A linked data compliant framework for dynamic and web-scale consumption of web services

The While Semantic Web Services (SWS) research aims at automating Web service tasks such as discovery, orchestration and execution, its take-up is very limited so far. This is due to several reasons, such as inherent complexity of existing SWS frameworks and the considerable costs involved in creating correct SWS descriptions. In addition, while semantics are in use to enable tasks such as discovery, interaction between service consumers, providers and brokering environments is still not supported by semantic message descriptions. On the other hand, the Linked Data approach has produced a set of established principles for sharing and describing data, such as RDF as representation language and the integral use of dereferencable URIs. In this paper we propose to apply those principles to expose Web services and Web APIs and introduce a framework in which service registries as well as services contribute to the automation of service discovery, and hence, workload is distributed more efficiently. This is achieved by developing a Linked Data compliant Web services framework with that communicate with semi-centralised registries but compute their suitability for a given request themselves. All communications among different framework components are using RDF-based message protocols including service input and output. This framework aims at optimizing load balance and performance by dynamically assembling services at run time in a massively distributed Web environment

Addressing the tacit knowledge of a digital library system

Recent surveys, about the Linked Data initiatives in library organizations, report the experimental nature of related projects and the difficulty in re-using data to provide improvements of library services. This paper presents an approach for managing data and its "tacit" organizational knowledge, as the originating data context, improving the interpretation of data meaning. By analyzing a Digital Libray system, we prototyped a method for turning data management into a "semantic data management", where local system knowledge is managed as a data, and natively foreseen as a Linked Data. Semantic data management aims to curates the correct consumers' understanding of Linked Datasets, driving to a proper re-use

Towards two-stage service representation and reasoning: from lightweight annotations to comprehensive semantics

Semantics are used to mark up a wide variety of data-centric Web resources but are not used to annotate online functionality in significant numbers. That is despite considerable research dedicated to Semantic Web Services (SWS). This has led to the emergence of a new Linked Services approach with simplified and less costly to produce service models, which targets a wider audience and allows even non-SWS developers to annotate services. However, such models merely aim at enabling semantic search by humans or automated service clustering rather than automation of service tasks such as discovery or orchestration. Thus, more expressive solutions are still required to achieve automated discovery and orchestration of services. In this paper, we describe our investigation into combining the strengths of two distinct approaches to modeling semantic Web services – 'lightweight' Linked Services and 'heavyweight' SWS automation - into a coherent SWS framework. In our vision, such integration is achieved by means of model cross-referencing and model transformation and augmentation

A Linked Data representation of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics

The recent publication of public sector information (PSI) data sets has brought to the attention of the scientific community the redundant presence of location based context. At the same time it stresses the inadequacy of current Linked Data services for exploiting the semantics of such contextual dimensions for easing entity retrieval and browsing. In this paper describes our approach for supporting the publication of geographical subdivisions in Linked Data format for supporting the e-government and public sector in publishing their data sets. The topological knowledge published can be reused in order to enrich the geographical context of other data sets, in particular we propose an exploitation scenario using statistical data sets described with the SCOVO ontology. The topological knowledge is then exploited within a service that supports the navigation and retrieval of statistical geographical entities for the EU territory. Geographical entities, in the extent of this paper, are linked data resources that describe objects that have a geographical extension. The data and services presented in this paper allows the discovery of resources that contain or are contained by a given entity URI and their representation within map widgets. We present an approach for a geography based service that helps in querying qualitative spatial relations for the EU statistical geography (proper containment so far). We also provide a rationale for publishing geographical information in Linked Data format based on our experience, within the EnAKTing project, in publishing UK PSI data

Consuming Linked Data within a Large Educational Organization

Large universities tend to spread their services across several departments to serve their substantial student base. It is very common for this to result in developing different systems, which end up in creating many disconnected data silos within the organization. Data isolation is one of the main bottlenecks that prevent unlocking the full potential behind exploiting such data, to provide a better experience at the level of application deployment and data analysis. The Open University is in the process of connecting their data silos by relying on the Linked Data principles within the LUCERO project. We discuss in this paper three use-cases through which we consume Linked Data produced at the Open University: (1) a student services use-case showing how we exploit data connections to deliver learning material related to courses through the university's main course information website; (2) a mobile course application that enables students to easily explore courses by subject, qualification or research topic; and (3) a Leanback TV service that provides students the ability to watch, with a degree of control, a set of podcasts grouped in different channels. Through these use cases, we highlight in this paper the advantages and effects of consuming Linked Data within an organization

Towards OpenMath Content Dictionaries as Linked Data

"The term 'Linked Data' refers to a set of best practices for publishing and connecting structured data on the web". Linked Data make the Semantic Web work practically, which means that information can be retrieved without complicated lookup mechanisms, that a lightweight semantics enables scalable reasoning, and that the decentral nature of the Web is respected. OpenMath Content Dictionaries (CDs) have the same characteristics - in principle, but not yet in practice. The Linking Open Data movement has made a considerable practical impact: Governments, broadcasting stations, scientific publishers, and many more actors are already contributing to the "Web of Data". Queries can be answered in a distributed way, and services aggregating data from different sources are replacing hard-coded mashups. However, these services are currently entirely lacking mathematical functionality. I will discuss real-world scenarios, where today's RDF-based Linked Data do not quite get their job done, but where an integration of OpenMath would help - were it not for certain conceptual and practical restrictions. I will point out conceptual shortcomings in the OpenMath 2 specification and common bad practices in publishing CDs and then propose concrete steps to overcome them and to contribute OpenMath CDs to the Web of Data.Comment: Presented at the OpenMath Workshop 2010, http://cicm2010.cnam.fr/om

Outside Evaluation of Conecticut\u27s Family Resource Centers : Final report

In 193, the Connecticut State Department of Education received federal support for the activities of nine existing Family Resource Centers (FRC) and for funding new FRCs. The FRCs were based on the premise that many childhood and adolescent problems can be prevented by strengthening effective family management practices and establishing a continuum of child care and support services linked to public schools or located in public school buildings. This report details the evaluation of the 18 school-based/linked FRCs, describing their structure and contexts, examining evidence of service use, and presenting information on the effects of the FRCs on families and schools. Chapter 1 presents the service delivery model, describes the core services, and describes the evaluation plan. Chapters 2 through 5 summarize findings related to the following areas: (1) structure of core services, service delivery, financial supports, and staffing characteristics; (2) processes used to deliver services in a school-based/linked setting, including collaborative arrangements; (3) use of FRC services; (4) impacts of FRCs on families and children; and (5) impact of FRCs on schools. Chapter 6 discuses the patterns observed that reflect the implementation of the FRC service delivery model and implications for delivering comprehensive integrated services to families. This chapter also presents recommendations for sustaining the school-based/linked delivery model of the FRCs at meaningful levels. Chapter 7 presents profiles of the 18 FRCs, including their setting, service delivery arrangements, primary collaborative arrangements, and the school relationship. Nine appendices include a description of the Evaluation Support System and data collection instruments. (KB

Services and the Web of Data: an unexploited symbiosis

The Web of Data is certainly a great success for data publication but the state of the art of the applications processing linked data is however not that outstanding. In this paper we highlight an unexploited symbiosis between Semantic Web Services and the Web of Data that could give birth to new families of highly advanced Web applications