Learning Commonalities in RDF and SPARQL

Finding commonalities between descriptions of data or knowledge is a fundamental task in Machine Learning. The formal notion characterizing precisely such commonalities is known as least general generalization of descriptions and was introduced by G. Plotkin in the early 70's, in First Order Logic. Identifying least general generalizations has a large scope of database applications ranging from query optimization (e.g., to share commonalities between queries in view selection or multi-query optimization) to recommendation in social networks (e.g., to establish connections between users based on their commonalities between profiles or searches). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that re-visits the notion of least general generalizations in the entire Resource Description Framework (RDF) and popular con-junctive fragment of SPARQL, a.k.a. Basic Graph Pattern (BGP) queries. Our contributions include the definition and the computation of least general generalizations in these two settings, which amounts to finding the largest set of com-monalities between incomplete databases and conjunctive queries, under deductive constraints. We also provide an experimental assessment of our technical contributions

Linked education: interlinking educational resources and the web of data

Research on interoperability of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) repositories throughout the last decade has led to a fragmented landscape of competing approaches, such as metadata schemas and interface mechanisms. However, so far Web-scale integration of resources is not facilitated, mainly due to the lack of take-up of shared principles, datasets and schemas. On the other hand, the Linked Data approach has emerged as the de-facto standard for sharing data on the Web and offers a large potential to solve interoperability issues in the field of TEL. In this paper, we describe a general approach to exploit the wealth of already existing TEL data on the Web by allowing its exposure as Linked Data and by taking into account automated enrichment and interlinking techniques to provide rich and well-interlinked data for the educational domain. This approach has been implemented in the context of the mEducator project where data from a number of open TEL data repositories has been integrated, exposed and enriched by following Linked Data principles

A structured model metametadata technique to enhance semantic searching in metadata repository

This paper discusses on a novel technique for semantic searching and retrieval of information about learning materials. A novel structured metametadata model has been created to provide the foundation for a semantic search engine to extract, match and map queries to retrieve relevant results. Metametadata encapsulate metadata instances by using the properties and attributes provided by ontologies rather than describing learning objects. The use of ontological views assists the pedagogical content of metadata extracted from learning objects by using the control vocabularies as identified from the metametadata taxonomy. The use of metametadata (based on the metametadata taxonomy) supported by the ontologies have contributed towards a novel semantic searching mechanism. This research has presented a metametadata model for identifying semantics and describing learning objects in finer-grain detail that allows for intelligent and smart retrieval by automated search and retrieval software

Design Research and Domain Representation

While diverse theories about the nature of design research have been proposed, they are rarely considered in relation to one another across the broader disciplinary field. Discussions of design research paradigms have tended to use overarching binary models for understanding differing knowledge frameworks. This paper focuses on an analysis of theories of design research and the use of Web 3 and open content systems to explore the potential of building more relational modes of conceptual representation. The nature of this project is synthetic, building upon the work of other design theorists and researchers. A number of theoretical frameworks will be discussed and examples of the analysis and modelling of key concepts and information relationships, using concept mapping software, collaborative ontology building systems and semantic wiki technologies will be presented. The potential of building information structures from content relationships that are identified by domain specialists rather than the imposition of formal, top-down, information hierarchies developed by information scientists, will be considered. In particular the opportunity for users to engage with resources through their own knowledge frameworks, rather than through logically rigorous but largely incomprehensible ontological systems, will be explored in relation to building resources for emerging design researchers. The motivation behind this endeavour is not to create a totalising meta-theory or impose order on the ‘ill structured’ and ‘undisciplined’, domain of design. Nor is it to use machine intelligence to ‘solve design problems’. It seeks to create dynamic systems that might help researchers explore design research theories and their various relationships with one another. It is hoped such tools could help novice researchers to better locate their own projects, find reference material, identify knowledge gaps and make new linkages between bodies of knowledge by enabling forms of data-poesis - the freeing of data for different trajectories. Keywords: Design research; Design theory; Methodology; Knowledge systems; Semantic web technologies.</p

Towards comparable business model concepts: resource description framework (RDF) schemas for semantic business model representations

Scholars have demonstrated that business model (BM) choices have a significant impact on the success of products, innovations and organizations. However, knowledge about key elements of BMs is disseminated across a large body of literature and builds on different conceptualizations. We take a step back and provide a new approach to formalize BM concepts and related BM knowledge, based on concepts from the semantic web. We introduce and evaluate the Resource Description Framework (RDF) as a data model for comparable and extensible BM descriptions. Moreover, we use this new perspective to analyze commonalities and differences between BM concepts, to reflect critically on the process of translating concepts to RDF and evaluate its relevance for BM design practice