LIMES will be presented at the IKS workshop in Paris on July 6th. The upcoming version of LIMES (version 0.5) is up to 6 orders of magnitude faster than state-of-the-art software and offers tons of new functionality. More info here. The beta can be tested at http://limes.aksw.org. Stay tuned for more.
Letzten Donnerstag veranstaltete das AKSW-Team erneut mit großem Erfolg den 3. Leipziger Semantic Web Tag auf dem Mediencampus in Leipzig. Der LSWT 2011, der wieder über 100 Besucher aus Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Verwaltung anzog, bot vielfältige und praxisnahe Einblicke in das diesjährige Veranstaltungsthema „Linked Data für die Massen“. In zahlreichen Vorträgen konnten sich sowohl Fachleute als auch ein allgemein interessiertes Publikum mit den jüngsten technologischen Entwicklungen im Semantic Web auseinandersetzen sowie das breite Anwendungsspektrum von Linked Data kennen lernen.
Auch in den Tags zuvor organisierten Workshops, die sich wie in den letzten Jahren vor allem an Anfänger und Quereinsteiger im Semantic Web Bereich richteten, wurden technische Grundlagen und Einsatzmöglichkeiten des semantischen Webs vermittelt. Am Abend gab es dann im nahegelegenen Biergarten für die Teilnehmer die Gelegenheit zum weiteren Austausch in kleiner Runde.
Besondere Höhepunkte des LSWT 2011 waren die Keynote-Vorträge zweier führender Linked Data Experten aus Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft. Prof. Martin Hepp von der Bundeswehruniversität München führte die Umsetzung eines intelligent verknüpften Datenwebs anhand seiner eigens entwickelten und sehr erfolgreichen Technologie GoodRelations vor. Der Österreicher Andreas Blumauer und Geschäftsführer der Semantic Web Company in Wien zeigte in spannenden und alltagstauglichen Beispielen Funktionen und Nutzen von Linked Data für Unternehmen auf.
In den Pausen luden Aussteller aus Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz zum Erfahrungsaustausch ein. Die Gelegenheit, mit Firmen der Semantic Web Branche ins Gespräch zu kommen und den Einsatz von Linked Data in der Praxis kennen zu lernen, wurde mit großem Enthusiasmus wahrgenommen. Am Abend fanden sich dann noch rund 40 Gäste zu einem leckeren Dinner und zu persönlichen (Fach-) Gesprächen im Mueckenschlösschen ein.
Weitere Eindrücke vom LSWT hat auch die Journalistin Petra Dahl im Auftrag des BMBFs eingefangen, deren Artikel hier zu finden ist.
Die Präsentationen zu den Vorträgen und Tutorials stehen auf der LSWT 2011 Webseite zur Verfügung.
An dieser Stelle möchten wir auch nochmals besonderen Dank unseren Sponsoren sagen, deren finanzielle Unterstützung den Erfolg der Veranstaltung erst möglich gemacht haben.
OKCon 2011 Conference Site
Although the list of keynote speakers and presentations is not set in granite yet, it is crystallizing and the names are already carved on a wooden tablet. We are so exited that we just had to give a sneak preview of this amazing list (alphabetically):
Please note that submission is still open until May 1st. You can either submit a presentation or workshop proposal or submit a (5-10 page) paper to the Academic Track. Details can be found on the Call for Participation page.
Hope to see you all on 30th June & 1st July, 2011 in Berlin
Like in the past two years, we again organize a Leipzig Semantic Web Day on May 5th at the marvelous Mediencampus Villa Ida. This year’s theme is “Linked Data for the Masses”, particularly focusing on its use in enterprises. This event will not only give you the opportunity to discuss current developments around semantic web technologies, but also to get in touch with companies from the German-speaking world. LSWT2011 will have two distinguished keynote speakers: Martin Hepp will share his vision and recent developments around the GoodRelations ecommerce vocabulary with us. The second keynoter Andreas Blumauer from the Semantic Web Company in Vienna will show us how Linked Data can facilitate clean energy.
On the pre-conference day May 4th we will have two tutorials – an introduction to the Semantic Data Web and another one on the GoodRelations ecommerce vocabulary. Also, on May 4th SoLoMo the Local Media Conference takes place at the Mediencampus, discussing developments around Groupon, Foursquare, Qype, MyHeimat and other local-oriented media.
You can find more information about LSWT at: http://aksw.org/LSWT.
We thank the following LSWT sponsors for their support:
On the 3rd of April 2011, a beautiful sunny day in Saxony, the AKSW members decided to visit the beautiful Sächsische Schweiz along with their respective children and spouses ! In all, we were 14 adults plus 7 kids, out of which 3 were in prams (Strollers or Kinderwagons). We decided to explore the peak “Rauensteine”, which (from reviews) seemed to be the best option for us since it was ‘recommended’ to be a suitable trek for children ! Besides, it was only 6km long and offered multiple spots where we could catch a panoramic view of the breathtaking scenery around us.
At 7:30am, a few of us gathered at the Leipzig Hbf and bought the Sachsen-Ticket, which is reasonably priced and allows five people to travel in one ticket by the Regional Express. A few others joined at Engelsdorf, while the rest joined us directly at Dresden Hbf. From Dresden Hbf, we hurried to catch our next train, the S-Bahn, which would take us to Stadt Wehlen, where we would start treking from. At 10:31, our train reached Stadt Wehlen and thats where the adventure began!
The beginning of the route was a steep and rocky surface which made it difficult for the prams to be dragged along. However, we slowly made our way up while the kids in the pram enjoyed the “bumpy” ride 
. The sunny weather did add to the adventure but it was more than welcome after a very cold winter. Within an hour we reached our first picnic spot – a rocky plateau in front of the first staircase. We were rewarded for our hard-work by a beautiful view of not only the Bastei on one side but also the fortress Königstein on the other. Everyone rested for a while, shared some snacks and some of us even lay down in the shade for a bit.
And we sure did need that bit of rest because the next part of our trek was even more challenging ! We not only had to make ourselves through the most narrowest of crevices and wobbly staircases, but also had to carry the prams along, which therefore had to be actually picked up rather than being dragged along. Since it was wise not to keep the babies in the pram, two of the babies, Nika and Sophia, found themselves sitting on the shoulders of one of their parent while the youngest, Mathilda, was strapped up with her mother. Two of the prams were even dismantled so that it would be easier to carried by one person.
Slowly but steadily the parents, the children, the prams (carried by two people) and the rest of us made ourselves up and down the dangerously constructed staircases, the small pathways through two boulders of rocks and sometimes along man-made bridges to pass along, what would be a very high fall ! The adventure ended as we reached a restaurant called “Bergrestaurant Fels Rauenstein”, where all of us enjoyed the comfort of the shade and some awesome ice-cream and pancakes. The rest of the trek seemed to be easier as we were mainly descending and the surface seemed to be rather smooth. We made a final stop at a vast green meadow which faced the Bastei, for a quick food, water and rest break. Thereafter, we slowly made our way down to the train stop. Since we had some time before the train would arrive, we went to the River Elbe where some of us, including the kids, dipped our feet into the extremely cold water !
The journey back home was fun but not as adventurous of course and most of us were tired. But, while only some of us agree it was a difficult trek, we all think it was a great adventure and totally worth visiting – but maybe not with prams .
