EnAKTing the Unbounded Data Web: Challenges in Web Science

Lead Research Organisation: University of Southampton
Department Name: Electronics and Computer Science

Abstract

The EPSRC funded Advanced Knowledge Technologies Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (AKT IRC) has been a significant success in terms of papers published, grants awarded, students trained, and international impact. The Review Panel rated the project as outstanding scoring 34 out of a maximum possible 35 on the seven review criteria used to assess the results of projects by the EPSRC. The purpose of this proposal is to take some of the most important results from AKT and organise a next stage of research. This in turn will serve as a precursor to a longer-term ambition; the establishment of Web Science as a discipline. This initiative we are undertaking with the Web's inventor Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and MIT. The development of new Semantic Web technologies (many developed and researched in the AKT IRC) points to a new generation of Web capability that can explore and query, assemble and integrate content in a context-aware, focused fashion. The basic idea is that we move from a document centric view of the Web to one in which data and information are the principle objects of interest. This data may relate to people, scientific structures, financial transactions or any domain that can be represented on the Web. With the emergence of a Web of data it is essential to address three key research problems; (1) how to build ontologies quickly that are capable of exploiting the potential of large-scale user participation, (2) how we query an unbounded web of linked data, (3) how to visualise, explore, browse and navigate this mass of data.The proposal is to undertake fundamental research in the areas 1-3 identified above. This fundamental research is supported via two application domains; one in the area of public sector information, a second in the domain of transport. The application domains will provide the context in which to gather realistic requirements, understand the social aspects that determine the success or otherwise of the systems constructed, test the adequacy of solutions, and showcase the promise of the results obtained in pursuing the research objectives outlined.
 
Description University of Southampton
Amount £6,219,059 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/J017728/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2012 
End 05/2017
 
Description Keynote "The Digital Ape" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Talk to the premier business network in Wales
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.cardiffbusinessclub.org/event/159/professor-sir-nigel-shadbolt
 
Description Keynote "The Digital Ape" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Invited talk to the Vodafone Institute in Berlin
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.vodafone-institut.de/events/im-grunde-sind-wir-schon-heute-digitale-primaten-ai-anthropo...
 
Description Keynote "The Digital Ape: How to live (in peace) with smart machines" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Keynote to the Institute for Policy Research - large and varied audience of 400 or so
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.bath.ac.uk/events/the-digital-ape-how-to-live-in-peace-with-smart-machines/
 
Description Keynote at Edinburgh Book Festival 2018 "The Digital Ape" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Presentation at main venue of the Digital Ape including EPSRC research
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/press-release/robots-are-neither-out-to-get-us-nor-after-our-jobs
 
Description Keynote at Royal Society ALLEA Event "Data as Infrastructure for the 21st Century" 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Lead talk in a 2 day meeting around the topic of "Flourishing in a data enabled society" with other European Academies
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://www.allea.org/events/flourishing-in-a-data-enabled-society/
 
Description RAEng Hinton Lecture 2016 "Engineering the Future of Data" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Hinton Lecture is the Flagship Lecture of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
URL https://www.raeng.org.uk/events/events-programme/2016/november/hinton-lecture-2016
 
Description Sir Gareth Roberts Lecture "Engineering Intelligence" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Annual keynote talk at the University of Durham
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.dur.ac.uk/physics/newsandevents/lectures/roberts/