The central idea of the Semantic Web is to extend the current human-readable web by encoding some of the semantics of resources in a machine-processable form. Moving beyond syntax opens the door to more advanced applications and functionality on the Web. The Semantic Web Challenge offers participants the chance to show the best of the Semantic Web.

This year, I am one of the co-Chairs of the 2007 Semantic Web Challenge. Do you have a cool application you’ve developed? Enter it! We’d love to see what you’ve been doing.

http://challenge.semanticweb.org/

Semantic Web Challenge 2007

We invite submissions to the fifth annual Semantic Web Challenge, the premiere event for demonstrating practical progress towards achieving the vision of the Semantic Web. The Semantic Web Challenge 2007 is organized in conjunction with the Sixth International Semantic Web Conference, which will take place November 11-15, 2007, in Busan, Korea.

The central idea of the Semantic Web is to extend the current human-readable web by encoding some of the semantics of resources in a machine-processable form. Moving beyond syntax opens the door to more advanced applications and functionality on the Web. Computers will be better able to search, process, integrate and present the content of these resources in a meaningful, intelligent manner. The core technological building blocks are now in place and widely available: ontology languages, flexible storage and querying facilities, protocols, reasoning engines, etc. Guidelines for best practice are being formulated and disseminated by the W3C.

The next challenge is to show off the benefits of semantic technologies by developing integrated, easy to use applications that can provide new levels of Web functionality for end users on the Web or within enterprise settings. Applications submitted should demonstrate clear practical value that goes above and beyond what is possible with conventional web technologies alone.

In the past years, the Semantic Web Challenge has grown into one of the most exciting and inspiring events of the ISWC conference. As before, the Challenge is open to everyone from academia and industry. The authors of the best applications will be awarded prizes and featured prominently at the conference.

The submissions should at least satisfy the minimal requirements for a Semantic Web Application and preferably exhibit some of the additional desires.

Following last year’s event, the 2007 Semantic Web Challenge has the specific goal to encourage applications not only to reuse data and services of other applications, but support the serendipitous reuse of their own data and services in situations that have not been foreseen by the original authors. To achieve this, participants should provide standards-compliant web interfaces to the data and services provided by their applications. For example, these could take the form of RSS feeds, SPARQL endpoints, REST or Web Services interfaces.

How to participate

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
Click above in order to register for the Semantic Web Challenge by submitting the required information.

The form will be open until July 14, 2007, 12 a.m. CET. The requirements of this entry are:

1. Abstract: no more than 200 words.
2. Description: The description will show details of the system including why the system is innovative, which features or functions the system provides, what design choices were made and what lessons were learned. Papers should not exceed eight pages and must be formatted according to the same guidelines as the papers in the Research Track (see the ISWC 2007 website for instructions.)
3. Web access: The application should be accessible via the web. If the application is not publicly accessible, passwords should be provided. We also ask to provide a (short) instruction on how to start and use the application.

Prizes

The prizes for the winners are available as travel support and book vouchers:

1. Prize: 1.000 € travel support plus 250 € books
2. Prize: 500 € travel support plus 250 € books
3. Prize: 250 € travel support plus 250 € books

The winners will also be asked to give a live demonstration of their application at the ISWC 2007 conference. The best applications will also have a chance to appear as full papers in the Journal of Web Semantics.

Co-chairs of the Semantic Web Challenge 2007

Jennifer Golbeck (University of Maryland, College Park)
Peter Mika (Yahoo! Research Barcelona)

Important dates

July 14, 2007 Submissions due
August 10, 2007 Acceptance notification
August 21, 2007 Camera-ready papers due
November 11-15, 2007 ISWC 2007 Technical Program