantic Technologies
• MUMMY: Mobile Knowledge Management
• KDUBIQ: A blueprint from Ubiquitous Knowledge Discovery Systems (Coordination Action)

ISSEL has been a member of the KDnet, a Knowledge Discovery Network of Excellence funded by the European Commision (IST-2001-33086), for integrating real-life business problems into research discussions and collaborating in shaping the future of Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining.

For any inquiries or comments about ISSEL’s activities in the area of Semantic Web you may contact Mr. Konstantinos Vavliakis.