Building a semantic web image repository for biological research images

Zhao, Jun and Klyne, Graham and Shotton, David (2008) Building a semantic web image repository for biological research images. In: The semantic web: research and applications : 5th European Semantic Web Conference, ESWC 2008, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, June 1-5, 2008 Proceedings. Lecture Notes in Computer Science . Springer, Berlin, pp. 154-169. ISBN 9783540682332

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Abstract

Images play a vital role in scientific studies. An image repository would become a costly and meaningless data graveyard without descriptive metadata. We adapted EPrints, a conventional repository software system, to create a biological research image repository for a local research group, in order to publish images with structured metadata with a minimum of development effort. However, in its native installation, this repository cannot easily be linked with information from third parties, and the user interface has limited flexibility. We address these two limitations by providing Semantic Web access to the contents of this image repository, causing the image metadata to become programmatically accessible through a SPARQL endpoint and enabling the images and their metadata to be presented in more flexible faceted browsers, jSpace and Exhibit. We show the feasibility of publishing image metadata on the Semantic Web using existing tools, and examine the inadequacies of the Semantic Web browsers in providing effective user interfaces. We highlight the importance of a loosely coupled software framework that provides a lightweight solution and enables us to switch between alternative components.

Item Type:
Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings
ID Code:
70484
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
21 Aug 2014 13:50
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
16 Jul 2024 03:22