Global Graph

Universities and Colleges in the Giant Global Graph
Led by Adam Cooper

The idea of the Giant Global Graph is an extension of the document-centred reality of the World Wide Web; it encompasses the idea that data is linked rather than just its presentation. The building block for the graph is Linked Data, a digestible incarnation of the Semantic Web and it really seems to be gaining momentum (http://blogs.cetis.ac.uk/adam/2009/06/25/objects-in-this-mirror-are-closer-than-they-appear-linked-data-and-the-web-of-concepts/).

This session will start with a short introduction presentation with some examples of Linked Data in practical use before breaking into smaller discussion groups to look, from the global perspective, at where our institutions fit in. They will consider:
 * what information is available but locked up in documents or web pages (e.g. National Student Survey raw data)
 * what information is locked up in university, college and other sector agency databases that could be exposed (e.g. anonymised library borrowing data)
 * what new opportunities or knowledge arise from making this data available and joining it up

Both teaching and learning and other activities that form part of the educational system will be in scope.

We will aim to create:
 * our own conceptualisation of the Linked Data Cloud (http://www4.wiwiss.fu-berlin.de/bizer/pub/lod-datasets_2009-03-05.html)
 * a list of holders of key data sources for CETIS/JISC to work with to make these sources open and linkable, and
 * a set of flagship scenarios to motivate progress.

This session will dovetail with University API http://wiki.cetis.ac.uk/University_API.