[agents] Extended Deadline July 7th: CFP SEMELS'08

[Babak Esfandiari]

(with apologies for possible multiple submissions)

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C A L L  F O R  P A P E R S
========================================================================

International Workshop On
Semantic Extensions to Middleware: Enabling Large Scale Knowledge  
Applications
(SEMELS '08)

http://www.cs.rmit.edu.au/fedconf/index.html?page=semels2008cfp

At the OnTheMove (OTM) Federated Conferences and Workshops
http://www.cs.rmit.edu.au/fedconf/

November 9 - 14, 2008, Monterrey, Mexico

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WORKSHOP INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES
====================================
In large scale systems, data and program heterogeneity have been a  
classical
problem, to which semantic technologies are often presented as a  
solution. The
classical solution to non-semantic integration has been middleware  
systems,
which provide functionality for data and process mediation,  
coordination and
composition. As semantics become more of a part of the underlying  
data and
process layers of large scale systems, extensions are also required  
in the
middleware layer to not only support knowledge mediation and  
coordination but
to provide new functionalities not previously possible due to the  
introduction
of machine processability of the data and processes being integrated  
at the
middleware.

As knowledge is becoming more and more ubiquitous in the Internet, we  
expect
millions, even billions of knowledge and service providers and  
consumers to
interact, integrate and coordinate on the emerging, open Semantic Web  
just as
today millions of clients exchange data and perform work over the  
existing Web
infrastructure. This produces the need for scalable and dynamic  
systems that
support collaborative work with distributed and heterogeneous knowledge.

With this workshop we address the need to extend existing middleware  
layers
with semantic technologies to support future knowledge-centred  
information
systems and their Web-based collaboration with other systems,  
abstracted from
data and process models. Such semantically extended middleware can be  
applied
in any context which involves large scale knowledge-based  
collaboration, such
as in the biomedical and life sciences field or emergency planning,  
as well as
facilitate new forms of intelligent Web-scale coordination of  
processes (a step
towards the Service Web) which are currently not envisioned precisely  
because
such a semantically-capable middleware layer is not existent.

We plan to dedicate one session to the application of semantic  
extensions of
middleware to life science, healthcare or emergency management  
applications. In
these application areas the use of semantic technologies shows some  
of the most
advanced progress. Researchers in these domains deal with large scale  
data
integration and service cooperation on all levels and stages of their  
work.
This more application-driven view on the requirements and solutions  
to semantic
middleware approaches allows for advanced insights in the work of  
related
fields. This is an important issue on the way towards semantic  
extensions to
middleware for large and complex networked knowledge systems.

TOPICS AND APPLICATIONS
=======================
We welcome original academia and industry papers or project  
descriptions that
propose innovative approaches to extend middleware systems to support
semantically-expressed data and processes.

The topics of interest of this workshop include but are not limited to:
* Extensions of existing middleware such as Web services, Grid systems,
   tuplespaces, message oriented middleware etc. with semantic  
technologies
* Development and engineering of semantic extensions to middleware
* Ontologies and metadata schemes for use with semantic extensions to  
capture
   aspects of middleware layer functionality
* Reasoning approaches to efficiently support the functionality of  
semantic
   extensions
* Scalable solutions to support large scale mediation, collaboration and
   coordination of heterogeneous data and processes
* Practical experiences in using semantic extensions of middleware to  
realize
   large scale knowledge systems
* Studies on the potential uptake of semantic extensions to current  
middleware
   and backwards compatibility
* Semantic middleware solutions for life science, healthcare and  
emergency
   management
* Experience reports on semantic approaches to large scale life science,
   healthcare and emergency management applications

IMPORTANT DATES
===============
Abstract Submission Deadline    July 7, 2008 (new deadline)
Paper Submission Deadline       July 7, 2008 (new deadline)
Acceptance Notification         August 15, 2008
Camera Ready Due                August 25, 2008
Registration Due                August 25, 2008
OTM Conferences                 November 9 - 14, 2008

SUBMISSION AND PROCEEDINGS
==========================
All submitted papers will be carefully evaluated based on originality,
significance, technical soundness, and clarity of expression. All  
submissions
must be in English. Submissions should be in PDF format and must not  
exceed 10
pages in the final camera-ready format. Detailed formatting  
instructions can be
found at:
     http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html

The final proceedings will be published by Springer Verlag as LNCS.  
Failure to
commit to presentation at the conference automatically excludes a  
paper from
the proceedings.

Papers submitted to SEMELS’08 must not have been accepted for  
publication
elsewhere or be under review for another workshop or conference.  
Failure to
comply with the formatting instructions for submitted papers will  
lead to the
outright rejection of the paper without review.

The paper submission site is located at:
     http://www.cs.rmit.edu.au/fedconf/semels/2008/papers/

ORGANIZERS
==========
Elena Simperl, Semantic Technology Institute, University of  
Innsbruck, Austria
Reto Krummenacher, Semantic Technology Institute, University of  
Innsbruck, Austria
Lyndon Nixon, Dept. Computer Science, Free University Berlin, Germany
Emanuele Della Valle, CEFRIEL - Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Ronaldo Menezes, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA

CONTACT
=======
Reto Krummenacher
University of Innsbruck (Semantic Technology Institute)
Technikerstr. 21a,
6020 Innsbruck, Austria
E reto.krummenacher at sti-innsbruck.at
T +43 512 507 6452
F +43 512 507 9872