Instructor: Dr. Larry Kerschberg
Meeting Time and Place:
Wednesdays: 7:20 - 10:00 p.m.,
Arts & Design Building, Room L0008
Office Hours:
Tuesdays, 2:00-4:00 p.m. And Wednesdays: 5:00 - 6:30 p.m., Nyugen Engineering Building, Room 4412, or by email appointment and Skype.
Course Objectives:
This course addresses the research and development issues needed to realize the vision of the Semantic Web through 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, link and process the knowledge contained on the Web, we will require intelligent agents to sift and winnow through data and information and transform it 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, Web Onltology Language (OWL) and Rule Languages;
- Agent Communication: Communication Techniques, Agent Ontologies, Dialogues, Belief Systems and Social Systems;
- Semantic Web Services;
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
D. Allemang and J. Hendler, Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist: Effective Modeling in RDFS and OWL, Second Edition, ISBN-13: 978-0123859655,
Recommended Texts:
K.K. Breitman, M.A. Casanova and W. Truszkowski, Semantic Web: Concepts, Technologies and Applications, Springer, London, 2007, ISBN-10: 1-84628-581-X
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.