Universal Semantic Knowledge Middleware

1. Universal Semantic Knowledge Middleware Marek Paralič, marek.paralic@tuke.sk Jozef Wagner, jozef.wagner@tuke.sk FEI Technical University of Košice 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

2. Outline • Introduction • Knowledge artefacts • Architecture of the KP-Lab system • Universal Semantic Knowledge Middleware (USKM) • USKM services and architecture • Conclusions 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

3. Introduction • Research within Knowledge Practices Laboratory (KP-Lab, FP6-2004-27490) project • KP-Lab focuses on developing a learning system aimed at facilitating innovative practices of sharing, creating and working with knowledge in education and workplaces • KP-Lab is a modular, flexible and extensible system consisting of a cluster of inter-operable applications • The user environment is a virtual shared space and a set of tools that enable collaborative knowledge practices around shared knowledge artefacts 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

4. Knowledge artefacts • Facilitating knowledge-creating learning: • The acquisition metaphor – “monological” within mind • The participation metaphor – “Dialogical” interaction; situated cognition • The knowledge-creation metaphor – “Trialogical” developing shared objects and artefacts collaboratively • Approaches on using ICTs: • Monological – surfing in the Internet; information transmission • Dialogical – chatting around certain objects or artefacts, participating in a discussion forum without genuine learning agenda • Trialogical – sustained efforts of developing shared objects of inquiry. Using technology for supporting collaborative efforts of knowledge advancement 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

5. ICTs and complex trialogical objects • Representing objects in multiple ways • Capturing messy and complex phenomena through video and audio recording • Recording and storing computer-mediated activities and transforming them to objects • Representing content as well as relations • Modelling, simulating and visualizing transformations • Merging individual and collaborative efforts • Providing not only tools of personal but also collaborative authoring (wiki) 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

6. KP-Lab System Architecture KP-Lab Tool SOAP SOAP Technical Services Framework Context Handler USKM – Universal Semantic Knowledge Middleware SOAP Web Services KR CR Object Exchange Services Import Services Export Services Query Service Update Service 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

7. Knowledge Repository • Provide generic management services for capturing and archiving; discovering and accessing; combining, modifying and tracking formal forms of explicit knowledge (i.e. declarative, procedural and causal) • Descriptions of knowledge artefacts as well as their involved conceptualizations is represented and handled in knowledge repository as RDF/S schemas and resource descriptions • The knowledge repository in KP-Lab will be built upon the FORTH-ICS RDFSuite open source platform • Exchanged data are in the form of RQL/RUL queries and TRIG/RDF_XML formatted documents 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

8. Content Repository • Content as the optional part of the Knowledge artefact is stored in a internal or external content repository • Content repositories cover the wide range of available persistent storages from simple file systems up to enterprise content management systems (e.g. The Alfresco Network) and learning management system (e.g. Moodle) • Gateways to CR support – JSR-170 compatible CR, audio/video servers, Plone 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

9. Universal Semantic Knowledge Middleware • Main goal: bridge the gap between the KAs aware tools and combination of knowledge and content repositories • Offers a high level, distributed service based on knowledge artifacts • Offers KAs distribution transparency by involving a naming service for knowledge artifacts, gateways to content repositories services, gateways to knowledge repositories services and the context handler services 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

10. USKM Architecture KP-Lab Tool SOAP TSF Context Handler Session USKM – Universal Semantic Knowledge Middleware Naming Security Knowledge Artefact Broker Notification Transactions Gateways to Content Repository Request Engine Concurrency Logging/History SOAP Web Services KR CR 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

11. USKM services • The basic services of USKM include life cycle service, query service, naming service and security service • The life cycle service provides means to create, modify and destroy KAs • The query service provides the means to find a specific KA or a collection of KAs based on defined criteria as a result of browsing the KAs structure • The naming service by which KAs can be given human readable name maps them to the KA’s unique identifier. • The security service provides facilities for authentication, authorization, auditing, secure communication, nonrepudiation and administration. 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

12. USKM services (2) • To the further services of USKMS belong: • specific notification service in case of modification of the content part of the KA in external content repository, • transaction service that allows a user to define a series of KA operations in a single transaction • concurrency control service that offer advanced locking mechanisms by which users can access shared KAs 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies

13. Conclusions • USKM simplifies creation of KP-Lab system compatible tools, which deals with knowledge artefacts instead of content and meta-data separately • Enables to add the meta-data to existing objects and creation of knowledge artefacts • Open the way for building more sophisticated services at the middleware layer 1st Workshop on Intelligent and Knowledge oriented Technologies