This seminar is about a UNB course in Semantic Web and AI
Knowledge Representation, Declarative Programming, and
corresponding Semantic Web Services, also usable for online
learning (the speaker will try to answer emailed questions):
[http://www.cs.unb.ca/~boley/FLP]
[http://www.cs.unb.ca/~boley/FLP/cs6905FLP.ppt]
[http://www.springer.com/computer/artificial/book/978-3-540-66644-8]
Programming here is writing executable problem specifications,
leaving their solution to Functional-Logic Engines
(e.g., to the Relfun Interpreter used in this course).
Functional Programming (as in Pure Python Scripting) and
Logic Programming (as in Business Rule Specification)
are the most well-known styles of Declarative Programming.
Students will learn to think in both styles and discover
various combinations and extensions.
Once these Declarative Foundations are understood, students
will be able to learn and design new Declarative Languages.
In a hands-on training part, some of the examples discussed
will be demoed using our online Functional-Logic Engine:
http://www.dfki.uni-kl.de/~vega/relfun-cgi/cgi-bin/rfi.cgi
Students are asked to install the Engine from the Download Page:
http://www.dfki.uni-kl.de/~vega/relfun+/rfm-release
[http://www.dfki.uni-kl.de/~vega/relfun+/rfm-release/INSTALL.txt]
[http://www.dfki.uni-kl.de/~vega/relfun+/rfm-release/commands.txt]
This can always help them in their dynamic understanding
of such Executable Specifications, copying and modifying
examples from the ppt slides (possibly 'looking into' the
step-by-step computations via the trace or spy commands).
The course projects will bring students in contact with
current Declarative Web research topics at NRC and W3C.
Students can also propose their own projects, formalising
a piece of knowledge they are currently interested in:
http://www.cs.unb.ca/~boley/FLP/projects.html
The Serialisation of Functional-Logic Programs can be done
in the XML-based RuleML: http://www.ruleml.org/fun
[http://www.ruleml.org/talks/RuleML-Family-PPSWR06-talk-up.ppt]
Functional-Logic Programming concepts have also found their
way into W3C's Rule Interchange Format (RIF) Working Group:
http://www.w3.org/2005/rules/wiki/RIF_Working_Group
Biography of Dr. Harold Boley
Dr. Harold Boley is Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of
Computer Science, University of New Brunswick, Canada, and leader
of the Semantic Web Laboratory at NRC IIT, Fredericton.
Harold Boley developed the Relational-Functional Markup Language
before starting and co-leading the Rule Markup Initiative.
He co-designed the Semantic Web Rule Language, which combines
the W3C-recommended Web Ontology Language OWL and RuleML.
He led the design of a First-Order Logic Web language and
contributed to the design of the Semantic Web Services Language.
He is co-editor of the W3C Rule Interchange Format.
His focus is on Semantic Web knowledge representation combining
ontologies and rules. He is currently exploring this for
person/organization-centric profiles supporting FOAF-extending
social networking and expert finding, as implemented, e.g., with
RuleML FOAF in FindXpRT and Rule Responder.
