TTh 4:00-5:15pm, Packard 208
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The Internet is on the verge of another revolution. The development of the World Wide Web made the Internet accessible to millions by making it easy for anyone to instantly share information with others around the world. However, the explosive growth of the Web has led to the problem of information overload. Researchers from industry and academia are now exploring the possibility of creating a "Semantic Web," in which meaning is made explicit, allowing machines to process and integrate Web resources intelligently. Beyond enabling quick and accurate web search, this technology may also allow the development of intelligent internet agents and facilitate communication between a multitude of heterogeneous web-accessible devices. In this class, we will examine this exciting area by reading and discussing both existing web specifications and cutting-edge research papers. Topics will include the design of various Semantic Web languages (such as RDF and OWL), the role of ontologies and how to develop them, the knowledge acquisition problem, techniques for scalable reasoning, integrating heterogeneous data sources, web-based agents, and issues in developing semantic-aware applications.
For details about course content, textbook, grading, assignments, and office hours, see the course syllabus.
Each assignment will be made available here after they are handed out in class. The online versions of the assignments are in PDF format.
Your readings will be listed below as they are assigned. Readings marked SWP are from our textbook, "A Semantic Web Primer." We will also read research papers and technical specifications, and I provide links to online versions of these documents. Usually this is in HTML or PDF format, although a few papers may be in PostScript or Compressed PostScript format. Also, each online reading assignment is followed by a reference (in brackets) that links to the complete citation for the paper.
The following sites contain additional information about the Semantic Web that you may find interesting.