Multi-Agent and Semantic Web Systems:: The World Wide Web

Fiona McNeill
School of Informatics
14th January 2013
Fiona McNeill Multi-agent Semantic Web Systems: Introduction 0/29 14th January 2013
Multi-Agent and Semantic Web Systems:
Introduction
Fiona McNeill 1/29 14th January 2013
Multi-agent Semantic Web Systems: Introduction
The World Wide Web
Fiona McNeill 14th January 2013 Multi-agent Semantic Web Systems: Introduction 2/29
Requirements of the WWW
The internet - already there
HTML programmers
Search engines
Core weight of interest

Why do we need the Semantic Web?
I have a dream for the Web [in which computers] become capable
of analyzing all the data on the Web the content, links, and
transactions between people and computers.
...the day-to-day mechanisms of trade, bureaucracy and our daily
lives will be handled by machines talking to machines.
Tim Berners-Lee (1999) Weaving the Web
Scenario
What are you doing on Burns night?
Google burns
Wikipedia articles on Robert Burns
Amazon listing of books by Burns
Google Maps to look at birthplace of Burns

Google Query
CoogIe Query
Ewan KIeIn (SchooI oI nIormatIcs) MuItI Agent SemantIcs Web Systems: OvervIew MASWS - 16 ]anuary 2012 21 J 40
WIkIpedIa ArtIcIe (ScotIand::CuIture)
Amazon
CoogIe Maps
Wikipedia article (Scotland :: Culture)
CoogIe Query
Amazon
CoogIe Maps
Amazon
CoogIe Query
Amazon
CoogIe Maps
Google Maps
CoogIe Query
Amazon
CoogIe Maps
Combining Information
CombInIng nIormatIon
Wikipedia Amazon Google Maps
A Mashup
Wikipedia Amazon Google Earth
Web Page
Web APs
A Iarge and growIng number oI web data sources provIde
programaccessIbIe InterIaces (APs).
The web sIte http:JJwww.programmabIeweb.com currentIy IIsts 4,796
(2009: 1,556) APs and 6,401 (2009: 4,506) Mashups.
Most popuIar Web APs:
LImItatIons oI Web APs
The InterIaces are nonunIIorm - REST, RPC (e.g. SOAP) and hybrId
The resuIts are returned In a varIet oI Iormats - XML, ]SON, Atom
The data schemas tend to be provIderspecIIIc
MIIItates agaInst the deveIopment oI portabIe, generIc methods oI
accessIng and usIng data
Fiona McNeill x/y 14th January 2013
Combining data from one source with a service
from another
Web APIs
CombInIng nIormatIon
Wikipedia Amazon Google Maps
A Mashup
Wikipedia Amazon Google Earth
Web Page
Web APs
A Iarge and growIng number oI web data sources provIde
programaccessIbIe InterIaces (APs).
The web sIte http:JJwww.programmabIeweb.com currentIy IIsts 4,796
(2009: 1,556) APs and 6,401 (2009: 4,506) Mashups.
Most popuIar Web APs:
LImItatIons oI Web APs
The InterIaces are nonunIIorm - REST, RPC (e.g. SOAP) and hybrId
The resuIts are returned In a varIet oI Iormats - XML, ]SON, Atom
The data schemas tend to be provIderspecIIIc
MIIItates agaInst the deveIopment oI portabIe, generIc methods oI
accessIng and usIng data
A large and growing number of web data sources provide
program-accessible interfaces (APIs).
The web site http://www.programmableweb.com currently lists
8311.
Most popular Web APIs are:
Limitations of Web APIs
The interfaces are non-uniform - REST, RPC (e.g.,

SOAP) and hybrid
The results are returned in variety of formats -

XML, JSON, Atom
The data schemas tend to be provider-specic
Militates against the development of portable,

generic methods of accessing and using data.
The Semantic Web
Invented by Tim Berners-Lee and others. W3C

driving organisation.
Web of machine-readable data
What are the main aims of the SW?
Automated query-answering
Automated use of the data (reasoning, planning,

acting, etc)
WWW v Semantic Web
WWW is a web of documents
SW is a web of data
WWW documents are human readable
SW data is machine readable (in theory at least)

Why the Semantic Web?
I dont think [the Semantic Web is] a very good name but were stuck
with it now. The word semantics is used by different groups to mean
different things ...I think we could have called it the Data Web. ...it
connects all applications together or gives [people] access to data
across the company ...
Tim Berners-Lee (2007), Interview in Business Week
Why the Semantic Web?
Syntax / semantics distinction: long history in philosophy of
language, linguistics, formal logic
Syntax concerned with arrangement of symbols
Semantics concerned with the relation between symbols strings
and the world: what things actually mean.
What can the Semantic Web actually do?
Query answering:
IBMs Watson: beats human competitors at Jeopardy
but
specically trained for this task (including looking at
decades worth of past Jeopardy answers)
sort of cheating (reaction times means it always gets rst go!)
Query answering:
Wolfram-alpha: does complex query-answering and
solves mathematical problems
but
hand-curated database - not the Semantic Web
hugely labour-intensive to develop and cannot take advantage
of new knowledge
Query answering:
Other systems:
considerable progress
current state-of-the-art is extremely useful
but
the general case is hard!
Automated use of data:
works well in constrained circumstances:
for example: Google maps can automatically combine information about maps,
speed limits, current road usage, etc., to get estimates of journey time
very hard in unconstrained circumstances:
classic SW example of an automated travel agent still far from achievable
What are the requirements of the Semantic Web?
Large numbers of users to make their data:
in an appropriate machine-readable format
available
This is happening now: open government data (esp. in UK and US) and many
other organisations and individuals
Good query-answering systems
The ability to automatically interpret and use data
Fiona McNeill 22/29
14th January 2013
This Course
This course
This course is about:
The Semantic Web
The data representation issues relevant to the Semantic Web and Multi-
agent systems
Agents will not be covered in detail because of the
concurrent Agent-Based Systems course.
However, the notion of the Semantic Web as a multi-agent
system is important to this course
Over the course, it will become more apparent what this actually
means.
We will talk about agents enough to understand this, but anyone who wants
more information about agents needs to do ABS.
This course
We will cover:
Fundamentals of knowledge representation:
Ontologies and databases
Formats: RDF, RDFS, DL and OWL
Data querying
Linked Open Data (LOD)
Services
The aims and goals of the Semantic Web, and their
plausibility.
Agents
Fiona McNeill 25/y 14th January 2013
This course - lectures
This course
An exercise with a specic output will be set each lecture for you to do
before the following lecture.
At the beginning of each lecture, students will get into small groups (3/4) to
discuss what they have produced.
Sometimes each group will present a summary to the class, and discussions
can then continue at a class level.
Extra reading will be suggested, and is recommended for top marks and
deeper understanding.
Course structure is somewhat exible, depending on these exercises and

general interest.
Will be interactive
This course - coursework
For everyone: only really one piece - though three different submission dates
for different aspects of this work.
Can be done individually or in teams of up to 4.
If in teams, you must provide a breakdown of how much each person

contributed (aim for equal input)
You can organise your own teams, or give me your name if you want to
be teamed up.
MSc students have an additional piece to complete individually.
Start work on this as early as possible: it will help your understanding of the
course, as well as improve your work.
Deadlines are non-negotiable!
TA: Punyanuch Borwarnginn

Coursework
Finding out more
Recommended reading can be found on the course website.
There is lots of relevant literature online - try to explore it.
Also a lot of informal discussion on Twitter, newsgroups, YouTube, etc.
Help create a dynamic resource on the MASWS wiki:

http://sites.google.com/site/masws09
Other 8ooks
8ob DuCharme.
ueryng nnd UdnIng wIh 5FARL 1.1.
O`ReIIIy MedIa, 2011. ndepth guIde to the standard semantIc web query Ianguagexs
CrIgorIs AntonIou and Frank van HarmeIen.
A 5emnnIc Web Frmer, 2nd EdItIon.
MT Press, 2008. QuIte detaIIed presentatIons oI XML, RDF and OWL.
Thomas 8. PassIn.
xIorer`s Cude Io Ihe 5emnnIc Web.
MannIng, 2004. Less technIcaI than AntonIou & van HarmeIen, but covers more topIcs.
ChrIstopher WaIton.
Agency nnd Ihe 5emnnIc Web.
OxIord UnIversIty Press, 2007. Cood coverage oI MAS and theIr reIevance to the SemantIc
Web
Lecture ScheduIe on Course Webpage
ReadIng outsIde the box
There Is Iots oI reIevant IIterature avaIIabIe onIIne - try to expIore some
oI It!
AIso a Iot oI InIormaI dIscussIon In TwItter, portaIs, newsgroups, bIogs,
etc.
HeIp create a dynamIc resource on the MASWS WIkI:
hllp.//siles.googie.com/sile/mosWs09/
Let`s dIve In!
Task for next week
Read The Semantic Web (Tim Berners-Lee, Jim Hendler and Ora Lassila) with
the following questions in mind:
What are the aims of the Semantic Web?
How do they differ from the aims of the WWW?
Write a 0.5-1 page summary of your thoughts.

18 22 February, 2013
GET INVOLVED!
@InnovLearning #ILW2013
Event details:
www.ed.ac.uk/innovative-learning

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Fiona McNeill

The internet - already there

Core weight of interest

What are you doing on Burns night?

Wikipedia articles on Robert Burns

Amazon listing of books by Burns

Google Maps to look at birthplace of Burns

The interfaces are non-uniform - REST, RPC (e.g.,

The results are returned in variety of formats -

The data schemas tend to be provider-specic

Militates against the development of portable,

Invented by Tim Berners-Lee and others. W3C

Web of machine-readable data

What are the main aims of the SW?

Automated use of the data (reasoning, planning,

WWW is a web of documents

WWW documents are human readable

SW data is machine readable (in theory at least)

Course structure is somewhat exible, depending on these exercises and

Can be done individually or in teams of up to 4.

If in teams, you must provide a breakdown of how much each person

MSc students have an additional piece to complete individually.

Deadlines are non-negotiable!

TA: Punyanuch Borwarnginn

Recommended reading can be found on the course website.

There is lots of relevant literature online - try to explore it.

Also a lot of informal discussion on Twitter, newsgroups, YouTube, etc.

Help create a dynamic resource on the MASWS wiki:

What are the aims of the Semantic Web?

How do they differ from the aims of the WWW?

Write a 0.5-1 page summary of your thoughts.

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