Taming the World Wide Web

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I Want My Data Back

No one is saying there's no connection between new Web and Semantic Web technologies. In many user-generated sites grouped under Web 2.0, users often tag their own data, be it photos, bookmarks, videos, or other content. "Web 2.0 is the messy way that the Semantic Web is actually happening," says O'Reilly.

Berners-Lee and others see a time in the future when the two efforts will interconnect. Eventually, Semantic Web technologies could help people unlock the value of much of that information they've contributed to the user-generated Web. "People are going to ask what happened to the data they put into these Web sites, and they will want it back," says Berners-Lee.

In the meantime, there are likely to be plenty of uses for Semantic Web technologies, especially for corporations struggling to get at information buried in disconnected data storehouses. "When you apply these concepts inside the enterprise, you realize you have a tremendous amount of information that you didn't know you had," says Eric Miller, president of consulting firm Zepheira.

Increased Database Flexibility

Yahoo! (YHOO) hopes to translate the technology into better products for customers. Over time, Yahoo's divisions have developed independently, resulting in information being stored in places that are disconnected from the rest of the company. "We want to be able to connect information in different properties," says Dave Beckett, engineer technical lead for Yahoo! Media Group.

So the group created a new system that uses some Semantic Web capabilities, making it easier to share and reuse content among various properties such as news, sports, or finance. The company is hoping the investment will eventually translate into a better overall experience, making it easier for visitors to discover related content.

Often, information systems simply aren't flexible enough to handle change within a company. Databases can become obsolete in 18 months because they are not flexible enough to accommodate new information. But the Semantic Web can specify new relationships while letting companies keep older databases.

Tracking Financial Trends

Before NASA held the contest that gave the Mars rover, Spirit, its name, the vehicle was known as Mars Exploration Rover A. It continued to be called that in various NASA systems even after the name change. But thanks to Semantic Web technologies, NASA could simply note the relationship between the old and new names, and scientists could find relevant information about Spirit whichever name they used, says Dave McComb, president of consulting firm Semantic Arts.

Companies can also use Semantic Web technologies to better respond to rapid change. Financial analysts and traders at Citigroup are inundated with information about fast-moving financial markets. So the banking powerhouse is looking at ways Semantic Web technologies can help extract valuable information, uncover trends, and generally help financial analysts, bankers, and traders make better decisions, says Rachel Yager, vice-president and program director of the semantic initiative at Citigroup.

In some cases, making heads or tails of a new situation can be a matter of life and death. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston worked with Oracle and consulting firm TopQuadrant to create a system that relies on Semantic Web technologies for large-scale public health surveillance. While the original goal of the system was to detect possible bio-terrorism, it was put to the test after Hurricane Katrina to track health-related information on evacuees who were moved into Houston's Astrodome.

Security Risks

Scientists used the system to identify outbreaks of illness before they could reach the citys population. "If there was a severe infectious disease in the shelter, it would spread via volunteers," says Parsa Mirhaji, director of The Center for Biosecurity & Public Health Informatics Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

In eight hours, Mirhaji's team was able to bring up a completely new system, collect information from new sources, and classify patient information. The team quickly detected outbreaks of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. "The greatest benefit was being able to understand the fast pace of events and where things were heading before it became a real issue," Mirhaji says.

Of course, making it easier to comb through online data carries security implications. Semantic Web tools could make it easier for prying eyes to get at personal information.

"There can be a great loss of privacy if you don't do it right," says Dan Gruhl, a researcher at IBM Almaden Research Center, which has a whole group that focuses on privacy. A British company called Garlik is using Semantic Web technologies to help individuals monitor their personal information online and guard against identity theft.

While companies will surely encounter questions about security down the line, the main issue now for many companies is making sure Semantic Web tools work as intended. Says Patrick Hartman, a team leader in Eli Lilly's information technology department: "There aren't a lot of people we can turn to with experience. We're figuring this out on our own."

King is a writer for BusinessWeek.com in San Francisco.