ECOSEMANTICS

1. ECOSEMANTICS Proposal to EU FP 7, Information Society: ICT-2007.4.2 Intelligent Content and Semantics

2. Project presentation(Draft D5.1.1) Gerhard Budin (coordinator) and Palle Haastrup

3. Several organizations have similar problems in maintaining and further developing their applications Handling data exchange, data fusion, data integration Lack of consistent Semantics management (concept systems management) Tools for managing ontologies, ontology mapping, knowledge representation schemes Improve Metadata registries management Language engineering for ontology management Multilingual knowledge management Data dictionary management Current problems in EcoInformatics Semantics Management

4. Communication gap between formalized knowledge representations such as ontologies and users of data, information and communication systems, We need seamless natural language interaction workflows in (semantic) web services of any kind There is a growing need for multilingual ontology resources as well as ontology-based translation services Problem Description

5. moving from linguistic-cultural diversity of discourse to a unified, formalized, axiomatized ontology – and back The method: an integrative, multi-level modelling approach specifying the steps in a process-oriented workflow framework (with variable, combinable steps depending on concrete needs) for Gradual semantic enrichment Gradual semantic formalization Metadata and metamodel management Multi- and cross-lingual referencing/alignment for text management Constant interaction between full texts and lex-term resources based on a standards framework (11179, UML, GRDDL, XML, RDF, OWL, SKOS, WordNet, MLIF (containing TBX, TMX, XLIFF, LMF, TMF, etc.), FrameNet, etc. exploitation of different types of languages resources (LR) and knowledge organization systems (KOS) Issue: Moving up (and down) the Ontology Spectrum

6. Integrated and adaptive environment for managing Semantic Systems and Services Semantic Service Oriented Architecture (SSOA) Keywords:

7. meta-modeling framework enabling semantic interoperability across all levels and types dynamically generating context-aware semantic services in a distributed web architecture. Key issues

8. Develop and implement an integrated methodology for collaborative semantics management Semantic and data interoperability Further develop and put into practice enhanced ontology mapping tools as part of this methodology Contribute to semantics management in emerging water information systems (such as WISE) integrated indicator systems and multilingual reporting systems (EEA, etc.), and in wider contexts (INSPIRE) Main Project goals

10. The main goals are to: • Develop an integrated methodology for collaborative semantics management for its application in knowledge-related processes • Implement Semantic interoperability using a combined bottom-up and top down approach:bottom-up processes refer to emergent semantic systems in dynamic self-organizing communication processes, • Further develop and put into practice enhanced ontology mapping tools • semantics management in emerging water information systems (such as WISE), • integrated indicator systems and multilingual reporting systems (EEA, etc.) • Develop a Semantic Service Oriented Architecture (SSOA)

11. Participant no. * Participant organization name Short name Country 1 (Coordinator) University of Vienna UV AT 2 European Commission Joint Research Centre JRC IT 3 Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO IT 4 German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence DFKI DE 5 4C Technologies, kZen R&D department 4CT BE 6 The International Office for Water IOW FR 7 Austrian Environmental Agency UBA-A AT 8 Aarhus Universitet AU DK 9 SKLSE, Wuhan University SKLSE China 10 Max-Planck-Gesellschaft MPG DE

12. Breakdown of topics: Semantics IT tools: 50 % Water IT application: 25 % Dissemination and International: 10 % I identify with the application…. 

13. Four main trusts: • System architecture and integration • .Semantics management • .Web services, and • .Application to the environment domain.

14. WP Work package title Lead Person-months 0 Project Management UV 24 1 System Architecture and Integration 4CT 59 2 Semantics Management DFKI 76 3 Web services UBA-A 94 4 Domain Application - Water JRC 98 5 Dissemination and international coordination FAO 22 6 Assessment and Evaluation IOW 18 TOTAL 391

15. Focus on practical, real-world problems to be solved WISE, water information systems management Semantics management (concept systems management) Ontologies, ontology mapping, knowledge representation Data exchange, data fusion, data integration Metadata registries management Language engineering for ontology management Multilingual knowledge management Perspective and interrelated key words

16. EDEN-IW Other water-related projects NBII/EIONET Thesaurus Web Service Prototype - Using SKOS XMDR project WIN Other risk-related projects Dynamont ADNOM LIRICS SALT Many other projects of all project partners Links to other “building blocks” in EcoInformatics

17. Key Questions: • How does semantics emerge from low-level data structures to high-level complex texts and information environments? • How to model and represent the multiple semantic aggregation processes that take place during such processes? • How can we improve the quality and consistency of semantic interpretation of data by modelling the underlying methods and theories in semantic frames and using them for context description and semantic annotation? • How to improve the modelling and handling of cross-lingual and cultural semantic differences in international, multi-domain communities of practice? • How to enrich knowledge organization systems such as thesauri with semantic information to solve tasks in collaborative knowledge management environments? • How to implement the methodologies for collaborative, adaptive, cross-domain, multi-purpose, and inter-lingual semantics management as web services and tools? • How to combine such services and tools to enrich existing standards-based service oriented architectures?

18. Innovations • Implementing a new approach to web service description models for semantic annotation, semantic enrichment, semantic aggregation, semantic integration, and related collaborative activities by communities of practice • Implementing a coherent multi-level semantic service-oriented architecture (SSOA) for linking metadata semantics with object-level semantics management for domain ontologies, task ontologies, communication environments, information systems, etc. • Integrating CoP technologies, ePortfolios and other social software for applying in semantics management work contexts • Developing a Registry of Semantics (XMDR/new ebRIM profile) (including associations to other ebRIM registries such as the emerging ISO 19115/19119 profile) • Providing interactive “semantic service” support to domain CoPs in their collaborative work in indicator and reporting systems • providing empirical evidence from real-life, large-scale CoPs for the processes of emergent semantics and how semantic service architectures can assist in an interactive way in the coherent and task-driven emergence of knowledge

20. Data services for water application • Translate concepts from global (reference) to local ontology level and vice versa • Translate concepts between reference ontologies • Resolve concepts with high degree of similarity • Perform content harmonization • Deduce gap filling strategies based on knowledge from other data sources

22. Practical example from the Water area

23. 27 different (implicit) definition of a main river in Europe: What is a “main river” ?

24. Rivers

25. WFD Article 3 Submissions CCM2 Strahler Orders 3 to 11 WFD – CCM2

27. Putting in a project proposal is like buying a ticket in the lottery We don’t yet know the probability of winning. But we know that if we generate more relevant and good ideas, we increase the chances!

28. EcoSemantics is basically a child of EcoTerm Now we need to make one from the EcoInformatics

29. Working title: “AquaInformatics” Proposal to EU FP 7, Information Society: FP7-ICT-2007-2

30. Publication Date: 12 – June -2007 Closure Date: 9 October 2007, 17:00 Indicative Budget 477 MEuro Challenge 3.6 ICT for Mobility, environmental sustainability and energy 5 Target Outcomes Indicative Budget: 54 MEuro Minimum for STREPS: 20 MEuro FP7-ICT-2007-2

31. Challenge 3.6: ICT for Mobility, environmental sustainability and Energy Objective ICT-2007.6.3: ICT for Environmental management and energy efficiency Target outcome a): ICT RTD in Collaborative Systems for Environmental Management FP7-ICT-2007-2

32. Aims to integrate environmental monitoring and management with an enhanced capacity to assess population exposure and health risks, to report to and alert targeted groups and to organise efficient response. ICT RTD in Collaborative Systems for Environmental Management

33. Target is a Single Information Space for the Environment in Europe in which environmental institutions, service providers and citizens can collaborate or use available information without technical restraints. ICT RTD in Collaborative Systems for Environmental Management

34. The activities will aim at dependable, flexible and user-centric shared solutions for sustainable use of natural resources and for better management of ecosystems including the mitigation of environmental degradation and associated threats. ICT RTD in Collaborative Systems for Environmental Management

35. Research is expected to deliver visionary concepts and techniques, or strategic integrated approaches for ICT systems addressing environmental applications that are cost-effective, easy to set up and to operate. ICT RTD in Collaborative Systems for Environmental Management

36. The focus is on generic systems that will integrate to a large extent autonomous,adaptive sensor networks, extended data fusion, rapid and secure access to distributed information, modelling, simulation and visualisation as well as computing facilities for decision making. ICT RTD in Collaborative Systems for Environmental Management

37. The focus is on generic systems that will integrate to a large extent autonomous,adaptive sensor networks, extended data fusion, rapid and secure access to distributed information, modelling, simulation and visualisation as well as computing facilities for decision making. Full attention will be on the optimisation of complex data flows across all decision levels, across borders and sectors. ICT RTD in Collaborative Systems for Environmental Management

38. Typically, these collaborative systems will be validated in the case of fresh surface water, ambient air, outdoor or indoor. ICT RTD in Collaborative Systems for Environmental Management

39. Distributed system design, pull technology, general solutions for interoperability. 50 % advanced IT application in water Links to WISE and to US Ontology, say 25 % Closer link to data, simplified ontology example. Sounding board and support from: Ecoinformatics cooperation Links to users, but still research Water scarcity ? (Aral Sea example – horror scenario for the Rhine ?). Sensor real time links ?, Decision support ? Defining issues for the project

40. Final remarks Lots of ideas and material from this Ecoinformatics meeting - detailed proposal to be made How do we connect with US and other partners ? (or even interlocking? )

41. Thank you! 