Web semantics in action: Web 3.0 in e-Science

Abstract

Semantic Web technologies have moved beyond the point of being promising futuristic technologies and demonstration projects, to being technologies in action in realistic contexts and conditions. Semantic Web applications are being developed for many aspects of scientific research, from experimental data management, discovery and retrieval, to analytic workflows, hypothesis development and testing, to research publishing and dissemination. This workshop intends to explore the questions that arise as Semantic Web applications are increasingly grounded within the actual lifecycle of scientific research, from observation and hypothesis formulation to publication, dissemination and criticism. We aim to bring together researchers across the disciplines, to discuss the use, development and embedding of these technologies in varied research domains and contexts. We will discuss the actuality of Semantic Web technologies in use and the emergent practices through which they are being developed and deployed. We aim to encourage vigorous discussion around aims, methods, applications and pragmatics. This workshop will look at the theoretical, methodological and pragmatic issues of grounding the development, deployment and evolution of ontologies and applications in Semantic e-Science in practical scientific problems and activity. How do we ground deductive Semantic Web information management and retrieval in the practical conditions of evolving sciences based on experiment, observation and induction? How do we bridge gaps and conflicts in approach between computer scientists developing research tools, and research practitioners using those tools? Is it possible to develop Semantic Web practices in e-Science that deal explicitly with hypothesis formulation, testing, challenge and refinement? Semantic Web applications have the potential to substantially accelerate research. Are all domains of research equally promising for the development of targeted semantic web applications? Are “semantic” domains defined by particular areas of research, by a particular form of scientific question, by discipline or sub-discipline or by particular aspects or stages of the scientific process? Are there types of enquiry which are intractable to the solutions offered by the Semantic Web, and if so, why? What are the specific challenges of Semantic Web applications in different disciplines, and how might Semantic Web applications shape and be shaped by them? The incorporation of semantic technologies with existing social web practices — “Web 3.0” — promises to change the scientific research, publication and discussion model we now have to a much more fluid, “higher-velocity” model. It also poses many questions for technologists and researchers alike. Can abstract and formal understandings of the underlying ontologies be supplemented or even replaced by more informal social conceptions of ontologies? What are the advantages and disadvantages of top-down or bottom-up development processes? What are best practices regarding user engagement and usability; what are the different roles of stakeholders in the process of development and deployment? What if any changes in scientific practice may be required to exploit the promise of semantic e-Science?