SMART-KG: Hybrid Shipping for SPARQL Querying on the Web

While Linked Data (LD) provides standards for publishing (RDF) and (SPARQL) querying Knowledge Graphs (KGs) on the Web, serving, accessing and processing such open, decentralized KGs is often practically impossible, as query timeouts on publicly available SPARQL endpoints show. Alternative solutions such as Triple Pattern Fragments (TPF) attempt to tackle the problem of availability by pushing query processing workload to the client side, but suffer from unnecessary transfer of irrelevant data on complex queries with large intermediate results. In this paper we present smart-KG, a novel approach to share the load between servers and clients, while significantly reducing data transfer volume, by combining TPF with shipping compressed KG partitions. Our evaluations show that outperforms state-of-the-art client-side solutions and increases server-side availability towards more cost-effective and balanced hosting of open and decentralized KGs.Series: Working Papers on Information Systems, Information Business and Operation

Fixed, Tethered or Free: The Role of Space and Place in Online Home-Based Businesses

Online businesses were heralded as being ‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere’ businesses, allowing the entrepreneurs who run them to be free of locational constraints. In contrast, entrepreneurs who operate home-based businesses have made a conscious choice to operate their business from home. This study explores the role of space and place for entrepreneurs who have brought these two types of business together, that is, entrepreneurs who are operating online home-based businesses. Such businesses are important as the have been identified as offering a unique opportunity for experimentation and innovation are hence a source of business diversity. The also offer economic benefits both at the individual micro level and at the macro-economic level. The study, which is exploratory in nature, is undertaken by means of key informant interviews with 42 entrepreneurs who are operating online home based businesses. The study finds that whilst certain factors allow such businesses to be location independent, other factors constrain the location of the businesses, usually to the home. The study findings suggest that there is a more subtle third alternative we term ‘tethered’ businesses, that lies between these two extremes of location dependent or independent, which is more appropriate for many online home-based businesses

Size-resolved aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) properties in the remote marine South China Sea - Part 1: Observations and source classification

Abstract. Ship-based measurements of aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) properties are presented for 2 weeks of observations in remote marine regions of the South China Sea/East Sea during the southwestern monsoon (SWM) season. Smoke from extensive biomass burning throughout the Maritime Continent advected into this region during the SWM, where it was mixed with anthropogenic continental pollution and emissions from heavy shipping activities. Eight aerosol types were identified using a k-means cluster analysis with data from a size-resolved CCN characterization system. Interpretation of the clusters was supplemented by additional onboard aerosol and meteorological measurements, satellite, and model products for the region. A typical bimodal marine boundary layer background aerosol population was identified and observed mixing with accumulation mode aerosol from other sources, primarily smoke from fires in Borneo and Sumatra. Hygroscopicity was assessed using the κ parameter and was found to average 0.40 for samples dominated by aged accumulation mode smoke; 0.65 for accumulation mode marine aerosol; 0.60 in an anthropogenic aerosol plume; and 0.22 during a short period that was characterized by elevated levels of volatile organic compounds not associated with biomass burning impacts. As a special subset of the background marine aerosol, clean air masses substantially scrubbed of particles were observed following heavy precipitation or the passage of squall lines, with changes in observed aerosol properties occurring on the order of minutes. Average CN number concentrations, size distributions, and κ values are reported for each population type, along with CCN number concentrations for particles that activated at supersaturations between 0.14 and 0.85 %

Collaborative Research on Academic History using Linked Open Data: A Proposal for the Heloise Common Research Model

International audienceThe paper presents a proposal for the Heloise Common Research Model (HCRM), to be implemented for the European research network on digital academic history – Heloise. The objective of Heloise is to interlink databases and other digital resources stemming from several research projects in the field of academic history, to provide an integrated database for federated research on the network databases. The HCRM defines three layers: the Repository Layer, the Application Layer and the Research Interface Layer, which are presented in detail. As part of the application and research interface layer, essential concepts are the symogih.org ontology and a Heloise network-specific thesaurus. The concepts have been tested on a sample of Heloise network’s datasets as a part of a prototype of the envisaged platform that the authors have started implementing. The paper concludes with future developments to be accomplished within the Heloise network

Interest-based RDF Update Propagation

Many LOD datasets, such as DBpedia and LinkedGeoData, are voluminous and process large amounts of requests from diverse applications. Many data products and services rely on full or partial local LOD replications to ensure faster querying and processing. While such replicas enhance the flexibility of information sharing and integration infrastructures, they also introduce data duplication with all the associated undesirable consequences. Given the evolving nature of the original and authoritative datasets, to ensure consistent and up-to-date replicas frequent replacements are required at a great cost. In this paper, we introduce an approach for interest-based RDF update propagation, which propagates only interesting parts of updates from the source to the target dataset. Effectively, this enables remote applications to `subscribe' to relevant datasets and consistently reflect the necessary changes locally without the need to frequently replace the entire dataset (or a relevant subset). Our approach is based on a formal definition for graph-pattern-based interest expressions that is used to filter interesting parts of updates from the source. We implement the approach in the iRap framework and perform a comprehensive evaluation based on DBpedia Live updates, to confirm the validity and value of our approach.Comment: 16 pages, Keywords: Change Propagation, Dataset Dynamics, Linked Data, Replicatio

Securing Our Future Homes: Smart Home Security Issues and Solutions

The Internet of Things, commonly known as IoT, is a new technology transforming businesses, individuals’ daily lives and the operation of entire countries. With more and more devices becoming equipped with IoT technology, smart homes are becoming increasingly popular. The components that make up a smart home are at risk for different types of attacks; therefore, security engineers are developing solutions to current problems and are predicting future types of attacks. This paper will analyze IoT smart home components, explain current security risks, and suggest possible solutions. According to “What is a Smart Home” (n.d.), a smart home is a home that always operates in consideration of security, energy, efficiency and convenience, whether anyone is home or not

GeoBlockchain: The Analysis, Design, and Evaluation of a Spatially Enabled Blockchain

Land ownership and supply chain use cases are an enormous business challenge for both the public and private sectors. Every organization has different needs and wants, and they are researching and exploring ways to add value and impact their ownership tracing processes. Geospatial and Blockchain technologies are two emerging trends that could help an organization add value in this manner. The combination of blockchain and geospatial technologies would result in the new concept of GeoBlockchain, defined here as an artifact that could be used to study the trends and behaviours of participants (users) geographically and spatially, based on distributed nodes, transactions, and geo-locations through the blockchain technology. GeoBlockchain can also be used to visually display geo-ownership tracing processes (points, lines, and polygons) demonstrating the importance of geography. The result of this research was the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a Spatially Enabled Blockchain ICT artifacts. Each prototype artifact was built using ArcGIS Enterprise and Hyperledger Fabric. The architecture designs were implemented with on-premises and cloud environments and evaluated based on users’ usability and sociotechnical metrics. This research indicates that blockchain technology can be integrated with geospatial technology, resulting in the GeoBlockchain framework along with its attendant implementation criteria in the age of GeoBlockchain