ISWC 2008

Call for ISWC 2008 tutorial proposals

The Web continues to grow and new technologies, modes of interactions, and applications are being developed. Building on this growth, Semantic Web technologies aim at providing a shared semantic information space, qualitatively changing our experiences on the Web. As Semantic Web technologies mature and permeate more and more application areas, new research challenges are becoming apparent and some unsolved ones are becoming more acute. To foster the exchange of ideas and collaboration, ISWC brings together researchers in relevant disciplines such as artificial intelligence, databases, social networks, distributed computing, web engineering, information systems, natural language processing, and human-computer interaction.

In addition to the regular research and workshop program, ISWC 2008 invites tutorials on various topics. A tutorial should present the state of the art of a Semantic Web area enabling attendees to fully appreciate the current issues, main schools of thought, and possible application areas.

Topics

The topics of interest for tutorials include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Applications based on Semantic Web technologies
  • Evaluation of Semantic Web technologies
  • Semantic Web for e-business, e-science, e-government e-learning, or other application domains
  • Semantic Web technologies for multimedia content
  • Personal Information Management
  • Management of Semantic Web Data
  • Languages, tools and methodologies for representing and managing Semantic Web data
  • Database technologies for the Semantic Web
  • Search, query, and visualization of the Semantic Web
  • Robust and scalable knowledge management and reasoning on the Web
  • Machine learning and human language technologies for the Semantic Web
  • Semantic Web content creation, annotation, and extraction
  • Ontologies
  • Ontology creation, extraction, and evolution
  • Ontology mapping, merging, and alignment
  • Evaluation and tanking of ontologies
  • Ontology search
  • Semantic Web Architecture
  • Semantic Web middleware
  • Semantic Web services
  • Agents on the Semantic Web
  • Semantics in peer-to-peer systems and grids
  • Social Semantic Web
  • Social networks and processes on the Semantic Web
  • Semantic web technology for collaboration and cooperation
  • Representing and reasoning about trust, privacy, and security

Organizers’ Responsibilities

Organizers of accepted tutorials are responsible for preparing and maintaining a Web site that describes the tutorial and provides any required materials. Submit the URL for your tutorial site to the tutorial chair by July 16, 2008. The description should make it clear that the tutorial is open to all members of the ISWC community. It should also mention that all tutorial participants must pay the ISWC 2008 conference registration fee, as well as the tutorial fee.

Organizers are also responsible for the production and distribution of
all technical material to be used for teaching the tutorial tutorial
slides, notes, technical papers, etc. except for the reproduction of
hard copies of printed materials, which will be handled by ISWC. In
the case of a hands on tutorial requiring software, it is strongly
recommended that the organizers provide CDs from which the
participants can install the software needed on their computers. (It
is not realistic to expect tutorial attendees to download the software
at the beginning of the tutorial!)

Tutorial presenters will need to submit the material for printed hand-outs to the tutorial organizers for pre-printing. (The deadline for this is given below.)

The ISWC 2008 Organizing Committee will be responsible for the
following:

  • Providing publicity for the tutorial as a whole on the conference’s web page. The ISWC 2008 page will include the tutorial abstract and provide a link to the tutorial’s local page.
  • Providing logistic support and a meeting place for the tutorial.
  • In conjunction with the organizers, determining the tutorial date and time.
  • Production of sufficient copies of printed tutorial materials provided by the tutorial organisers.

Tutorial Proposals

ISWC 2008 tutorials may be either for a full day or for a half
day. Although tutorials may focus entirely on theoretical aspects, we
encourage organisers to incorporate hands-on sessions where
appropriate.

Tutorial proposals should not exceed 5 pages in Springer LNCS format
and should contain the following information:

  • an abstract (200 words maximum; to be published on ISWC 2008 website)
  • a brief description of tutorial, including aims, overview of content, presentation style, target audience, and prerequisite knowledge
  • an indication of full- or half-day, and a draft outline of the tutorial content and schedule
  • a justification of the tutorial, including relevance to ISWC 2008
  • audio-visual or technical requirements and any special room requirements
  • for a hands-on tutorial, please briefly describe the software that will be used for the hands-on activities, the planned procedure to allow the participants to install the software on their computers, and any special technical requirements related to these activities. Please note that any software needed for hands-on activities, and download sites for the software, must be provided by the tutorial presenters.
  • information on presenters (name, affiliation, contact info, expertise, experiences in teaching and in tutorial presentation). Please indicate which presenter is the primary contact.

The organisers of accepted tutorials will be required to create a tutorial website which gives an overview of the tutorial and includes other relevant information. Additionally we may require tutorial meta-data according to the ISWC 2008 ontology.

Please submit tutorial proposals by email to David Martin at martin@ai.sri.com.

Important Dates

  • May 16, 2008: Tutorial proposals due
  • June 6, 2008: Notification of proposal acceptance
  • July 16, 2008: Deadline for receipt of URL for tutorial web page
  • September 25, 2008: Deadline for sending the tutorial notes (handouts) to the tutorial chair for reproduction (PDF preferred)
  • 26-30 October, 2008: Presentation of Tutorial Program

Tutorial Chairs

  • David Martin, SRI International, USA, martin@AI.SRI.COM
  • Lalana Kagal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lkagal@csail.mit.edu