Raf Buyle

Automated UML-Based Ontology Generation in OSLO2

In 2015, Flanders Information started the OSLO2 project, aimed at easing the exchange of data and increasing the interoperability of Belgian government services. RDF ontologies were developed to break apart the government data silos and stimulate data reuse. However, ontology design still encounters a number of difficulties. Since domain experts are generally unfamiliar with RDF, a design process is needed that allows these experts to efficiently contribute to intermediate ontology prototypes. We designed the OSLO2 ontologies using UML, a modeling language well known within the government, as a single source specification. From this source, the ontology and other relevant documents are generated. This paper describes the conversion tooling and the pragmatic approaches that were taken into account in its design. While this tooling is somewhat focused on the design principles used in the OSLO2 project, it can serve as the basis for a generic conversion tool. All source code and documentation are available online.

Semantics in the wild: a digital assistant for Flemish citizens

Public service fragmentation across more than 800 digital channels of government administrations in the region of Flanders (Belgium), causes administrative burden and frustrations, as citizens expect a coherent service. Given the autonomy of the various entities, the fragmentation of information and budget constraints, it is not feasible to rewire the entire e-gov ecosystem to a single portal. Therefore, the Flemish Government is building a smart digital assistant, which supports citizens on the governmental portals, by integrating status information of various transactions. This paper outlines our ongoing research on a method for raising semantic interoperability between different information systems and actors. In this approach, semantic agreements are maintained and implemented end-to-end using the design principles of Linked Data. The lessons learned can speed-up the process in other countries that face the complexity of integrating e-government portals.

Providing Interchangeable Open Data to Accelerate Development of Sustainable Regional Mobile Tourist Guides

Travelers expect access to tourism information at anytime, anywhere, with any media. Mobile tourist guides, accessible via the Web, provide an omnipresent approach to this. Thereby it is expensive and not trivial to (re)model, translate and transform data over and over. This inhibits many players, including governments, in developing such applications. This paper reports on the experiences of a project on mobile tourism in Flanders, Belgium where a reusable formalization for the data disclosure was developed. Applying open standards contributed to the achievement of a reusable and interoperable datahub for mobile tourisms. The organized working groups delivered in a re-usable formal specification and serialization of the domain model that is immediately usable for building mobile tourism applications. This increased the awareness and lead to semantic convergence which is forming a regional foundation to develop sustainable mobile guides for tourism.