Abstract. We see the local content from peers organized in directories (i.e., on local ordered lists) of local representations of entities from the real world (e.g., persons, locations, events). Different local representations can give different “versions” of the same real world entity and use different names to refer to it. (e.g., George Lombardi, Lombardi G., Prof. Lombardi, Dad). Although the data from these directories are related and could complement each other, there are no links that allow peers to share and search across them. We propose a Distributed Directory System that constructs these connecting links and allows peers to: (i) maintain their data locally and (ii) find the different versions of a real world entity based on any name used in the network. We evaluate the approach in networks of different sizes using PlanetLab and we show that the results are promising in terms of the scalability.

Keywords: Name-Based Entity Search, P2P, Entity Directory

Citation: F. Giunchiglia and A. Hume. A Distributed Directory System. In 9th Int. Workshop on Scalable Semantic Web Knowledge Base Systems (SSWS) @ISWC2013.

Download: http://bit.ly/268OEeY

Executive Summary. This report first situates and outlines the potential of social computation to provide the basis for Social Collective Intelligence (SCI) in future systems. This involves the close interaction of social groups and machines together with systems of incentives and social structures to perform tasks that would otherwise be difficult to achieve either using entirely human or entirely machine solutions. The deliverable considers the challenges both from a technical and from a social science standpoint, identifying the potential for aligning them in order to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on the development of SCI systems. The paper then describes some of the challenges in developing an engineering approach to the development of such systems. Finally the paper outlines some of the “big questions” that arise from the framework for SCI research developed in the white paper.

Citation: Robertson, D., Anderson, S., Carreras, I., Miorandi, D., “D2.1 White Paper on Research Challenges in Social Collective Intelligence WP2 – Research Challenges and Strategic Analysis”, Social-IST (2013).

Download: http://bit.ly/1qzcWOx

Executive Summary. This document includes the outcomes of the activities carried out by the Social-IST Consortium on the identification and analysis of the application areas for which R&D&I initiatives on Social Collective Intelligence (SCI) can have a major impact. This serves as the basis for defining a set of recommendations and a possible roadmap to be taken into consideration when drafting future FET initiatives in the field of Social Collective Intelligence.

In a preliminary phase the Consortium identified, through desktop search, six relevant application areas for SCI, namely the Future of Work, the Future of Learning, Mobility and Transport in Cities of the Future, Healthcare and Well Being, Smart Energy and the Future of Science and Innovation. These areas have been analysed and discussed in details, in particular by means of (i) the two workshops held with the Social-IST Scientific Panel experts (ii) a Web survey open to the research community at large (iii) the final project event held in Oct. 2013. For each area, a number of scenarios were elaborated, leading to the identification of impacts on science, technology and society and of emerging research challenges.

The results of this analysis have been used for defining a roadmap for future EU initiatives in the field of SCI. This included (i) a proposal in terms of research methodology for running SCI projects and initiatives, (ii) a taxonomy of the most relevant research communities (iii) a mapping to the Horizon2020 Work programme and related calls.

This document is expected to provide some key insights on how to potentially exploit a Social Collective Intelligence approach in future calls and EU initiatives.

Citation: Carreras, I., Anderson, S., Robertson, D., Miorandi, D., “D3.1 Roadmap for FET Initiatives in Social Collective Intelligence, WP3 – High Impact Application Areas and Roadmapping”, Social-IST (2013).

Download: http://bit.ly/1p8Tmb1

Abstract. We introduce the concept of Hybrid Diversity – Aware Collective Adaptive Systems (HDA-CAS) and their proposed role in addressing social problems associated with urban living, health, and financial markets. Our concern is for their responsible development and deployment, and to this end, we suggest perspectives on the governance of social machines and a framework from which to design governance regimes for HDACAS.

Keywords: governance, ethical governance, social machines, collective adaptive systems.

doi: http://www.computer.org/csdl/proceedings/cgc/2013/5114/00/5114a426-abs.html

Citation: Hartswood, M., Grimpe, B., and Jirotka, M., “Towards Ethical Governance of Social Machines,” cgc, pp.426-427, 2013 International Conference on Cloud and Green Computing, 2013.

Download: http://bit.ly/1S3bbns

Abstract. Despite their success in general applications, social networks also present a series of challenges like attracting user signups, keeping a healthy contribution level, user privacy concerns, etc. This paper introduces the Social Core – a social network engine that adds semantic-based functionalities like semantic annotations, semantic search and semantic-enhanced access control; as a way to enhance and answer to the current challenges of social applications. The Social Core was integrated as part of the SmartCampus mobile platform, which is currently being live tested by around one hundred students.

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-642-41242-4_50

Citation: F. Giunchiglia., I. Zaihrayeu, R. Chenu-Abente (2013). A semantic-enabled engine for mobile social networks. Poster presentation at ESWC 2013 Workshop paper presentation at co-located SWCS 2013. Montpellier (FR).

Download: http://bit.ly/1SeVdDz

Abstract. The physical space is populated with sense, which is gathered, manipulated and reinvented during its interpretation. Here is proposed a provisional list on how sense  imbricates places and some possible ways of making use of it for design purposes can be argued. Memory, emotions, reflexivity, sociality, and bewildering therefore become  qualities that can be explored in the physical space from HCI.

Author Keywords: Sense making, physical space, spatial reasoning, memory, emotions, reflexivity, sociality, bewildering.

ACM Classification Keywords: Design, Human Factors, Theory.

http://studiolab.ide.tudelft.nl/studiolab/sxdchi13/

Citation: S. Torsi (2013). Building Sense in the Infosphere. In Giaccardi, E.,Ciolfi, L., Hornecker, E., Speed, C., Bardzell, S. (2013) CHI 2013 Workshop “Exploration in Social Interaction Design”. Paris (FR), 28th. April 2013.

Download: http://bit.ly/1MBj7vW

Abstract. The construct of notification in motion is here presented providing a picture of the complex, dynamic, emerging relationships occurring between the individual and the environment. In order to approach the design problem of information load, Peripheral Awareness has been described and contextualized in a theoretical framework. Some methodological approaches and examples related to this paradigm are then presented. Design guidelines for notification in motion are described. The overall picture that should emerge would be an ecological paradigm of human behavior, which could be taken in consideration while designing for notification in motion.

Keywords: Design Theory, Ecological Psychology, Peripheral Awareness, Notification in Motion.

Citation: Torsi, S. Notification in Motion. Theoretical Frameworks and Design Guidelines. JMMT: Journal of Man, Machine and Tecnology (ISSN: 2234-1625)

Download: http://bit.ly/1MBjaIn

Abstract. We see the local content from peers organized in directories (i.e., on local ordered lists) containing local representations of entities from the real world (e.g., persons, locations, events). Different local representations can give different “versions” of the same real world entity and use different names to refer to it (e.g., Fausto Giunchiglia, Giunchiglia F., Prof. Giunchiglia). Although the names used in these directories connect data that could complement each other, there are no links that allow peers to share and search across them. We propose a Distributed Directory of Entities that makes explicit these connecting links and allows peers to: (i) maintain their data locally and (ii) find the different versions of a real world entity based on any name used in the network. The model we present exploits the name as the central (multi-value) attribute of entities and aims to convince readers of the importance of such names in a peer-to-peer scenario.

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-642-41242-4_47

Citation: F. Giunchiglia., A. Hume. (2013). A Distributed-entity Directory. Poster presentation at ESWC 2013 Workshop paper presentation at co-located SWCS 2013. Montpellier (FR).

Download: http://bit.ly/268OEeY

Abstract. The physical and virtual dimensions of life are becoming more and more deeply interwoven. Society is merging with technology, giving rise to a global socio-technical ecosystem. In a society comprising people and machines as actors we often see people-to-people interactions mediated by machine and machine-to-machine interaction mediated by people. The speed and scale of this change and the differences in culture, language and interests make the problem of establishing effective means of communication and coordination increasingly challenging. Our vision, embodied in the SmartSociety project1, is that a new generation of systems, hybrid (i.e., including humans and artificial peers, as well as social groups), distributed, open and large-scale, is needed to tackle these issues. In such systems, multitudes of heterogeneous peers will produce and handle massive amounts of data; peers will join/leave the system following unpredictable patterns with no central coordination and will interoperate at different spatial and temporal scales. Aware of the ethical issues, and by identifying the right incentive schemes and privacy levels, these systems will assist individuals and collectives in their everyday activities, coping with the diversity of the world and working in the presence of incomplete and incorrect information.

http://eprints.biblio.unitn.it/4214/

Citation: F. Giunchiglia, V. Maltese, S. Anderson, D. Miorandi (2013). Towards Hybrid and Diversity-Aware Collective Adaptive Systems. First FOCAS Workshop on Fundamentals of Collective Systems @ECAL 2013.

Download: http://bit.ly/1STlQ0l

From the FoCAS Inter-project meeting, Barcelona, June 2013.

Stuart Anderson is Deputy Head of School of Informatics at The University of Edinburgh and a member of the SmartSociety project. His research is in the area of safety, trust and the dependability of socio-technical systems. Current projects are looking at supporting training activities in radiology, the role of trust in health settings and joint work with the World Health Organisation on disease control systems.

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Original post here.

Summer 2013