Knowledge Modeling for Integrating Semantic Web Services

and E-Government Applications

Alessio Gugliottagugliott@dimi.uniud.it

Department of Computer Science, University of UdineDepartment of Computer Science, University of Udinehttp://www.dimi.uniud.it

ISWC2005 - Doctoral SymposiumMonday, 7 November 2005

OverviewE-Government and Knowledge Mangement (KM)

Public Administration (PA)Makes use of KM- Representing Information and Service- Increasing the productivity of its activities

Highly distributed and hetereogeneousenviroment.

Trend calls for joined-up services:-Simple to use-Shaped aroud and respondind user needs-PA as unique entity

Scalable and flexibleKM Systems

Interoperability

Integration

Matching UserNeeds

Call for solutions

OverviewSemantic Web and Semantic Web Services (SWS)

SWS Enviroment

Agent to Agentcommunication

New services can be added,discovered, composed, and mediatedcontinually

Describes Services by means of ontologies

Interoperability

Integration

Scalability, Flexibility

Call for Application Fields

OverviewUsing SWS in E-Gov application

SWS and E-Gov.. Why Not? … but the integration is not an easy task:

PA uses specific infrastructure to represent knowledge

Interaction with non-software agents: multiple viewpoints (citizen, politician, manager, etc.)

Services are not atomic, No single-response step, Negotiation with the user

PA does not “talk” in terms of SWS

Description of PurpouseKM and E-Gov: Existing Approaches

Solution for supporting service-based systems No ontologies for representing E-Government knowledge Description of concepts and processes: Metada, XML schemas

Ontologies describing specific E-Gov areas Demostrating the feasibility of semantic in E-Gov application No general purpouse: Legislation, Documents, Processes No SWS

SWS approach Ontogov

Configuration and Re-Configuration of E-Gov services Focus on description of service life cycle No standard approach for semantic web service description

TerreGov Addresing Interoperability Issues (Cross-Bordering services) Early Stage of development OWL-S approach for service description

All approaches are Service Oriented!

Description of PurpouseProblems to address

Re-Usable Semantic-Based Framework Keeping PA autonomy in the description of the domain

Introduce existence of mismatch problems Co-operative description of the scenario

Clear Distinction E-Gov Service-Supply Scenario Description

Context where the services are provided Multi-viewpoints description

Service Description Describing an important but limitated aspect of e-Government

domain Automatic discovery, composition, mediation, and execution of services Using existing (proposed) standard for SWS

Representing Business Model -> planning tasks Interaction Model -> describing negotiations / interaction protocols

Goal StatementComplex Semantic-Based Layer integrating SWS

Two main issuesConceptual ModelingCreation of the infrastructure for the semantic

interopearbility

E-GovernmentApplication

Public Administration

Web ServicesWeb ServicesWeb Services Back-Office

Public Administration

Web ServicesWeb ServicesWeb Services Back-Office

ContextDescription

ServicesDescriptions

VocabularyDescription

SWSFramework

(IRS-III)

ApplicationInterface

Goal StatementMain results

Core Life Event Ontology (CLEO) Describing E-Gov service-supply knowledge structure Mappig to SWS descriptions Introducing a Knowledge Elicitation methodology

Helping Domain experts to describe the context Driving Developer to implement SWS

Sound Conceptual Model (Meta-Ontologies) Core Life Event Ontology (CLEO) Service Ontology

Containing the SWS descriptions (WSMO) Extending / completing CLEO with the web service descriptions

Domain Ontology Encoding concepts of the PA domain / building blocks

Modeling approach Descriptive entities (indipendent views on the scenario by involved actors) Terms – Vocabulary of involved actors (the actual objects descriptive entities act

upon)

Goal StatementThe Conceptual Model

(3) Multi-Viewpoint

(6a) PA Autonomy(7)

Distinguish two conceptual levels:-Context-SWS

(6b)Extendibility

(1) Life Event Approach

(4) Descriptive Modules

(2) Co-operation

(5) Distinguishing betweenDescription and Vocabulary

Methodology (4)CLEO

Axiom and Rule forIntegration with WSMO

MethodologyReference Models

Representing the base / foundation of our work Life Event approach

Considers government operation from the perspective of everyday life

No simple way to arrange provided services Point of contact among all involved actor viewpoints Promting the supply of services by PA

Service levels of interaction 4 levels: information, one-way, two-way, and full-

transaction

MethodologyReference Models

The government service supply reference model

The e-government system reference model

MethodologyMeta-Modeling

Mapping Reference Models into Meta-Ontologies Models expressing modeling process Re-Usability, Extensibility, Cooperative development

MethodologyOntologies for conceptual modeling: DOLCE

We considered its module Description&SituationStarting Point for building ontologies requiring

contextualization Situation and Description concepts

Situation described by means of descriptive entities: Parameters, Functional Roles and Courses of Events.

MethodologyOntologies for conceptual modeling: WSMO

Objectives that a client wants toachieve by using Web Services

Provide the formally specified terminologyof the information used by all other components

Semantic description of Web Services: - Capability (functional)- Interfaces (usage)

Connectors between components with mediation facilities for handling heterogeneities

Methodology Integrating CLEO and WSMO

WSMO goal -> Goal Description WSMO non functional properties -> Quality

Description WSMO WS -> Service Description WSMO Choreography -> Interaction Description WSMO Orchestration -> Plan Description Domain Ontology -> WSMO Ontology WSMO Medietors elements (source, target)

obtained by means of reasoning

EvaluationOne Stop Government Portal

Portal for the Essex County Council (UK) Case Study: Change of Circumstance

Community Care Department (Essex) Housing Department End User: caseworkers of community care Changes influence:

legacy system information list of benefits

EvaluationChange of Circumstance case study

Service Ontology

Domain Ontology

CLEO Ontology

Evaluation / Future Work

More Case Studies Testing the methodology of CLEO

Creating the Infrastructure for the Semantic Interoperability

Tools for creating/managing the conceptual model

Questions

Thank You!

Overview

Semantic Web Services (SWS)Promising Technology

Multi-agent enviromeny automatic discovery, composition, mediation,

invocation addressing Interoperability and Integration issues

WSMO and OWL-SCall for application

Description of PurpouseService-Supply Scenario: Integration and Interoperability

Agency

Government Organization

Agency Agency Agency

Government Organization

Agency Agency

…

Citizen Businesses

Automatic Discovery, Composition, Mediation, Execution of Services

Services

Description of PurpouseService-Supply Scenario: Matching the user needs

Agency

Government Organization

Agency Agency Agency

Government Organization

Agency Agency

…

Citizen

About a task:- Most Suitable Service- Different Citizen – Different Services

Citizen

Description of Perpouse (3)

Limitation of existing approachesService-Oriented, No Multi-viepoints approachFocus on specific aspects of e-Government,

No General PurpouseBusiness Model oriented, No Transaction

Description of Purpouse (2)

Matching User NeedsA user task may be consumed by different

servicesDifferent aspect should be taken in

consideration (citizenship, family situation, etc.)

Which is the most suitable service?Different Citizen – Different Services

Description of Purpouse (3)WSMO – Top Level Notions

Objectives that a client wants toachieve by using Web Services

Provide the formally specified terminologyof the information used by all other components

Semantic description of Web Services: - Capability (functional)- Interfaces (usage)

Connectors between components with mediation facilities for handling heterogeneities

Goal Statement (3)

Life Event Oriented Common Point among all involved actors Prompt the development of services

Multi Viewpoints description Distributed Approach

Each actor responsible for its domain Cooperative development

Interaction and Business Model description Integration of SWS for automatic discovery, composition,

mediation and execution of services

Description of PurpouseSWS : Brief Introduction

Describing Web Services by means of ontologies Two main approaches

WSMO (Web Service Modeling Ontology) OWL-S

Allowing automatic discovery, composition, mediation, and invocation of Web Services

Addressing Interoperability and Integration issues WSMO distinguishes between User TASKS and Provided SERVICES

BUT

Describing an important but limitated aspect of e-Government domain

No description of complex situations with negotiation between Non Software User and Service Provider