Re: semantic technologies training/request

Dear Paola,

The issue you raised is important, because it appears that beyond the EU funded projects and national level funded projects, little effort has gone into outreach and education.

If I use The Netherlands as an example, very little is being done at an across the board level in terms of SW technologies and tools education and outreach.

The problem seems to be access to information about semantic web technologies.

I actually got a reply from IOS Press in Amsterdam, about a possible Reference Guide/Directory for Semantic Web Technologies.

Unlike in previous EU Framework Programmes, see http://cordis.europa.eu/home_en.html, more money goes into actual research than outreach and education.

It strikes me as very odd, that whereas the EU preaches open access and fosters research on achieving universal open access both in the EU and the rest of the world, and spent a fortune on www.europeana.eu (which still has capacity handling problems), not a euro could be spared to publish a good old fashioned Semantic Web Technology Atlas for Europe (and the rest of the world).

IOS Press said that they would be interested in publishing such a guide, but the money needed for research would be substantial.

This means that NO-ONE has a collection of sources readily available on the European scene, specifically SW research, industries and markets, standardization in the EU for SW application, research policies and programmes. Also missing is information on research institutes, trade associations, SW technologies and tools companies, standards bodies and professional organizations etc.

I would like to have such a guide by 2009, so that is on my wish list.

The Information Technology Atlas - Europe was published by IOS Press in 1987 in Collaboration with the Commission of the European Communities, and was related to the RACE and ESPRIT programs.

Perhaps we should lobby with the EU directly for setting up a program for education and outreach for semantic web technologies?

By the way a surveys and questionnaires combination approach was used by IOS Press to obtain their basic input data for the Atlas they produced.

With the advent of the internet in the 1990's one might have expected that an online guide should be available by now?! Or a downloadable PDF file?

Just wishing aloud for 2009.

Milton Ponson
GSM: +297 747 8280
Rainbow Warriors Core Foundation
PO Box 1154, Oranjestad
Aruba, Dutch Caribbean
www.rainbowwarriors.net
Project Paradigm: A structured approach to bringing the tools for sustainable development to all stakeholders worldwide
www.projectparadigm.info
NGO-Opensource: Creating ICT tools for NGOs worldwide for Project Paradigm
www.ngo-opensource.org
MetaPortal: providing online access to web sites and repositories of data and information for sustainable development
www.metaportal.info
SemanticWebSoftware, part of NGO-Opensource to enable SW technologies in the Metaportal project
www.semanticwebsoftware.info



--- On Sun, 12/28/08, paola.dimaio@gmail.com <paola.dimaio@gmail.com> wrote:

> From: paola.dimaio@gmail.com <paola.dimaio@gmail.com>
> Subject: semantic technologies training/request
> To: "Semantic Web" <semantic-web@w3.org>, "Marco Ronchetti" <marco.ronchetti.unitn@gmail.com>
> Date: Sunday, December 28, 2008, 10:55 AM
> Greetings
> 
> I am starting to be introduced to great sw tools being
> released by the
> various EU funded projects, for which lots and lots
> of public money is been used
> 
> such as
> 
> http://ontoware.org/
> as well as lots of others
> 
> Although all of these materials have some tutorials and
> documentation, the
> need for
> face to face training is mounting, and likely to increase
> 
>  I have not yet found during any of my trips distributed,
> connected,  open
> training centers
> possibly c/o universities, whre people could drop in and
> get some guidance
> on how to get their hands dirty
>  and have the chance to spend some contact hours with
> students and tutors
> who may want to share their expertise
> and help newcomers to become experts
> 
> 
> If this is at all possible, dear Santa, it's on my
> wishlist, and in my
> prayers for 2009
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Paola Di Maio
> *************************************************