Research and Development BBC MMXIII

A Linked Data Context Strategyfor the BBC

Michael Smethurst, BBC Internet Research and Future Services

With thanks to Yves Raimond, Tristan Ferne, Olivier Thereaux, Paul Rissen

Research and Development BBC MMXIII

Why Linked Data?

1. On the web content needs context to be useful

2. The BBC has data on its output but not on the subjects of its output

3. Commercial data is usually modelled at the wrong level (saleable items)

4. Commercial data doesn’t give you the freedom to make your own APIs on top

5. Using inference minimises workload

“Inform, Educate and Entertain”

George Orwell, 1940s

On the Web since 1994 / 1995

Linked data

1. Consuming linked data

2. Managing linked data

3. Publishing linked data

1000 ~ 1500 programmes

~ 750 news articles

every day

Loose coupling via shared identifiers

Linked data as experience prism

Principle #1:The web is our CMS

1. Consuming linked data

2. Managing linked data

3. Publishing linked data

Annotate once, infer and re-use

1. Consuming linked data

2. Managing linked data

3. Publishing linked data

Principle #2:Our web site is our API

Generating data from content

Automated Tagging+Speaker recognition

of a very large audio archive

How do we answer…

Which radio programmes interviewed Nelson Mandela in 1990?

How can I find a picture of a relative in a library’s photo archive?

Was my music used in the background of that TV programme?

Thank you.

Questions to

michael.smethurst@bbc.co.uk

@fantasticlife