2,109 research outputs found
Towards Analytics Aware Ontology Based Access to Static and Streaming Data (Extended Version)
Real-time analytics that requires integration and aggregation of
heterogeneous and distributed streaming and static data is a typical task in
many industrial scenarios such as diagnostics of turbines in Siemens. OBDA
approach has a great potential to facilitate such tasks; however, it has a
number of limitations in dealing with analytics that restrict its use in
important industrial applications. Based on our experience with Siemens, we
argue that in order to overcome those limitations OBDA should be extended and
become analytics, source, and cost aware. In this work we propose such an
extension. In particular, we propose an ontology, mapping, and query language
for OBDA, where aggregate and other analytical functions are first class
citizens. Moreover, we develop query optimisation techniques that allow to
efficiently process analytical tasks over static and streaming data. We
implement our approach in a system and evaluate our system with Siemens turbine
data
Utilising semantic technologies for intelligent indexing and retrieval of digital images
The proliferation of digital media has led to a huge interest in classifying and indexing media objects for generic search and usage. In particular, we are witnessing colossal growth in digital image repositories that are difficult to navigate using free-text search mechanisms, which often return inaccurate matches as they in principle rely on statistical analysis of query keyword recurrence in the image annotation or surrounding text. In this paper we present a semantically-enabled image annotation and retrieval engine that is designed to satisfy the requirements of the commercial image collections market in terms of both accuracy and efficiency of the retrieval process. Our search engine relies on methodically structured ontologies for image annotation, thus allowing for more intelligent reasoning about the image content and subsequently obtaining a more accurate set of results and a richer set of alternatives matchmaking the original query. We also show how our well-analysed and designed domain ontology contributes to the implicit expansion of user queries as well as the exploitation of lexical databases for explicit semantic-based query expansion
Semantic-driven Configuration of Internet of Things Middleware
We are currently observing emerging solutions to enable the Internet of
Things (IoT). Efficient and feature rich IoT middeware platforms are key
enablers for IoT. However, due to complexity, most of these middleware
platforms are designed to be used by IT experts. In this paper, we propose a
semantics-driven model that allows non-IT experts (e.g. plant scientist, city
planner) to configure IoT middleware components easier and faster. Such tools
allow them to retrieve the data they want without knowing the underlying
technical details of the sensors and the data processing components. We propose
a Context Aware Sensor Configuration Model (CASCoM) to address the challenge of
automated context-aware configuration of filtering, fusion, and reasoning
mechanisms in IoT middleware according to the problems at hand. We incorporate
semantic technologies in solving the above challenges. We demonstrate the
feasibility and the scalability of our approach through a prototype
implementation based on an IoT middleware called Global Sensor Networks (GSN),
though our model can be generalized into any other middleware platform. We
evaluate CASCoM in agriculture domain and measure both performance in terms of
usability and computational complexity.Comment: 9th International Conference on Semantics, Knowledge & Grids (SKG),
Beijing, China, October, 201
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Ontology-Based Integration of Streaming and Static Relational Data with Optique
An important application of semantic technologies in industry has been the formalisation of information models usingOWL 2 ontologies and the use of RDF for storing and exchanging application data. Moreover, legacy data can be virtualised asRDF using ontologies following the ontology-based data access (OBDA) approach. In all these applications, it is important toprovide domain experts with query formulation tools for expressing their information needs in terms of queries over ontologies. Inthis work, we present such a tool, OptiqueVQS, which is designed based on our experience with OBDA applications in Statoil andSiemens and on best HCI practices for interdisciplinary engineering environments. OptiqueVQS implements a number of uniquetechniques distinguishing it from analogous query formulation systems. In particular, it exploits ontology projection techniquesto enable graph-based navigation over an ontology during query construction. Secondly, while OptiqueVQS is primarily ontologydriven, it exploits sampled data to enhance selection of data values for some data attributes. Finally, OptiqueVQS is built onwell-grounded requirements, design rationale, and quality attributes. We evaluated OptiqueVQS with both domain experts andcasual users and qualitatively compared our system against prominent visual systems for ontology-driven query formulation andexploration of semantic data. OptiqueVQS is available online and can be downloaded together with an example OBDA scenario
Ontology-Based Data Access to Big Data
Recent approaches to ontology-based data access (OBDA) have extended the focus from relational database systems to other types of backends such as cluster frameworks in order to cope with the four Vs associated with big data: volume, veracity, variety and velocity (stream processing). The abstraction that an ontology provides is a benefit from the enduser point of view, but it represents a challenge for developers because high-level queries must be transformed into queries executable on the backend level. In this paper, we discuss and evaluate an OBDA system that uses STARQL (Streaming and Temporal ontology Access with a Reasoning-based Query Language), as a high-level query language to access data stored in a SPARK cluster framework. The development of the STARQL-SPARK engine show that there is a need to provide a homogeneous interface to access both static and temporal as well as streaming data because cluster frameworks usually lack such an interface. The experimental evaluation shows that building a scalable OBDA system that runs with SPARK is more than plug-and-play as one needs to know quite well the data formats and the data organisation in the cluster framework
Functional Ontologies and Their Application to Hydrologic Modeling: Development of an Integrated Semantic and Procedural Knowledge Model and Reasoning Engine
This dissertation represents the research and development of new concepts and techniques for modeling the knowledge about the many concepts we as hydrologists must understand such that we can execute models that operate in terms of conceptual abstractions and have those abstractions translate to the data, tools, and models we use every day. This hydrologic knowledge includes conceptual (i.e. semantic) knowledge, such as the hydrologic cycle concepts and relationships, as well as functional (i.e. procedural) knowledge, such as how to compute the area of a watershed polygon, average basin slope or topographic wetness index. This dissertation is presented as three papers and a reference manual for the software created. Because hydrologic knowledge includes both semantic aspects as well as procedural aspects, we have developed, in the first paper, a new form of reasoning engine and knowledge base that extends the general-purpose analysis and problem-solving capability of reasoning engines by incorporating procedural knowledge, represented as computer source code, into the knowledge base. The reasoning engine is able to compile the code and then, if need be, execute the procedural code as part of a query. The potential advantage to this approach is that it simplifies the description of procedural knowledge in a form that can be readily utilized by the reasoning engine to answer a query. Further, since the form of representation of the procedural knowledge is source code, the procedural knowledge has the full capabilities of the underlying language. We use the term functional ontology to refer to the new semantic and procedural knowledge models. The first paper applies the new knowledge model to describing and analyzing polygons. The second and third papers address the application of the new functional ontology reasoning engine and knowledge model to hydrologic applications. The second paper models concepts and procedures, including running external software, related to watershed delineation. The third paper models a project scenario that includes integrating several models. A key advance demonstrated in this paper is the use of functional ontologies to apply metamodeling concepts in a manner that both abstracts and fully utilizes computational models and data sets as part of the project modeling process
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OptiqueVQS: A visual query system over ontologies for industry
An important application of semantic technologies in industry has been the formalisation of information models using OWL 2 ontologies and the use of RDF for storing and exchanging application data. Moreover, legacy data can be virtualised as RDF using ontologies following the ontology-based data access (OBDA) approach. In all these applications, it is important to provide domain experts with query formulation tools for expressing their information needs in terms of queries over ontologies. In
this work, we present such a tool, OptiqueVQS, which is designed based on our experience with OBDA applications in Statoil and Siemens and on best HCI practices for interdisciplinary engineering environments. OptiqueVQS implements a number of unique
techniques distinguishing it from analogous query formulation systems. In particular, it exploits ontology projection techniques to enable graph-based navigation over an ontology during query construction. Secondly, while OptiqueVQS is primarily ontology driven, it exploits sampled data to enhance selection of data values for some data attributes. Finally, OptiqueVQS is built on
well-grounded requirements, design rationale, and quality attributes. We evaluated OptiqueVQS with both domain experts and casual users and qualitatively compared our system against prominent visual systems for ontology-driven query formulation and
exploration of semantic data. OptiqueVQS is available online and can be downloaded together with an example OBDA scenario
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