A visual exploration workflow as enabler for the exploitation of Linked Open Data

Abstract. Semantically annotating and interlinking Open Data results in Linked Open Data which concisely and unambiguously describes a knowledge domain. However, the uptake of the Linked Data depends on its usefulness to non-Semantic Web experts. Failing to support data consumers to understand the added-value of Linked Data and possible exploitation opportunities could inhibit its diffusion. In this paper, we propose an interactive visual workflow for discovering and ex-ploring Linked Open Data. We implemented the workflow considering academic library metadata and carried out a qualitative evaluation. We assessed the work-flow’s potential impact on data consumers which bridges the offer: published Linked Open Data; and the demand as requests for: (i) higher quality data; and (ii) more applications that re-use data. More than 70 % of the 34 test users agreed that the workflow fulfills its goal: it facilitates non-Semantic Web experts to un-derstand the potential of Linked Open Data.

Automated pebble mosaic stylization of images

Digital mosaics have usually used regular tiles, simulating the historical "tessellated" mosaics. In this paper, we present a method for synthesizing pebble mosaics, a historical mosaic style in which the tiles are rounded pebbles. We address both the tiling problem, where pebbles are distributed over the image plane so as to approximate the input image content, and the problem of geometry, creating a smooth rounded shape for each pebble. We adapt SLIC, simple linear iterative clustering, to obtain elongated tiles conforming to image content, and smooth the resulting irregular shapes into shapes resembling pebble cross-sections. Then, we create an interior and exterior contour for each pebble and solve a Laplace equation over the region between them to obtain height-field geometry. The resulting pebble set approximates the input image while presenting full geometry that can be rendered and textured for a highly detailed representation of a pebble mosaic

CHORUS Deliverable 2.2: Second report - identification of multi-disciplinary key issues for gap analysis toward EU multimedia search engines roadmap

After addressing the state-of-the-art during the first year of Chorus and establishing the existing landscape in multimedia search engines, we have identified and analyzed gaps within European research effort during our second year. In this period we focused on three directions, notably technological issues, user-centred issues and use-cases and socio- economic and legal aspects. These were assessed by two central studies: firstly, a concerted vision of functional breakdown of generic multimedia search engine, and secondly, a representative use-cases descriptions with the related discussion on requirement for technological challenges. Both studies have been carried out in cooperation and consultation with the community at large through EC concertation meetings (multimedia search engines cluster), several meetings with our Think-Tank, presentations in international conferences, and surveys addressed to EU projects coordinators as well as National initiatives coordinators. Based on the obtained feedback we identified two types of gaps, namely core technological gaps that involve research challenges, and “enablers”, which are not necessarily technical research challenges, but have impact on innovation progress. New socio-economic trends are presented as well as emerging legal challenges

Unterstützung des Editierens von Graphen in Visuellen Repräsentationen

The goal of this thesis is to provide solutions for supporting the direct editing of graphs in visual representations for analyzing graphs. For that, a conceptual view on the user's tasks is established first. On this basis, several novel approaches to "visually edit" the different data aspects of graphs - the graph's structure and associated attribute values - are introduced. Thereby, different visual graph representations suitable for communicating the data are considered.Das Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertation ist, Lösungen zur Unterstützung des direkten Editierens von Graphen in visuellen Repräsentationen zur Analyse von Graphen bereitzustellen. Dafür wird zunächst eine konzeptuelle Sicht auf die Aufgaben des Nutzers entwickelt. Auf dieser Basis werden anschließend mehrere neue Verfahren eingeführt, welche das "visuelle Editieren" der verschiedenen Datenaspekte von Graphen - der Struktur sowie dazu assoziierte Attributwerte - ermöglichen. Dabei werden verschiedene visuelle Graphrepräsentationen berücksichtigt, welche die Daten in geeigneter Form kommunizieren