what is web science and why is it important? professors wendy hall and nigel shadbolt
TRANSCRIPT
What is Web Science and why is it important?
Professors Wendy Hall and Nigel Shadbolt
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Contents of this presentation
• introduction to WSRI • what we do• what is Web Science• exemplars• current activities
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Introductionour motivation
• the Web has been transformational• we need to understand it• anticipate future developments• identify opportunities and threats• we have established a new discipline: Web
Science
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Introductionour aims
• promote and encourage multidisciplinary collaborative research to study the development of the Web
• provide a global forum to enable academia, government and industry to understand the scientific, technical and social factors that drive the growth of the Web and enable innovation
• devise curricula for the new discipline of Web Science so as to train future generations of Web Scientists
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Introductioninstitutions - joint venture
MIT’s CSAIL
Leader in North America
Southampton’s ECS
Leader in Europe
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Introductiondirectors
the reputations, experience and skills of our Directors enables us to work closely alongside academia, government, industry and donors to realize our aims
Tim
Bern
ers
-Le
e
Wen
dy H
all
Nig
el S
had
bolt
Dan
iel
Weit
zner
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Where we are launch November 06
“Web Science represents a pretty big next step in the evolution of information. This kind of research is likely to have a lot of influence on the next generation of researchers, scientists and, most importantly, the next generation of entrepreneurs who will build new companies from this.”
Dr Eric Schmidt, CEO, Google Inc.
“Web Science research is a prerequisite to designing and building the kinds of complex, human-oriented systems that we are after in services science.”
Irving Wladawsky-Berger, VP, Technical Strategy and Innovation, IBM Corporation.
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Introductionadvisors
• scientific councilleaders in their disciplines
• strategic advisory boardindividuals with influence
• formulating corporate advisory board companies committed to Web Science
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Where we areWSRI Operational Phases
Phase 1: Nov 06 to Nov 07Launched the concept and targeted activities
Phase 2: Dec 07 to Nov 08Establish a lean organization in America and Europe
Phase 3: Dec 08 onwardsBuild a global organization and expand activity base
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Web Science ResearchSome of the issues
• the structure of the Web• effective protocols for the Web• social effects on the Web• meaning in the Web• fragmentation of the Web• rates of change on the Web…
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What we dothought leadership
• a global forum of experts to raise awareness, lead thinking and disseminate information
• provide corporations, governments and regulators with the capability to anticipate future developments
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What we doeducation
• collaborate to develop degree courses and curriculum
• modify and extend, evolve current courses
• build capacity for this new field • motivated students tackling a
real and important set of challenges
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What is Web Science?
The Web has been transformational
Largest human information construct
How are we to Understand what it isDevelop its engineeringEnsure its social benefitDevelop capacity
This requires a new interdisciplinary field -
This field we call Web Science
New fields have been constituted in the past and continue apace
Computer ScienceCognitive ScienceSystems BiologyGenomics…
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Web Science isinterdisciplinary
PhysicsStatistical MechanicsPhase Transitions…
Political ScienceGovernance
Democratic Mechanisms…
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Web Science isabout emergence
• simple principles and protocols (e.g. links) create complex structures - the Web
• simple behaviors (e.g. Blogging) create complex phenomena - the Blogosphere
• anticipating new principles and behaviors
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Web Science - ExampleWeb Structure
Scale-freeThe Web has a fractal nature
Power lawsOver the Web the numbers of links into and links out of any Web page obey a Power Law
Small worldsThe average distance (or diameter) is much smaller than the order of the graph.
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Web Science - ExampleThe Blogosphere
• The Blogosphere• Why did it take off?• What structure does it have?• What drives its evolution?
• Web Science aims to understand the scientific, technical and social factors that drive the growth of the Web
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QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Web ScienceA Process
• creative innovation• design and engineering• the social and the technical• interpretation and analysis
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QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Self Expression Self Publish
Blog site…Blogosphere…
Spoofing and Splogs…
Blogs
CitationTrackback
Web ScienceA Process
• creative innovation• design and engineering• the social and the technical• interpretation and analysis
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Web Science - ExampleWikipedia - Collective Intelligence
• Shape and structure• Scale free• Preferential attachment• Communities• Values and obligations• Incentives
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Web Science - ExampleWikipedia - Collective Intelligence
• Shape and structure• Scale free• Preferential attachment• Communities• Values and obligations• Incentives
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Web Science Researchlinked data in health care
•Clinical
•Imaging
•Microscopy
•Treatment
•Medical Records
•Published background
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The four micro principles of the Semantic Web
1. All entities of interest, such as information resources, real-world objects, and vocabulary terms should be identified by URI references.2. URI references should be dereferenceable, meaning that an application can look up a URI over the HTTP protocol and retrieve RDF data about the identified resource.3. Data should be provided using the RDF/XML syntax4. Data should be interlinked with other data.
Web Science Researchanticipating the future
• Is the Semantic Web at a tipping point
• “Yes Jim but not as we know it”
• It is not services it is content• The Linked Web of Data• See DBpedia etc.
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Web Science Researchanticipating the future
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• A world in which we know where most things are most of the time?
• What does this do to our individual and collective rights?
• What business opportunities arise?
• What social practices arise?
Web Science Researchanticipating the future
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• A world in which we know where most things are most of the time?
• What does this do to our individual and collective rights?
• What business opportunities arise?
• What social practices arise?
Web Science Researchanticipating the future
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Public Health investigation
Linked Data-driveninvestigation
Public healthsuccess
Big brother?
Web ScienceSocial impact of linked data Data
Mining
relief &unease
Public health challengesData mining powerPrivacy concernsUnclear legal rulesUnanticipated social
effects
Powerinvestigation
Law?
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A Linked Data Social challenge
Public Health Investigation
Complex Scenario Can we analyze data
dependencies in order to track rule compliance and rule violation?
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Need new privacyframework
Information Accountability
Public healthsuccess
Social accountability?
Web ScienceInformation Accountability
Dependencyreasoning
New privacy frameworkTechnical architecture for usage
tracking and policy explanationLegal rules the concentrate on
permissible/impermissible useAnalysis of technical/social
interplay
Usagetracking
New Law
Accountableusage
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Web ScienceNew social challenges…
What can we learn from composition of social networks?
What are the right privacy norms?
How will we arrive at social/legal consensus?
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vision
impact
Web Science
technology
science social
To create a multi-disciplinary approach to understand how the Web will evolve, anticipate issues that will arise and proactively address these issues to ensure that the Web remains as a positive enabler for our society
Business Communities Policy Makers Foundations/ non-profits
• how Research Thought leadership Education• Evolution of the web
–Structure –Protocols–Social effects–Fragmentation–Rates of
change
• Applications–Education–Science–Health–eGovernment
• Global forum of experts to inform
• Academia, Government, Industry
• Raise awareness, lead thinking, disseminate
• Workshops
• Issue generation
• Consultancy
• Conferences
• Input Sessions
• Web Science curriculum development at undergraduate and graduate levels
• Creation of Web Science capabilities and talent
• Role of web in innovation
• Web as driver for development
• Integrated, multi-disciplinary perspective
• Capacity for new field of Web Science
• Solutions to anticipated issues
• Coordination on a global scale
• Enhanced ways of working
• Address future talent needs
• Opportunities for innovation
• Ability to share information
• Informed resource allocation
• Capacity building for Social welfare
• More informed policy choices
• Broader reach of input
• More access
• Connect resources with needs
• Facilitate social goals
• Maximize impact
WSRI- a catalyst for the future web
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Web Science
technology
science social
Research Thought leadership Education• Evolution of the web
–Structure –Protocols–Social effects–Fragmentation–Rates of
change
• Applications–Education–Science–Health–eGovernment
• Global forum of experts to inform
• Academia, Government, Industry
• Raise awareness, lead thinking, disseminate
• Workshops
• Issue generation
• Consultancy
• Conferences
• Input Sessions
• Web Science curriculum development at undergraduate and graduate levels
• Creation of Web Science capabilities and talent
• Role of web in innovation
• Web as driver for development
• Integrated, multi-disciplinary perspective
• Capacity for new field of Web Science
• Solutions to anticipated issues
• Coordination on a global scale
research / thought leadership / insight
Current Activities
• Community building workshops• Summer School at Oxford• Publications, F&T (also in Greek :-), CACM,
Scientific American• Fund Raising - Research Agencies, Foundations,
Corporate Sponsorship, EU Programme• Curriculum development• 1st International Conference on Web Science 18-
20th March 09, Athens, Greece• World Wide Network of Web Science Labs
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World Wide Network of Web Science Labs
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• Founding Labs - Southampton and MIT
• Developing a network of Web Science Labs around the world
• Pursuing a coordinated programme of work
• Research• Post Doctoral Training• Knowledge Transfer
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New Web Science Lab in Shenzhen清华大学
南安普敦
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One World One Web
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Diversity and communityThe dangers of fragmentationThe challenge of culture and languageWe will establish a common framework of semantic interoperability
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Web Sciencewhy this matters
• the Web matters• an essential part of humanity• understanding the Web is a major
challenge as big as any other global cause
research / thought leadership / insight
research / thought leadership / insight
Research Thought leadership Education• Evolution of the web
–Structure –Protocols–Social effects–Fragmentation–Rates of
change
• Applications–Education–Science–Health–eGovernment
• Global forum of experts to inform
• Academia, Government, Industry
• Raise awareness, lead thinking, disseminate
• Workshops
• Issue generation
• Consultancy
• Conferences
• Input Sessions
• Web Science curriculum development at undergraduate and graduate levels
• Creation of Web Science capabilities and talent
• Role of web in innovation
• Web as driver for development
• Integrated, multi-disciplinary perspective
• Capacity for new field of Web Science
• Solutions to anticipated issues
• Coordination on a global scale
research / thought leadership / insight
• Research
• Evolution of the web–Structure –Protocols–Social effects–Fragmentation–Rates of
change
• Applications–Education–Science–Health–eGovernment
• Thought leadership
• Global forum of experts to inform
• Academia, Government, Industry
• Raise awareness, lead thinking, disseminate
• Workshops
• Issue generation
• Consultancy
• Conferences
• Input Sessions
• Education
• Web Science curriculum development at undergraduate and graduate levels
• Creation of Web Science capabilities and talent
• Role of web in innovation
• Web as driver for development
• Integrated, multi-disciplinary perspective
• Capacity for new field of Web Science
• Solutions to anticipated issues
• Coordination on a global scale