EMU FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Course Code:             CmpE 583

Course Title:              Web Semantics: Theory and Practice

Course Credit:           (3,0) 3

Semester:                   2005-2006 Fall Semester

Instructor:                  Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atilla ELÇİ

Office no:        CmpE Building 208 (please check office hours)

Office Tel:      630 2843

E-mail:            Atilla.Elci at EMU.edu.tr

Website:         http://cmpe.emu.edu.tr/aelci/

OBJECTIVE

    Implementation of integrated e-systems such as e-government requires existence of resource descriptions networked globally at least in the area of interest. Such network of descriptions, termed as ontology, alleviates resource description in a way recoverable by automated agents. In turn, Web content may be developed with reference to standards and an identified set of ontology. Such content would then take part in defining as precisely as possible semantics of Web content. Starting with XML, current research in this new area of study is focused on resource description framework (RDF) and ontology languages being standardized mainly through intense international effort in W3 Consortium. The area of study has become immensely important in Web-based application, media and publication in general. Graduates of our programs need to be introduced to recent standards, developments and research.
    Course will cover URI scheme; XML and processing; resource description framework (RDF): model, syntax, schema and languages; ontology concept, Web-based ontologies, integration and interoperability, semantics and abstract syntax of OWL, DAML; semantic grid concept and applications; Web services and agents; best practice case studies; W3 Consortium, current activities and future directions. These make up bulk of the Semantic Web Stack.

    This course will recap current state of activity in web semantics by various international research and standardization bodies: standards, processing and development in URI, XML, RDF, OWL and DAML, RSS, semantic grid and agents. Main objective is to establish a solid base for breaking into research areas in the field.

    Participant of the course will be required to carry out practical work in terms of assignments and small projects.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing and knowledge of Web programming.

COURSE OUTLINE

REFERENCES

Following is the tentative textbook; it's not available at the EMU Bookstore, so you may order through online bookstores, say amazon.co.uk:

H. Peter Alesso and Craig F. Smith: Developing Semantic Web Services, A K Peters, 2005. ISBN: 1-56881-212-4.

Many related books are available also as e-book in the ACM Books; access is free to ACM student members. ACM membership is $18/year for EMU students. Check the note on ACM membership. There are many free-to-members ACM Books and ACM Courses over the Web on OS theory, practices and various OSs. Check TOP TEN courses of the last month.

POWERPOINT PRESENTATION AIDS

• Subject specific presentations are included with each chapter where appropriate. Others of general nature will be referred to here.

CASE STUDY

• WWW 2005 The Fourteenth International World Wide Web Conference, 10-14 May 2005, Chiba, Japan.
• WWW 2004 The Thirteenth International World Wide Web Conference, 17-22 May 2004, New York, NY, USA. Proceedings
• WWW 2003 The Twelfth International World Wide Web Conference, 20-24 May 2003, Budapest, HUNGARY. Proceedings
• Previous WWW conferences.
• 1st Semantic Web Working Symposium, July 30 - August 1st, 2001. Check Program and Proceedings which includes access to tutorials as well.
• Proceedings of the "Semantic Technologies for E-Government" Conference,  September 8th, 2003, the White House Conference Center, Washington, DC, USA.
• ECIS 2005 Semantic Web track.
• International Conference on Semantic Technology (ICST 2005), February 25-27, 2005, Istanbul, Turkey
• Can also check references to conferences under Links in SWWG website.
• Can check Computer and Information Science Papers CiteSeer for documents and references. While there, check "CiteSeer Metadata" link.

• METU, TR: Ceng 520: http://www.srdc.metu.edu.tr/webpage/courses/ceng520/index.html:
  • Introductory
  • Aims towards e-commerce.
• Man U., UK: CS 646: http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~horrocks/Teaching/cs646/
  • Advanced
  • Logic / reasoning oriented.
• U. New Brunswick, Canada: CS 6795 Semantic Web Techniques: http://www.cs.unb.ca/~bspencer/cs6795swt/syllabus.html
  • AI?
• U. Texas, USA: CSE 591- Semantic Web Mining: http://www.public.asu.edu/~hdavulcu/CSE591_Semantic_Web_Mining.html.
  • Data mining.
• U. Laval, Canada:
  •  IFT-62399- Web Sémantique
  • IFT-66524- Agents Mobiles