Marc Richardson

Deploying semantic web services-based applications in the e-government domain

Joining up services in e-Government usually implies governmental agencies acting in concert without a central control regime. This requires to the sharing scattered and heterogeneous data. Semantic Web Service (SWS) technology can help to integrate, mediate and reason between these datasets. However, since a few real-world applications have been developed, it is still unclear which are the actual benefits and issues of adopting such a technology in the e-Government domain. In this paper, we contribute to raising awareness of the potential benefits in the e-Government community by analyzing motivations, requirements and expected results, before proposing a reusable SWS-based framework. We demonstrate the application of this framework by showing how integration and interoperability emerge from this model through a cooperative and multi-viewpoint methodology. Finally, we illustrate added values and lessons learned by two compelling case studies: a change of circumstances notification system and a GIS-based emergency planning system, and describe key challenges which remain to be addressed.

A Semantic Service Orientated Architecture for the Telecommunications Industry

A Service Orientated Architecture will allow organisations to enhance interoperability and encourage reuse of components and interfaces. In this paper, the application of semantic descriptions to services is advocated with the aim of further improving the SOA and enabling scalability. An application of Semantic Web Services for the Telecommunications Industry is described. It shows how services components forming part of a Service Orientated Architecture can be described semantically in terms of shared data and process ontologies. The potential benefits of this approach are explored. A use case is presented that illustrates how the efficiency of a telecommunications system designer can be improved with the use of Semantic Web Services.

Geospatial Data Integration with Semantic Web Services: The eMerges Approach

Geographic space still lacks the semantics allowing a unified view of spatial data. Indeed, as a unique but all encompassing domain, it presents specificities that geospatial applications are still unable to handle. Moreover, to be useful, new spatial applications need to match human cognitive abilities of spatial representation and reasoning. In this context, eMerges, an approach to geospatial data integration based on Semantic Web Services (SWS), allows the unified representation and manipulation of heterogeneous spatial data sources. eMerges provides this integration by mediating legacy spatial data sources to high-level spatial ontologies through SWS and by presenting for each object context dependent affordances. This generic approach is applied here in the context of an emergency management use case developed in collaboration with emergency planners of public agencies.

Towards b2b integration in telecommunications with semantic web services

This paper describes BT Wholesales B2B Gateway as an approach to provide Business-to-Business integration within the Telecommunications sector. Although the Gateway provides increased efficiency over separate systems, the process to allow business partners to integrate is lengthy and costly. The application of Semantic Web Services will ease the integration process. The Web Services Modelling Ontology is described and applied to the Gateway. The paper presents the initial requirements of the Gateway upon WSMO and proposes how WSMO could provide further benefit in the future.

Semantic Web services for the telecommunications industry

This paper describes an application of semantic Web services for the telecommunications industry. It shows how services components forming part of a service orientated architecture can be described semantically in terms of commonly understood data and process ontologies