- From: Tom Heath <Tom.Heath@talis.com>
- Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:10:41 +0100
- To: <semantic-web@w3.org>, "Linking Open Data" <public-lod@w3.org>
- Cc: "Richard Cyganiak" <richard.cyganiak@deri.org>
[summary: availability of vocabularies for describing data is a serious SW bottleneck - why not host a "VoCamp" and help grow the ecosystem of ontologies/vocabularies on the Web?] Hi all, It would appear that a significant bottleneck in realising the Semantic Web/Web of Data is now less in obtaining or publishing interesting data, but in the availability of vocabularies/ontologies to describe that data. This is a view echoed in a number of conversations I've had with people in the field, and by major data consumers such as Yahoo! [1]. To help address this, Richard Cyganiak and I (with input from a number of others) have initiated a series (we hope) of informal "hackfest" events that can bring together interested and motivated parties for a couple of days to spend some dedicated time creating vocabs/ontologies in areas that interest them, and publishing these on the Web. We've called these event(s) "VoCamps", and set up a wiki at [2] with some more background at [3]. The first VoCamp, co-organised with David Shotton and Jun Zhao, will take place in Oxford in late September [4] and we'll use this event to test the format and refine it accordingly. We're already at capacity for this event unfortunately, but please do add your name to the standby list if you're interested. After Oxford we hope that members of the Semantic Web community will host their own events wherever they see fit, helping ensure a Web rich with high-quality vocabularies. Tentative plans are already on the drawing board for another event before Christmas in a different location, and we hope that will be just the start. If you are interested in hosting a VoCamp, have a look at [5] and give me and Richard a shout so we can pass on the lessons we learn in Oxford. Cheers, Tom. [1] http://www.devx.com/semantic/Article/38595/0/page/1 [2] http://vocamp.org/wiki/Main_Page [3] http://vocamp.org/wiki/WhatIsVoCamp [4] http://vocamp.org/wiki/VoCampOxford2008 [5] http://vocamp.org/wiki/WhatIsVoCamp#What_is_needed_to_run_a_VoCamp.3F -- Tom Heath Researcher Platform Team Talis Information Ltd T: 0870 400 5000 W: http://www.talis.com/platform
Received on Tuesday, 29 July 2008 11:12:05 UTC