eScience: Semantic Web Platforms for Scientific Collaboration

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eScience: Semantic Web Platforms for Scientific Collaboration

SciMed - Horizons

TS-Si News Service

Friday, 02 October 2009 15:00

Semantic Web

Troy, NY, USA. Web scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) will use the World Wide Web to compile and share scientific data on an unprecedented scale. Their goal is to hasten scientific discovery and innovation by enabling rapid and easy collaboration between scientists, educators, students, policy makers, and even "citizen scientists" around the world via the Web.

The research is designed to break science out of the laboratory and place it in the hands of the people. Semantic eScience is a specialized area within the Tetherless World Research Constellation, comprised of mentoring faculty and students in fields ranging from computer science to informatics.

Their collective research and teaching efforts center on the emerging field of Web Science and seeks new ways to understand and harness the inner workings of one of the most powerful research, social, and commerce technologies of our time.

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"We want to provide a toolkit for scientists and educators that allows them to gain access to data from a variety of sources and, importantly, outside of their direct area of expertise," said Peter Fox, the principal investigator for the project and Senior Constellation Professor in the Tetherless World Constellationhttp://tw.rpi.edu/wiki/Main_Page at Rensselaer.

Peter Fox

"Right now there are many scientists, educators, and policy makers who want to use other's scientific data, but they don't know how to find it, how is was collected, and even how to read it."

Fox notes that with the increased specialization of most scientific research, even people in closely-related fields currently struggle to interpret the data of their contemporaries. These scientific language barriers, he said, can hinder the pace of new discoveries.

Semantic Web. Semantic Web technology will allow scientists, educators, and people around the world to access data on a variety of topics all in one place.

Click Pic for Details

The new toolkit will have a foundation in Semantic Web technology. On the Web, semantic computer code (known as ontologies) provides underlying meaning and links to the information that is presented on a Web page to your computer, smart phone, or other Web-enabled device.

Current technology involves flat words on the screen, for example "climate change," that require a human to interpret the words and then manually move on to another Web site for additional information.

Web technologies based on semantics, however, would enable the computer to provide its own underlying meaning to the words, and provide links to related Web sites, nonprofit organizations, upcoming Senate bills, or even related photos stored on your computer. In the case of semantic data, the computer can configure, coalesce, and interpret data from millions of different sources instantly without the need for human intervention.

Deborah L. McGuinness

"Semantic technologies lower the barrier of entry to do science," said co-principal investigator on the project and Senior Constellation Professor Deborah L. McGuinness.

"With semantics, we can bridge the gap between the question that someone wants to ask in their limited scientific vocabulary and the extreme complexity of the underlying data."

An individual's vocabulary and scientific understanding will no longer have to correspond to the level of their scientific discovery, according to Fox and McGuinness.

James Hendler

Fox, McGuinness, and their counterpart on the project, Senior Constellation Professor James Hendler, will use semantic ontologies to build customizable Web sites. Each Web site will be familiar, understandable, and navigable to its end user depending on the level and type of expertise.

Behind the simple façade of the Web site will rest billions of pages of data all semantically tagged and ready to be accessed and interpreted by the computer.

The user needs only to type a question, and it will be answered using data input by other users around world.

The researchers also plan to create plug-in applications for commonly used data software such as Excel that adds access to the data in a format that is familiar to the end user.

All of their semantic coding will be open source, making it available to others on the Web seeking new ways to share data.

"We want to accelerate the growth of community knowledge," McGuinness said. "We want to encourage others to look at the data, interpret the data in their own ways, reuse the data, and even verify the data."

Fox, McGuinness, and Hendler see the technology helping to lead a revolution in the citation and, possibly, review of scientific data. Much like Wikipedia, the data on their Web sites and technologies will be viewed and used by users from leading scientific experts to elementary school teachers and all those reviewers will be able to comment and cite the data.

"There will be extensive new opportunities to review the data," Fox said. "It may not be a traditional peer review as is the custom in scientific publication because many people will not be experts, but each user will bring a very legitimate point of view to the data, particularly when they use it in new and different ways." Thus, a school teacher could make a discovery on sea level change that an oceanographer may never have found.

The ease of access to the data will also allow other scientists to quickly reproduce and verify a data set. Often in a scientific paper, there will be a scientific figure or image that represents a data set. Raw data is rarely presented, making it extremely difficult for another scientist to pick up where another left off or even reproduce the results, according to Fox. The new semantic technology will mediate access to the raw data and in a vocabulary that the end user can understand.

In addition to ease sharing data, the semantic technologies will also allow for ease of citation when using data created by someone else. Access to certain data sets can be controlled and with semantic tags attached to the data of their source, and users can easily give credit to the original creator of the data that they are utilizing, while data creators can track exactly who is looking at their data. "For the first time, we could see scientists citing online services in peer review journals," McGuinness said.

FundingFunding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) was awarded as part of the US American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The TS-Si News Service is a collaborative effort by TS-Si.org editors, contributors, and corresponding institutions. Sources can include the cited individuals and organizations, as well as TS-Si.org staff contributions. Articles and news reports do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si, its partners, or affiliates. We welcome your comments. Use the form below to leave a public comment or send private correspondence via the TS-Si Contact Page. We will not divulge any personal details or place you on a mailing list without your permission.

TS-Si is dedicated to the acceptance, medical treatment, and legal protection of individuals correcting the misalignment of their brains and their anatomical sex, while supporting their transition into society as hormonally reconstituted and surgically corrected citizens.

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And so the logical question is....., will TS-Si be a con

02 October 2009

Well, Kelly, the short answer is , Yes. More later.

02 October 2009

The Umbrella Wars: Developing a Strategy for Winning, Wo

03 October 2009

Wonderful, Sharon, I can hardly wait!

It just seems to me that if transsexuals are ever going to break free from the current and prevalent transgender paradigm, a reasoned approach (call it 'diplomatic strategy' if you like) that focuses on solid scientific evidence, and which actively engages the people involved in those endeavors, offers the most hope for conclusively isolating transsexualism from the 'everything else' umbrella T's.

Speaking of which, what is our strategy for winning 'The Umbrella Wars'? Obviously the transgender influence has caused us to lose sacred ground over the years. We've arrived at a point now where we're (to quote from the movie 'Network') "...mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore!" Fine, that's a motive for change. But again I ask, what is our strategy? Do we have one? Shall we keep battling it out on the internet, blog by blog, comment by comment, in perpetuity?? Other than drawing lines in the sand and defending them, what is actually being accomplished?

It seems like we've blindly accepted conscription into a war without clear leaders or direction. While the internet is, without a doubt, a premium resource for information sharing, what are we doing to ensure that we share the information with the people who can use it to do us the most good? I don't even see that we've adopted a clear definition of 'winning' or, more importantly, a strategy for getting there. (And, please, let's not adopt "Shock and Awe!" as our strategy...it's already been proven ineffective.)

With the web of scientific knowledge-sharing now becoming available through RPI's project, perhaps 'an anonymous leader' who

is dedicated to the acceptance, medical treatment, and legal protection of individuals correcting the misalignment of their brains and their anatomical sex, while supporting their transition into society

will emerge as our 'voice of reason' to lead the campaign. (Not too obvious a hint, was it???) smilies/wink.gif

Anyway, I'm excited about the possibilities that this developing collaboration implies, not only for our own niche-needs, but for the broader scientific spectrum as a whole. What marvels await!?!

Kelly

Umbrella Wars: We should share, Hello again, Kelly. I li

03 October 2009

Hello again, Kelly. I like that phrase, Umbrella Wars. It rings true without overweening self-importance. You said

... if transsexuals are ever going to break free from the current and prevalent transgender paradigm, a reasoned approach (call it 'diplomatic strategy' if you like) that focuses on solid scientific evidence, and which actively engages the people involved in those endeavors, offers the most hope for conclusively isolating transsexualism from the 'everything else' umbrella T's.

People can differ on what is the one right approach because there really is not just one right approach but an array.

The specifics can include public awareness, truth squads (to correct dis- and mis-information), partisan politics, legislative lobbying, and more. Then there is the crucial matter of research: (basic) science and (applied) medicine.

Speaking of which, what is our strategy for winning 'The Umbrella Wars'? ... Do we have one? Shall we keep battling it out on the internet, blog by blog, comment by comment, in perpetuity??

You make a smart distinction between strategy and tactics. Most of what we do is near-term and tactical.

I can see the blog slog going on for a very long time, because it is primarily a matter of arguing against what is perceived as a factual dispute when it is actually reaction to an emerging transgender cultural norm. The personnel change but the conflict remains the same, save for a point I wil make later.

I have been criticized by name in recent days for not being "engaged" and, by implication, both ineffective and something of an obstruction. Fact is, I was active back before the IRC and Undernet days clear through until now, a span of over 20 years.

Years ago, our critics - mostly crossdressers and tranvestites - argued against our very existence. The terms change but the dynamic remains the same: CD/TV self-validation at our expense; building themselves up by diminishing us. The implied threats of violence, however, too often turned real.

Other than drawing lines in the sand and defending them, what is actually being accomplished?

Holding back the night, getting through. The blog slog renews from time to time because new players on both sides look up from whatever has preoccupied them, emerge in outrage, get noisy, wear out, and disappear.

I have been through these cycles before and decided to find another way. I don't criticize people for making that choice provided they do not allow a sense of their own self-importance to interfere with others. Some tend to think theirs is the Bright Shining Path, exclusive of others, and we must make way for their procession. But, I have seen the self-righteous come and go.

It seems like we've blindly accepted conscription into a war without clear leaders or direction.

Not me. Not you, either, I suspect.

... what are we doing to ensure that we share the information with the people who can use it to do us the most good?

That is one of the things we do here at TS-Si. Given that we are located in Washington, DC the transfer is both in person and via electronic distribution. Some may find that too strategic - and patient - but the outcome will tell the tale.

I don't even see that we've adopted a clear definition of 'winning' ...

In a culture war, what does winning actually mean? That we have won hearts and minds? That cultural norms bend our way? Even if possible in an ad agency world, how long will that take? Putting up a wall of noise may drown out the offensive sounds on the other side, but there are a lot more of them than us. Attrition will take its toll until weariness (and hoarse voices) once again leave the field.

... or, more importantly, a strategy for getting there. (And, please, let's not adopt "Shock and Awe!" as our strategy...it's already been proven ineffective.)

I believe getting there has less to do with the opposition and lot more to do with (collective) us. There is an inevitable focus by advocates on their primary lifestyle and personality assumptions at the expense of progress. It is hard to hone and maintain the message under such circumstances.

With the web of scientific knowledge-sharing now becoming available through RPI's project, perhaps 'an anonymous leader' ... will emerge as our 'voice of reason' to lead the campaign.

There are some voices of reason around who forego personal credit and noisy escapades, working quietly where the power resides, doing the really hard work that transcends mere effort.

Again, I have no real objection to the truth squads and such if they do not tailor the facts to their personal circumstances and biases.

I recently saw a statement that ignored our productive history and makes claims we are organizing a "group", while hurling some misstatements and insults. I wonder where they have been? It doesn't matter really, since none of this is about them. - or us.

If all we care about is ourselves and can't look beyond our own desire for reparations, then what value can we place on our exertions?

It is still as I said in my most recent column:

What matters to us are the people who matter: individuals correcting the misalignment of their brains and their anatomical sex, smoothing the way toward surgical correction.

And of what value were our individual transitions if they coalesce into collective actions that feature anger and spite?

For us, it is simply a matter of retaining our focus. There are other sites honing their adeptness at whatever they do. So be it for them. We explore fundamental scientific and medical questions, policy issues and the like, while trying to have at least a little fun along the way.

We are extending our thinking about all this, of course, and will have more to say in not too much more time.

Anyway, I'm excited about the possibilities that this developing collaboration implies, not only for our own niche-needs, but for the broader scientific spectrum as a whole. What marvels await!?!

Restating some of what I have said before:

These are considerations larger than ourselves. There are vexing public policy questions that range from the proper identification and treatment of the very young, through the citizen rights and privileges of those with a history of misalignment and correction.

But even beyond that, what of society as a whole? The techniques used for our surgical correction are the outcome of a long history in science, medicine, and law - with much more to come. Other patients, with other issues, have contributed much to our survival: their experiences have contributed to our treatment.

And what of our treatment: what about the give back? We have much to share with the world. Explorations of the uniqueness represented by a body plan gone awry during human development yields informative results.

We should share. The alleviation of suffering from other, seemingly unrelated, conditions will someday be directly attributable to what we have learned about ourselves.

Our outreach to the research community takes conceptual strength, time, and patience, but we view the endeavor as well worth the effort.

I certainly would not interfere with choices of others, nor would I tolerate interference with my own. It takes all kinds of people doing all kinds of things to get the job done. A platitude for sure, but heartfelt.

Sharon S. Gaughan

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Last Updated on Friday, 02 October 2009 16:22

TS-Siis dedicated to the acceptance, legal protection, and medical treatment of individuals correcting the misalignment of their brains and their anatomical sex, while supporting their transition into society as hormonally reconstituted and surgically corrected citizens.

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