Instructor: Dr. Larry Kerschberg
Meeting Time and Place:
Tuesdays: 4:30 - 7:10 p.m.,
Innovation Hall, Room 137.
Office Hours:
Tuesdays: 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., Engineering Building, Room 4412.
Course Objectives:
This course addresses the research and development issues needed to realize the vision of the Semantic Web via the use of Intelligent Agents. The World Wide Web, or simply the Web, is an example of an application of computing on a global scale, thereby creating a Distributed Information Space. In order to be able to categorize, access and process the knowledge contained on the Web, we will require intelligent agents to sift and winnow data and information into knowledge. In order for computers to communicate, they will need to understand each other; this will be accomplished through the "semantic web markup" together with agents that understand that markup and can act on our behalf. We will study the role of intelligent agents in the Semantic Web framework.
Topics Covered:
The course will address the following topics:
- The Semantic Web and Web Knowledge;
- Agency: Reactive and Deductive Agents;
- Reasoning on the Web: Query Languages, Description Logics, and Rule Languages;
- Agent Communication: Communication Techniques, Agent Ontologies, Dialogues, Belief Systems and Social Systems;
- Semantic Web Services.
For those students who have taken INFS 770 - Knowledge Management for E-Business, this course is a natural follow-on course. Students who have taken INFS 740 - Database Programming for the World Wide Web, may also want to take INFS 772.
Grading Policy:
The grade will be determined by grades obtained in individual assignments, research paper review and report, a group research project, and class participation.
| Topic | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Individual Assignments | 20 |
| Individual Research Paper Review | 10 |
| Group Research Assignment and Presentation | 15 |
| Group Research Project Report | 20 |
| Individual Group Research Project Presentation | 10 |
| Class Participation | 10 |
| Final Exam | 15 |
In the group projects, students form small, 2-3 person, teams to perform research on a topic related to the course.
Textbook:
Required Text:
C. Walton, Agency and the Semantic Web, Oxford University Press, Inc., New York, ISBN 0-19-929248-5, 2007
K.K. Breitman, M.A. Casanova and W. Truszkowski, Semantic Web: Concepts, Technologies and Applications, Springer, London, 2007, ISBN-10: 1-84628-581-X
Recommended Texts:
M. Wooldridge, Introduction to multiagent systems, ISBN: 0470849398 (electronic bk. available through GMU Library; GMU login required from off-campus).
F. Bellifemine, G. Caire and D. Greenwood, developing multi-agent systems with JADE, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, England, ISBN: 978-0-470-05747-6.
A collection of papers will be selected from the ACM and IEEE Digital Libraries to complement the textbook.