CS 6795 Semantic Web Techniques
Course Outline Sep.-Dec. 2010

Syllabus Assigns Notes Labs Project Resources	The Semantic Web is a W3C Activity for representing information in the World Wide Web in a machine-readable fashion: such that it can be used by machines not just for display purposes, but for automation, integration, and reuse across applications. This course introduces techniques that are useful stand-alone and can be integrated for building a semantic web. It will cover XML with Document Type Definitions and Schemas; transformation/inference rules in XSLT, RuleML, and the W3C rule language RIF; metadata with RDF (Resource Description Framework); metadata taxonomies with RDF Schema; description logic and the W3C ontology language OWL; as well as integrating these techniques for ontology/rule-based multi-agent systems.

Instructors

Harold Boley, NRC

Classes

Time: Mondays, 2:45PM-5:35PM (Start: 13 Sep. 2010)

Location: NRC Training Room 2 (main foyer NRC Building), 46 Dineen Drive

Course Web Site

http://www.cs.unb.ca/~boley/cs6795swt

Marking

30% assignments

40% project (including presentation)

30% exam

Lecture Schedule Overview

The Semantic Web Activity of W3C: Overview of techniques and standards.	10%
XML with Document Type Definitions and Schemas	15%
Transformation/Inference rules in XSLT, RuleML and RIF	20%
Metadata with RDF (Resource Description Framework)	15%
Metadata taxonomies with RDF Schema	15%
The W3C ontology language OWL 2.	15%
Integrating these techniques for ontology/rule-based multi-agent systems.	10%

Hands on Lab

To be arranged, four 3-hour lab sessions throughout the term

Reference Material

Books

A Semantic Web Primer, 2^nd edition, MIT Press, 2008, Grigoris Antoniou and Frank van Harmelen, http://www.semanticwebprimer.org/ * +

The XML 1.1 Bible , 3rd edition. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ 2004, Elliotte Rusty Harold, http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/bible3/

Especially Chapter 15: XSL Transformations http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/bible3/chapters/ch15.html

and Chapter 20: Schemas http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/bible3/chapters/ch20.html +

catalogue.asp?isbn=0521781760 *

Handbook of Research on Emerging Rule-Based Languages and Technologies: Open Solutions and Approaches (2 Volumes),
IGI Global, Hershey, PA, 2009, Adrian Giurca, Dragan Gasevic, Kuldar Taveter (Eds.),
http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?ID=34422 +

Advances in Semantic Computing, e-Book, Technomathematics Research Foundation, 2010,
Manish Joshi, Harold Boley, Rajendra Akerkar (Eds.),

http://www.tmrfindia.org/eseries/ebookV2.html

*Some edition of these will be available on reserve at the Engineering library, 24 hour loan.

+Some edition of these will be available for reading in the CISTI library, NRC.

Journals

Journal of Web Semantics, Elsevier B.V., T. Finin, R. Mizoguchi, S. Staab (Eds.),

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/671322/description

International Journal On Semantic Web and Information Systems,
IGI Global, Hershey, PA, B. Amit Sheth, Gottfried Vossen, Martin Hepp (Eds.)
http://www.ijswis.org/

Semantic Web – Interoperability, Usability, Applicability,

Pascal Hitzler, Krzysztof Janowicz (Eds.)

http://www.semantic-web-journal.net/