Managing knowledge is crucial in our economy. We derive requirements on personal knowledge management (finding, reminding, collaboration, knowledge re-use and cognitively adequate interfaces) from cognitive psychological research and analyse the limitations of current solutions. We introduce a restful, wiki-based, open architecture for semantic personal knowledge management that fulfills the analysed requirements to a high extent and gives the user a uniform way to work with knowledge on all layers (syntax, structure, formal semantics). We discuss architectural considerations and describe two implementations.

Abstract. The increasingly huge volume of personal information stored in a desktop computer is characterized by disparate models, unstructured contents, and implicit knowledge. Aiming at a semantic rich environment, a number of Semantic Desktop frameworks have been proposed, concentrating on different aspects, including organization, manipulation, and visualization of the data. In this paper, we propose a layered and semantic ontology-based framework for personal information management, and we discuss its annotations, associations, and navigation. We also discuss query processing in two cases: query rewriting in a single personal information application, PIA, and that between two PIAs. 1

To design an infrastructure for knowledge communities, we need both technical expertise and an understanding of human and social aspects of communities. Technologies for implementing such infrastructures are often available. However, there is no clear, proven procedure for building successful communities. In this paper, we review research literature concerning user practices and social aspects of information and knowledge management. Based on this review, we propose preliminary design criteria for Semantic Desktop systems.

Ontologies offer a flexible and expressive layer of abstraction, very useful for capturing the semantics of information repositories and facilitating their retrieval either by the user or by the system to support user tasks. This work presents an ontology-based user profiler, in the context of a Personal Interaction Management System (PIMS). The profiler, based on an ontology of the users’ domain, enables them to create their personal ontology by initially choosing one of the available template ontologies as a starting point, which they subsequently populate and customize. The profiler employs a web interface which allows users to populate their personal ontology through forms, hiding ontology complexities and peculiarities. Forms are dynamically generated through ontology views, which are specified by ontology designers. Author Keywords User profile, ontology, web-based profiler.

Abstract. Semantic Desktop systems appear to be a promising infrastructure for context-aware applications that acquire and make use of user context information in order to provide more efficient interaction between the user and the system. In a systematic analysis, we have analyzed existing Semantic Desktop systems based on a collection of requirements and deduced from it architectural implications for future Semantic Desktop development. 1

With novel centralized information management systems, users benefit from collective data organization. Centralization, however, also imposes privacy and availability constraints. With this work we present SEA, a semantic exchange architecture for distributed information management that employs Peer-to-Peer networking, social information management, and semantic web technologies. SEA addresses privacy and availability by storing data locally while utilizing it globally. The benefits of collective information tagging as offered by prominent centralized services are available through anonymous tag distribution in the Peer-to-Peer network. More fine grained access control allows to share data both publicly with all connected peers and privately within networks of trust. In this paper, we present the initial architecture and early implementation details of the prototype.

desktop tools for enhanced file and email management that are based on the X-COSIM semantic desktop framework. They are implemented as extensions for an email client and file manager, specifically designed to enhance support for the personal information managment tasks of information organization and re-finding. 1.

Abstract. This paper presents the approach followed by the ODESeW framework for the development of ontology-based Web applications. ODESeW eases the creation of this type of applications by allowing the use of the expression language JSTL over ontology components, using a data model that reflects the knowledge representation of common ontology languages and that is implemented with Java Beans. This framework has been used for the development of a number of portals focused on the dissemination and management of R&D collaborative projects.

Recent research in the domain of Personal Information Management has recognized the need for a paradigm shift towards a more activity-oriented system. Ontologies, as semantic networks with a structure not dissimilar to the one used by the human brain for storing long-term knowledge, may be very useful as the basis of such a system. This work proposes the use of spreading activation over ontologies in order to provide to a task-based system and its associated tools with methods to record semantics related to documents and tasks and to support user context inference. Author Keywords Personal ontology, spreading activation, context inference.

Abstract. In this paper we introduce a new semantic desktop system called IRIS, an application framework for enabling users to create a “personal map” across their office-related information objects. Built as part of the CALO Cognitive Assistant project, IRIS represents a step in our quest to construct the kinds of tools that will significantly augment the user’s ability to perform knowledge work. This paper explains our design decisions, progress, and shortcomings. The IRIS project has grown from the past work of others and offers opportunities to augment and otherwise collaborate with other current and future semantic desktop projects. This paper marks our entry into the ongoing conversation about semantic desktops, intelligent knowledge management, and systems for augmenting the performance of human teams. 1