Re: Is there any repository of unsolved problems?

On 07/03/2011 22:16, Nathan wrote:
> Yury Katkov wrote:
>> Hello!
>> I'm seeking for a good topic for my Ph.D. research in the Semantic Web
>> field. Would you mind to help me to find the place where I can see the
>> list of unsolved problems? I don't necessarily mean the list of Ph.D.
>> topics :) , but that could probably be the list of current directions
>> where the help is needed and where many questions are opened.

"Semantic Web" is a *very* wide field that involves many special topic 
areas that require different skills and interests. Problems that people 
consider range from large scale data storage and processing (focus on 
computing performance), over knowledge representation (designing formal 
languages to express and query semantic information, may involve formal 
logic), information extraction (focus on "understanding" 
not-so-structured data, e.g. using methods from machine learning), to 
community and usability aspects (involving user studies and interface 
design). Moreover, there are numerous adjacent fields of research that 
are concerned with exploiting the basic ideas of semantic technologies 
in application fields (e.g. medicine).

You can get a good overview of the field by looking at the topics 
covered at the annual International Semantic Web Conference ISWC. A 
"good topic" will be one that allows you to take advantage of your 
existing skills, and in which you can be supported by your academic 
environment, especially by your supervisor.

Good luck!

Markus


-- 
Dr. Markus Krötzsch
Oxford  University  Computing  Laboratory
Room 306, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QD, UK
+44 (0)1865 283529    http://korrekt.org/

Received on Tuesday, 8 March 2011 11:15:40 UTC