A Basic Introduction to

Semantic Web

Introduction

Hi! My name is Mike Darnell. I was born in 1974 My 1st job was modeling underwear & Roman toys

Is your website targeting and engaging prospects?

My partner is Virode Imtarnasan - Thai, 38 years old, married, studied law Career: EA, Sega, IRM…

Web: Cnngo, Vertu, Playboy…

Where we do business

The Fun Bit

What do we need in order to have a conversation?

Our ability to process language is dependent

on two elements:

Syntax…

…& Semantics

But what is “Semantics”?

Semantics The study of

meaning, focused on the relation

between signifiers, such as words, and what

they stand for

What is a “Semantic Web”?

Today’s web enables computers to

communicate using a common SYNTAX

The semantics needed for UNDERSTANDING are still handled by us HUMANS

But this isn’t the plan…

“I dream of a web where

computers are capable of

analyzing ALL

the data“ Sir Tim Berners-Lee (1999)

On the Semantic Web data is interpreted by machines, allowing them to perform the work involved in finding,

combining, and acting upon information on the Internet

How?

By moving from this

To this

Semantic Web models are currently based either on

Explicit Meta Data or Implicit Deductions

regarding the content on the page

Explicit Meta Data

“Regular” HTML

HTML with Schema.org microdata semantic

annotations

The Explicit Meta Data is the model supported by the W3C via it’s

Resource Description Framework (RDF) specifications:

Subject > Predicate > Object Thailand’s capital is Bangkok

Implicit Deductions

Many sites allow triplet-like deductions

without requiring formal meta data

annotations

Why do we want it?

A machine-friendly web = more free human time

A semantic web will empower us to understand context without

resorting to “search”

It will empower computers to

accomplish tasks and answer

questions that currently require

human involvement

Searching SEMANTICALLY rather than SYNTACTICALLY

is particularly useful for:

Content in Context Answering questions

Best product, Ideal booking, etc.

Content in Context

A Star Trek sequel is a

serious ENTERPRISE

But Which One?

Google isn’t very helpful

Neither is Wikipedia

But a little structured data goes a long way…

As does some

context

Services to check out

Search Engines

Freebase is: “An entity graph of people, places and things, built by a community

that loves open data.”

Hakia

Sigma

Lexxe

Qwiki

Aggregating and curating content

“Topic Pages” are popping up on publications everywhere

WSJ

Mashable

NYT

Reader apps

Semantic veteran Evri is moving from being a search engine…

…to a content aggregator and interest curator

Flipboard acquired Ellerdale to power it’s relevance and interest

Answering questions

Wolfram Alpha

True Knowledge

Assistants

Siri

Evi

What’s next?

Statistical Analysis NLP

“…Over the next few months, Google will begin spitting out more facts and direct answers

to queries at the top of the search-results page…”

WSJ.com

Google’s Knowledge Graph = 200,000,000 entities

(= ~10*Freebase)

The “Internet of Things”

Your fridge knows you’re about to run out of milk

Your toilet know you’re lactose intolerant

Etc…

The Next Big Thing may be

enabled by new Technology

But its success is dependent on its

ability to match of our most basic needs

Questions?

Thanks!

…I’m at mi@vimi.co Mike