Ontopias Vizigator

1
Ontopias Vizigator

• Pamela GennusaChief Executive Officer,
  Ontopialtpam_at_ontopia.netgt

Now You See It!
An overview of the Ontopia Vizigator, a
graphical browsing environment for topic maps and
a sneak preview of knowledge interchange between
topic maps.
2
Ontopia The Topic Map Company

• Background
• Established April 2000 out of STEP Infotek
• Headquarters in Oslo, Norway
• Partners in 12 countries around the world
• Recognized leaders of the Topic Map community
• Products
• The Ontopia Knowledge SuiteTM
• Consultancy, training, application development

On'topia, 1999.f. Gr. onto- (being) Gr.
topos (place) see -IA.I. An imaginary world
in which knowledge is well organized.II. A
company that provides tools to help you realize
your own Ontopia.
3
Goals of the presentation

• Benefits and overview of Topic Maps
• Overview of Ontopia Knowledge Suite
• Introduction to Vizigator (Part of OKS Release
  2.1)
• Sneak Preview Seamless Knowledge Topic Rapping

4
Who wants to do what?

• Publisher provide master index across
  publications
• More accurate and comprehensive access to
  articles
• Stickier website
• Product manufacturer manage rules for product
  configuration
• Decision support for feature management
• Faster time to market
• Multinational organization support for
  business process definition
• Centralized control of master business processes
• Localized enhancement of master processes in
  regional context
• Educator challenge and stimulate students
  minds
• Dynamic model for children to capture unique
  interpretation of content
• Interface for intuitive access

5
Unique requirements synergistic solutions

• Each set of requirements highly specialized
• Yet each one of these, and many more, can be
  addressed through a common data model topic
  maps
• A knowledge representation formalism to capture
  knowledge and manage semantics
• i.e., a way to manage the meaning of the
  information
• An associative model to mirror the way we think

6
Topic Map A unified information model
Topics
Topics
T
Associations
Associations
A
Occurrences
O
7
Dynamic model brings right information together

• One stop shopping for information
• Eliminate need to migrate or change existing
  applications
• One topic map many views

8
So, why Topic Maps?

• Intuitive navigation mirror the way people
  think
• Unified information model capture information
  and its meaning
• Integrated information across systems merging
  topic maps
• Customized views filtered on metadata
• One rigorous yet flexible model supports range
  of business processes
• ISO Standard (ISO 132502003) intellectual
  effort is preserved, reused, and exploited to the
  full

9
Ontopia Knowledge Suite
Launching OKS 2.1
Scheduled for release December 2004, OKS 2.1
adds visual navigation and other tools for
integrators.
10
OKS Topic map tool for integrators

• End User Building your own application
• System Integrators/VARS Creating custom
  solutions for customers
• OEM Adding new capabilities to your software
  products

11
OKS Functional Overview
12
OKS in use

• CUSTOM EMBEDDED APPLICATIONS
• OEM (CMS, PDM, BMP, etc.)

• CUSTOM UI APPLICATIONS
• Portals
• Business Process Mgmt
• Product Configuration
• Information Integration
• etc.

USER INTERFACE TOOLKIT
TOPIC MAP ENGINE
13
Omnigator Generic Topic Map Browser
http
Omnigator
topicmap
Ontopia TopicMap Engine
J2EE Web Servere.g. Tomcat
ltHTMLgtpages
client
server
Omnigator Demo ?
14
Lets Get Vizigating
Vizigator Overview
Getting an eyeful of Topic Maps.
15
Why Graphic Visualization

• Overview intuitive and instant summary, but not
  rigorous
• Perspective GPS facility look ahead vs single
  topic view
• Relationships patterns in data structure as a
  whole beyond node
• Granularity dynamic change in level of detail
  shown
• Discovery intuitive way to understand/navigate
  unfamiliar domain
• Interaction feel of being inside the model not
  predefined

16
Introducing Vizigator

• 3 ways to Vizigate
• VizDesktop designers toolStandalone
  environment for designing visualization
  configuration
• VizLet reusable applet componentUsing a
  predefined configuration, can be embedded within
  other web applications
• VizPlugin Omnigator plug-in Based on VizLet,
  to visualize a topic within Omnigator
• Based on TouchGraph
• Graph-based user interface
• Open source environment maintained as Sourceforge
  project

17
VizPlugin
Overview and Demo
Vizigating topics within Omnigator.
18
Vizigation via VizPlugin and VizLet

• Topic View
• Topic of focus
• Locality Factor
• Number of nodes jumps visible from the topic of
  focus
• Topics and their types
• Associations and their types
• Links back to text-based viewing

19
VizDesktop
Overview and Demo
Configuring Vizigator to Vizigate your way.
20
Standalone Vizigator VizDesktop

• Vizigating as you know it - PLUS
• Map View
• The whole topic map
• Topic View
• Start node
• Current topic
• Configuring Vizigator
• Topics and associations
• Shape
• Color
• Font
• Multiple configurations for any topic map
• Save and use with VizLet and VizPlugin

21
Vizigating Conclusions

• Alternative overview of underlying information
  structure
• New method for exploration and discovery of the
  subject domain
• Lets you get a hold of the topics you want to
  explore
• Complements text-based viewing of the subject
  domain

22
Topic Maps the data model that keeps on giving

• Topic Map data model is accessible by both
  machines and humans
• Machines can easily present the model via diverse
  interfaces (text, graphic visualization)
• Humans can use interfaces to the data model to
  navigate and discover more information
• Model also supports machine-automated navigation
  and discovery, such as interrogation of other
  topic maps (intranet or web)
• The machine can make such discoveries due to the
  fact that topic maps model the meaning of the
  information.
• So, we use the topic map to drive a visual
  interface, we also can use the topic map to drive
  automated information discovery
• Enter ? Seamless Knowledge

23
Seamless Knowledge
Topic Rapping with the OKS
Spontaneous knowledge integration through Topic
Maps and Published Subjects (subject based
knowledge organization and unambiguous
identity model)
24
The Information Silo Problem is Not New

• What is new is the scale of the problem
• Information and knowledge are key enabling
  factors in modern businesses
• Neet to provide intuitive and automated access to
  related knowledge
• Solving the problem requires going beyond
  traditional methods of information management
• Instead of simply managing information, we need
  to start managing the meaning of information
• Only by capturing what information is about, can
  we begin to connect it in ways that are useful to
  the people who need it
• The vision of Seamless Knowledge is about
  applying new semantic technologies to connect
  information and knowledge
• Topic Maps are the foundation for just such a
  technology

25
Why Rapping Topic Map Browsers?

• A Need timely, accurate access to information
• Government related information (need/rights to
  share information)
• Health care (information about diseases,
  medication, etc.)
• Educational environments (research environments)
• Service organization (extend their offerings
  through a partner network)
• Conglomerate (integration of multiple corporate
  portals and intranets)
• A Vision providing Seamless Knowledge
• Easily find related information
• Move seamlessly between information stores
• Do it automatically without the need to
  maintain the links
• A Technology Rapping Topic Map Browsers
• "Visit
• "Get"

26
The Visit Scenario

• Simple scenario
• Insert link between two web applications to
  navigate seamlessly from one to other
• Requires
• subject-based organization
• published subjects
• support for rapping protocol

27
Piece 1 Semantic PortalsSubject-based
organization
28
Genetically modified food at forskning.no
29
Genetically modified food at Forbukerrådet
30
Genetically modified foodstuffs at Matportalen
31
Piece 2 The Identity Mechanism

• Simply put
• How can we know that genetically modified food
  is the same as genetically modified foodstuffs
  (or GM food, or genmodifisert mat, for that
  matter)?
• One thing is certain basing this on names wont
  work
• Synonyms, homonyms and polysemy make names a
  minefield
• In any case we would like multilingual knowledge
  integration
• What is needed is nothing more or less than
  unique, global identifiers for all subjects of
  common interest
• An impossible task?
• Not if we go about it the right way
• In fact, the solution already exists in the form
  of a mechanism developed as part of the Topic
  Maps standard
• That mechanism is called Published Subjects

32
Piece 3 The Rapping Protocol (TMRAP)
Hi! Do you know the subject genetically modified
food?
The actual question wasIs the
subjecthttp//psi.forskning.no/food/gm-foodknown
in your system?
? http//matportalen.no/Matportalen/Emner/gmo
This scenario is Level 1 (Visit) of TMRAP
knowledge integration.
33
Three Topic Maps Portals One Common Subject
? one virtual portal
with seamless navigation in all directions
34
Seamless Knowledge Demo (Scenario 1 VISIT)

• Two Omnigators are running on this machine
• Different browsers (Opera and Internet Explorer)
• Different skins (Ontopia National Colours and
  Vive Québec)
• Different names pepper poivre
• Different TMs (Italian Opera and Various
  Geographical TMs)
• They are aware of each others existence
• Their support for TMRAP is turned on

35
Simulation of GET demo

• View Topic Page for Japan in _at_pepper
• Go to Manage page in _at_poivre and load both
  Scripts and Languages and CIA World Factbook
• Reload Topic Page in _at_pepper
• Links to Remote Topic Pages automatically
  inserted
• Click on GET for each one and see the set of
  information be augmented by the addition of
  names, associations and occurrences from the
  remote topic maps.

36
The Get Scenario

• More complex scenario additionally need to
• Query
• Extract fragments
• Merge fragments
• Leading to
• Increased seamlessness
• Consumer unaware of move to another website

37
Piece 4 Topic Maplets (XTM fragments)
Hi! What do you know about genetically modified
food?
The actual question wasWhat information do
have about http//psi.forskning.no/food/gm-foodi
n your system?
This scenario is Level 2 (Get) of TMRAP knowledge
integration.
38
Simulation of VISIT demo

• View Topic Page for Japan in _at_pepper
• Go to Manage page in _at_poivre and load Scripts and
  Languages
• Reload Topic Page in _at_pepper
• Links to Remote Topic Page automatically inserted
• Click on VISIT and navigate to the Topic Page in
  _at_poivre
• Go to Manage Page, load CIA World Factbook, go
  back to Japan Topic Page in _at_poivre, VISIT
  _at_pepper, note new Remote Topic Link
• etc.

etc.
39
Conclusions

• Topic Maps data model easily and dynamically
  model complex relationships, data, processes,
  rules, etc.
• Metadata, taxonomies, thesauri can be mapped to
  and presented as topic maps today
• Coordinate a variety of XML Vocabularies
• Ontopia Knowledge Suite (OKS) tools for
  developing topic map applications for a wide
  variety of business needs
• Easily integrated with existing environments
• Release 2.1 (December 2004) features Vizigator
  for graphically visualizing topic maps
• Other improvements include
• Improved RDF to Topic Map integration support
  browse RDF and topic maps seamlessly
• Steamlined Frameworks for building browsing and
  editing environments
• Seamless Knowledge
• Technology sneak preview of Rapping topic map
  browsers.
• Exploit the use of topic map fragments to
  generate spontaneous knowledge interchange
  through automated portal connectivity.
• OKS 2.1 major step forward to apply the power
  of topic maps to solve information and knowledge
  management problems