Semantic Technologies: Emerging Issues : Weblog

SemTech Study: Workshop dates

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:37:12 GMT

I have just sent an email out to the emerge-projects mailing list asking for the project managers (leaders, directors, dogsbodies,...) of each project to pick dates on which I can hold a workshop at their location to look at the potential use and impact of semantic technologies on that project: this is part of the Emerging Issues Semantic Technologies Study. If you are in charge of a project and have NOT got this email, please contact me asap and I'll forward the email on to you. I would appreciate a quick response to this request so that we can get the dates arranged.

Many thanks,
Tony.

Whither the semtech report?

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:34:12 GMT

It has been difficult knowing how to approach the preliminary report on semantic technologies. As a recap, for this study I intend to

write a report on how semantic technologies are currently being used and send that to project people (it'll also be available from here)
run a series of 'imagine' sessions with 10-15 projects in which we try to work out in what ways each project might be adapted to make use of semantic technologies and, if relevnt, to produce mockups of those newly imagines interfaces

So, really, the report needs to fire the imagination of project participants more than just inform them of the state of semantic technology (something for which reports are written pretty regularly - and I know of one in preparation which will be far better written than anything I could produce in the time allowed).

What I am doing then is to look at the papers presented to the recent ESWC 2008 conference and to pick out a few and highlight what they say about which technologies are or might soon be availble and how they might be used.

Anyway, that was what I came up with as an approach. Does this sound like it'll do the job? Any alternatives (that can be done with only 3-4 days work) you can think of, or alterations to the aproach?

First Post - Proposal uploaded

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:50:32 GMT

This is the first post for the Emerging Issues study on Semantic Technologies. I'll try to keep this updated regularly as the study progresses. I have uploaded the proposal I submitted to the Emerge project to the files are for this community: feel free to check it out if you are interested in what I'll be trying to achieve.

I've just started to wade through a load of websites, papers, proceedings, books and articles to draw together a quick introduction to semantic technologies for the members of projects that I will visit during the course of the study. This document will be limited in scope: it will only serve to introduce project members to the topic, giving them enough information to contribute to a discussion about whether and how their own project might take advantage of such technologies.

A while ago, I asked for a volunteer to act as Dialogue Mapper during the discussion sessions I run for the study but had no takers. If anyone is interested, please get in touch asap as I will shortly ask whether anyone outside Emerge community is interested in learning and honing this technique.

Finally, if you have any interest in Semantic Technologies, please join this community and contribute appropriate posts.