Raven's realm » publication http://www.sebastiankruk.com Sebastian's Blog & Website Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:02:24 +0000 en hourly 1 Next week: my PhD defense (Semantic Digital Libraries ) http://www.sebastiankruk.com/2009/05/11/next-week-my-phd-defense-semantic-digital-libraries/ http://www.sebastiankruk.com/2009/05/11/next-week-my-phd-defense-semantic-digital-libraries/#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 07:25:00 +0000 skruk http://blog.sebastiankruk.com/?p=81 The day has come to wrap up the research I have been doing for the last couple of years. After closing the write up and submitting my thesis in February this year, my PhD defense is approaching very soon.

Here is some information about it. If you are around Galway next Monday – you are welcome to come and watch my presentation at the open session.

When: May, 18th 2009

Where: Conference Room, DERI, NUI Galway (IDA Business Park, Lower Dangan, Galway, Ireland)

Schedule:

  • 10.00 – 10.30 – Open session
  • 10.30 – 11.30 – Closed session – you & the 3 examiners (fingers crossed!)
  • 11.30 – 12.00 – Closed session – examiners only

Abstract:

Until recently, libraries were the prime source of information for both students and scholars. Now this information is published using online with digital library systems. Current digital libraries have to provide efficient information discovery solutions to adapt to the fast development of new technologies; they also have to cater to the current generation of students. The research on the Semantic Web and online social networks contributes to the digital libraries domain by supporting interoperability with formal semantics, improving interlinking of information and encouraging users to contribute and share knowledge.

Semantic technologies support more flexible information management than that offered by classic digital libraries. Information on library resources can be gathered from heterogeneous sources, including contributions from the communities of library users. These annotations, combined with legacy data, build the foundations for more efficient information discovery in digital libraries.

This thesis reviews architectures, abstract models, metadata standards, and various technologies for building digital library management systems. We derive requirements for advanced digital libraries and propose an architecture model and a set of ontologies for semantic digital libraries. Finally, we present information discovery services using semantic and social technologies, and the prototype implementation of a semantic digital library that fulfills the aforementioned requirements.

Our hypothesis is that semantic and social technologies applied to a digital library management system deliver more efficient information discovery solutions, while the library users become more satisfied and can remember more of the information they have learned when using the library. We present two information discovery services that use semantic and social technologies; we also show a prototype of a semantic digital library. We support our hypothesis by discussing the results of initial evaluations of both services and a comprehensive evaluation of the semantic digital library prototype.

If you are interested in doing a PhD yourself check a collection online PhD programs.

]]> http://www.sebastiankruk.com/2009/05/11/next-week-my-phd-defense-semantic-digital-libraries/feed/ 3 Why social Internet in Poland might not be a good idea ? http://www.sebastiankruk.com/2008/01/15/why-social-internet-in-poland-might-not-be-a-good-idea/ http://www.sebastiankruk.com/2008/01/15/why-social-internet-in-poland-might-not-be-a-good-idea/#comments Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:12:00 +0000 skruk http://blog.sebastiankruk.com/?p=58
Before I came to DERI, I was working on the semantic digital library project called Elvis-DL (now JeromeDL). My idea was to add a feature allowing registered users to share their opinion on the resources in the digital library, and hence, build up the knowledge around it.

The response I got at that time was – that it would be a bad ideas – as free comments will lead only to “spam” texts, or worse – comments expressed with bad language, etc. In other words useless.

Shortly after I started developing social features for JeromeDL in DERI, I have also added this “blog-around” feature. Everyone was pleased.

Why?

Because in the social Internet around the world, your comments on blogs present who you are, and people tend to express themselves politely. Hence, their comments are if not useful, at least nice to the others.

Compare comments on Flickr with comments on wp.pl (large polish information portal). Huuge difference, right?

I am in the process of evaluating my solutions (both semantic and social) for digital libraries; these that have been implemented in JeromeDL. I have sent information around, using any possible information channels I could think about. Most of them were social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, GoldenLine; and mailing lists of all known to me social and semantic web groups.

One of my colleagues, helping me with the evaluation, suggested I should also send this information to the new and fast growing social networking site called nasza-klasa.pl.

I have to confess, I was not too much convinced to this idea; but since I wanted more people to help me, reluctantly, I have sent the information also there. The fora of my universities (GUT and NUIG) and the high school.

Shortly after, a very stupid (and frustrated, if you ask me) comment appeared at the GUT forum.

For me it is a clear example that social solutions build in Poland cannot be left without moderation.

Sad, isn’t it?


—

16 January 2008 17:46

As an after match of this stupid conversation, sadly enough supported by other people with strange attitude, and having no answer from the moderators of the system, I have decided to do the only reasonable thing – remove my profile from that site, since it was impossible to continue the conversation as it went.

Shame on you nasza-klasa.pl.

—

16 January 2008 23:59

Maciej’ve just sent me a copy of the conversation that continues on nasza-klasa.pl. It is nice to see that other people share my understanding of “cultural” conversation.
I could re-register to the portal – but I will not do that.
Consider this my protest against zero-reaction from moderators.
I do not claim that people who behave wrong should be removed out of the sudden, but tuning in to close a pointless conversation would be enough.
As Jaroslaw said – I removed my account as being part of the social network means for me to identify with the people there, and use the SN for the purpose. If I cannot talk to other people without being abused for using technical language, what is the purpose of using such a SN? Good luck nasza-klasa – but you just lost a very strong supporter of social networking. I am getting back to Facebook, LinkedIn, and GoldenLine – see you all there.

—

17 January 2008 09:28

As I can see – the discussion continues. This time the feather was taken by some weird guy who cannot even spell “evaluations” – congratulations – how such a person can be subscribed to university forum? The most funny is that he claims that my evaluation was set up only for computer science; well, it was not. It was set up for people who have some more understanding of the current Internet. The truly sad is that the people who felt offended by not understanding my post were actually computer scientists (or so they claim). And of course, he could not write even a short post without using “french” (yeah, I still know what “chgw” means)

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