AIMS

AIMS, M2B and AGROVOC as a starting point for SANKOFA - a Semantic Web Knowledge Sharing Collaborative Framework

Did you hear about SANKOFA? It is a Semantic Web Knowledge Sharing Collaborative Framework fostering the networking among the International Network on Appropriate Technology (INAT)* Community of Practice (CoP). INAT promotes Appropriate Technology (AT) to empower poorer people to achieve sustainable development. 
SANKOFA enriches AT knowledge representation through transformation of International Conference on Appropriate Technology (ICAT)** publications to Resource Description Framework (RDF), Linked Data and Semantic Web technology. 

# [PDF] SANKOFA: A Semantic Web Knowledge Sharing Collaborative Framework for ICAT Conferences
presented at the 7th International Conference on Appropriate Technology, November 2016, Zimbabwe.

The paper looks to INAT as CoP that produces AT Body of Knowledge (BOK) through all ICAT conferences. 

SANKOFA : FROM STARTING POINT ...  

To create the SANKOFA Framework a Dublin Core approach similar to that of FAO’s Agriculture Information Management System (AIMS) was taken into consideration, as well as a series of metadata fields was identified to build core semantic representation (following the RDF Meaningful Bibliographic Metadata - M2B of the FAO of the UN) of the ICAT conference. In addition to M2B bibliographic metadata, the methodology of creation of SANKOFA includes also the text mining techniques aiming to help in semantic representation of all ICAT conferences.

The M2B based on Interlinked AT concepts ontology developed through Subject heading, Taxonomies, Topics, Associations, and Occurrences TAO, keywords, authors, and institution network analysis is going to: 

  • ensure the search of connected concepts; 
  • empover systematic collaboration of ontology revision;
  • contribute to the growth AT Knowledge Base;
  • enhace dynamics interaction of concepts with knowledge. Research blogging about peer reviewed papers and consultation within intra CoP enable further experts networking realize Science 2.0.

The SANKOFA Framework is guided by Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) and implemented in current Durpal Content Management Platform that supports current ICAT conference website.

...  TO STRATEGIC VISION

The SANKOFA Framework aims at:

  • improving established interlinked documents with both interlinked open data and concept ontology, thus facilitating information retrieval;
  • fostering network collaboration and
  • enabling systematic growth of ontology related to AT BOK.

The methodology of creation of SANKOFA is disscused in the third section of the paper (#), while the fourth section presents results and future directions.

Last but not least...

In the "Literature Review" section of the paper, the AGROVOC Multilingual agricultural thesaurus is cited in the following context: 

"development of domain knowledge-based ontologies considered to be an intensive collaboration work that involved a large number of domain experts.
One of the most useful research in this area is AGROVOC, a useful example in providing semantic standards to facilitate cooperation and data exchange.
This research focused on technical level which used to index all documents in agriculture research by using linked data approach, AGROVOC success to extract and build over 32,000 concepts available in 23 languages (FAO, 2016)”.

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In case you are interested in getting more information on how AGROVOC (encoded in SKOS) is being considered for the creation of architectural models of semantic interoperability, you may take a look at:

* The community of International Network for Appropriate Technology (INAT) is the best example of Community of Practice (CoP ) and Network that create and disseminate the appropriate technology (AT) Body of Knowledge. 

** International Conference on Appropriate Technology (ICAT) - the flagship of the INAT - promotes the AT movement.

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