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Research Areas
Proposed Solution
Introduction
To meet the objectives outlined in The Freedmen's Bureau Records Preservation
Act of 2000, we propose to create AKADS, an online Web-based information
resource that will not only store/preserve the digitized images of these
records, but also offer a variety of search and retrieval services over
the Web. We propose to employ the cutting edge technology of the Semantic
Web and XML to give historians, genealogists and students the ability
to:
Search these images using a "smart" search engine
that employs modern artificial intelligence methods that takes into consideration
the semantic content or "meaning" to the data contained in
the records.
Retrieve the images and related information about these images
in a variety of ways.
Annotate these records with their particular interpretation and
perspective, thus adding new information about these records to the repository
Perform a number of functions including genealogical search (tracing
a family tree) and name/date/place matching to relate disparate facts
about individuals and families
Provide a Web portal to other related sites and resources
The content of the digital objects returned to the AKADS user is a significant
factor in the success of AKADS. However, what may seem the most obvious
aspect of a Web-based information portal may not always be the determining
factor for its success. Rather, a Web site's visual layout, intuitive
navigation, appealing aesthetic designs/images, truly captures the end-user's
attention to Web site's focus, both in functionality and in personal
and societal significance. With all these operational aspects of a Web
site in play, it is ultimately, the creative artist/developer together
with the extensive collaborative and supportive efforts of various technical,
research teams, which make them a reality.
AKADS Architecture
AKADS will comprise three logically distributed components, each performing
a key function on the operation of the system. Figure 2 below illustrates
the System Architecture for AKADS.
Figure 2: Advanced Knowledge Acquisition and Dissemination System architecture
System Components
The Knowledge Acquisition component will interface with knowledge engineers,
information architects, and library scientist through a set of Web-based
tools. These tools will interface with this group of domain experts to
encode and transcribe the knowledge about the historical artifacts (initially,
the Freedmen's Bureau records). This knowledge will be represented
using ontologies (vocabularies) and representation formalisms like DARPAs
DAML and Resource Definition Framework (RDF). The knowledge will be preserved
in the knowledge base of AKADS. The AKADS Knowledge Dissemination component
will be comprised of intelligent agents that will receive information
queries entered by users and then infer the appropriate retrieval from
the AKADS knowledge base. On receipt of a user query, the knowledge Representation/
Preservation component will respond with the appropriate digital objects
from the AKADS knowledge base.
The "Smart" Search Engine
This system component will allow user's to conduct research in a more
comprehensive manner than is currently afforded by today's traditional
search engines. Search criteria can be either entered directly into the
interface via selection for drop down selection list or the criteria can
be entered as the key word search. The smart aspect of this new search
method will "infer" auxiliary searches that may be related
to the users indicated criteria. An inference engine will be designed
and developed building on previous research.
User Tools
These tools will be a hybrid set of specially developed and modified versions
of existing knowledge acquisition tools. Tools under examination include
Protégé 2000, RDFPic, Janus and SMORES in collaboration
with the University of Maryland and a number of tools developed at Howard
University, College of Engineering Architecture and Computer Science.
One ontology creation tool is illustrated in Figure 3:
Figure 3: Experimental knowledge acquisition tools
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