Need Help With Relational Databases and RDF, JENA

Hi I have posted on this forum before in
http://www.nabble.com/Patents-to-be-Auctioned-to14959172.html#a15012039
Re: College Senior Project To Make A Web Search Project 
(yes out of frustration at the time, i posted my topic within another
thread)

anyway the important thing is a short description of my project is there and
updated version here:
Hi I'm Lora - a Senior Computer Science Major at Xavier University.

For my Senior Project, I am researching new "Semantic Web" technology in the
area of Web Development.
To guide my research, I am working on creating a web site that will be
well-designed and helpful to students. In my experience, a site that would
ease the process of searching through classes available for next semester in
preparation for meeting with advisers or planning a new schedule of classes
to register with for the upcoming semester would be a helpful site.

Also, I think after reading articles on the Semantic Web that this site
could use new Semantic Web technology to implement searches that can return
results based on more than just keywords but also through the understanding
of terms with defined meaning. For example, find "theology" classes on
"Tuesdays/Thursdays" in the "afternoon", or find classes that meet "E/RS"
requirement. This technology could also help improve filtering/sorting of
data as well. I think that this can be done by defining the meaning/facts
about data and the relationships between data items a web site is running
over in the background.


***my current questions for the collected wisdom gather here is  described
below.

my university is not allowing me access to the real university's database at
the moment but I am going to get 'dumps' of certain tables of data relating
to the class information that I want to test my site on. I think I will
recreate this 'dumped' data into a MySQL database. I have been trying to
read up on using RDF with a relational database or converting a relational
database to RDF. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should
intergrate my tables/MySQL database with an RDF triplestore?

**I also think that I will use JENA to write my RDF triplestore. I do plan
to try to reuse an 'university ontology' found here:
http://www.patrickgmj.net/blog/moving-toward-a-university-ontology#comment-18664

Anyone familar with JENA, is it possible/how do I integrate this ontology?
How could I also add
more vocabulary/properties like "afternoon" to it?

Should I have a MySQL database of information to fill in the RDF
triplestore, or do I need to hand-type all
the information up in JENA with java code? I think figuring out how to
integrate Relational Database data with RDF triplestores and SPARQL queries
would be helpful as if I later wanted to sell/be hired to introduce my
Semantic Web Schedule site to the university -- it could be adapted to the
real university's database which is in Oracle.

Alright that is it for now, I am anxious to learn how to start implementing
my site and would like to contribute/spread SW ideas around. So any advice
and answers to my questions would be much appreciated.
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Received on Wednesday, 20 February 2008 21:19:27 UTC