Institute for Web Science & Technologies – WeST

Semantics Perspective on

Physical-Cyber-Social Computing

Steffen Staab,

With research work from WeST Team

Steffen Staab 2Semantics Perspective

Prelude: Web Observatory

Collect PCSC data & ground truth!

Where is our PCSC observatory?

Understanding Collecting Describing Analyzing Modeling Predicting Repeating!

Steffen Staab 3Semantics Perspective

And now for something completely different...

Where is our PCSC observatory?

Institute for Web Science & Technologies – WeST

Semantics Perspective on

Physical-Cyber-Social Computing

Steffen Staab,

With research work from WeST Team

Steffen Staab 5Semantics Perspective

Physical-Cyber-Social Computing

Physical Sensors

Social Computing

CyberUnderstanding

And here some miracle M occurs!

Let‘s analyse this in more detail!

Steffen Staab 6Semantics Perspective

Physical-Cyber-Social Computing

Physical Sensors

Social Computing

Cyber

Understanding

And here some miracle M1 occurs

Another miracle M2 occurs

Steffen Staab 7Semantics Perspective

Physical-Cyber-Social Computing

Physical Sensors

Social Computing

Cyber

View

Semantic integration Semantic interfaces

Integration Model UnderstandingSemantic

Institute for Web Science & Technologies – WeST

Semantic Integration

Steffen Staab 9Semantics Perspective

Semantic Integration

Ontology definition Ontology mapping Programming with ontologies! (often forgotten part!)

Established, but still not known too well Too much myth?

Steffen Staab 10Semantics Perspective

Semantic Integration: refering to a story by Alan Rector

Steffen Staab 11Semantics Perspective

Semantic Integration: refering to a story by Alan Rector

FeverElecHeatElemmeasuringTempPhysSensor

Complex concept

Institute for Web Science & Technologies – WeST

Semantic Models

Also a way to do integration!!!!

Steffen Staab 13Semantics Perspective

Person sensorsPhysical Sensors

Situational Context

Environment s.

Tool (car...)

GroupSocial Computing

Social Context

Role

...

Cyber

Steffen Staab 14Semantics Perspective

Person sensorsPhysical Sensors

Situational Context

Environment s.

Tool (car...)

GroupSocial Computing

Social Context

Role

...

Text

Cyber Networks Media

Actions/Transactions

Semantic Represen.

Pragmatic interpretat.

Steffen Staab 15Semantics Perspective

Meaning: Contextualization of Topics - MGTM

Flickr photos of food, having tags Geographical Topic Models Spatial context improves content analysis

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Neighbour Topic Exchange

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Neighbour Topic Exchange

Steffen Staab 18Semantics Perspective

Neighbour Topic Exchange

Can be generalized to other features than geolocation:• Time (also cyclic time)• Temperature• ....

Steffen Staab 19Semantics Perspective

Meaning: Understanding Context – EU Live+Gov

Urban Maintenance (Buitenbeter) Citizens reporting infrastructure damages

Text+Image+Sensor readings submitted by citizen• Activity recognition: walking, cycling,..• Higher level context: shopping, commuting,...

Steffen Staab 20Semantics Perspective

Meaning: Linking of content - EU EPPICS

Use Case: Water management Floods of the river Po (Italy)

Observations: Physical:

• Water level sensors• Smartphone geo positions (where do people drive?)

Social & content• What do people tweet

(„road blocked“, „went there and there“)

Challenges: Linking data Correlating data („level X blocks road Y“)

Institute for Web Science & Technologies – WeST

Semantic Views

Steffen Staab 22Semantics Perspective

Relevance in "typical" social network graph

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Relevance: Retrieving Node A's news stream

Steffen Staab 24Semantics Perspective

Relevance: Retrieving Node A's news stream

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Meaning: Turning sensing of attention into semantics

Tagging by sensing Interestingness Content tags to

regions

Institute for Web Science & Technologies – WeST

Conclusion

Steffen Staab 27Semantics Perspective

Challenges in Semantics4PCS-computing

Sensor ontology (SSN) Better understanding of what does not work Better understanding of whether the problem is in the

ontology or in the modeling!

Abstraction and contextualization from lowest level interpretation („34734893“) to mid level interpretation

• „deviating from the norm by twice standard deviation“• „cycling“ „running“

To high level interpretation• „broad flooding“ • „shopping“ „commuting“

Steffen Staab 28Semantics Perspective

Conclusion: Semantics in PCS-Computing

Representing contextualized facts Extended provenance

-> who, where, when,...

Understanding context More than sensor readings

-> Reporting

Using context Influences semantics Influences use of semantics (pragmatics)

-> Actions!

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Some of many open questions

Which context is most useful when?

What are good models for higher level interpretations?

Notion of pragmatics? Which data is good for which purpose?

Institute for Web Science & Technologies – WeST

Thank you!

Steffen Staab 31Semantics Perspective

References

1. R. Pickhardt, T. Gottron, A. Scherp, S. Staab, Jonas Kunze. Efficient Graph Models for Retrieving Top-k News Feeds from Ego Networks. In: SocialCom 2012 – Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE Fourth International Conference on Social Computing, Amsterdam, NL, September 3-6, 2012.

2. Tina Walber, Chantal Neuhaus, Ansgar Scherp, Steffen Staab, Ramesh Jain. Creation of Individual Photo Selections: Read Preferences from the Users' Eyes. In: Proceedings of ACM Multimedia 2013, Barcelona, October 2013.

3. C. Kling et al. Detecting Non-Gaussian Geographical Topics in Tagged Photo Collections. Tech Report.

4. http://liveandgov.eu/