Establishing basic infrastructural and methodological background of Semantic Web in the domain of food and agriculture in Hungary"

Transcription

1 Establishing basic infrastructural and methodological background of Semantic Web in the domain of food and agriculture in Hungary" Laszlo Gabor Papocsi and Ferenc Kulcsar GAK SZIE - University of Gödöllő, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary St. Stephen University - Gödöllő Agribusiness Centre - Gödöllő, Hungary - gak@gak.hu Abstract Agro-food ontology in the national language has been recently developed in Hungary by the translation of AGROVOC, using target oriented, online workflow management interface. The integration of semantic web standards and use of ontology is carried out in the course of implementing ongoing projects and developing new programmes. Besides basic semantic functions such as automated indexing, concept search, multilinguality and ranking; development of fingerprint technology and building of specialised ontologies are also envisioned according to the subject area of each project. Keywords: agriculture, semantic web, ontology, AGROVOC, information system, content transformation, CMS ITEM 1 PROJECT: "Introducing the basic infrastructural and methodological background of Semantic Web in the domain of food and agriculture in Hungary", cofinanced by the Ministry for Information and Communication, Ministry of Education RD Secretariat. Project start: 16 th June End of I. phase: 15 th May Phase II. follow up currently under implementation. Main components of the project: Phase I. : Development of agro-food ontology based on the translation of AGROVOC thesaurus maintained by FAO. Use of standard metadata element sets (DC, AgMES) by upgrading of existing information systems was also initiated. 1) Ontology Translation Work Process To facilitate AGROVOC thesaurus translation process, online workflow tool was developed and provided for professional translators, subject experts, administrative persons and the project manager taking part in the process. Detailed and immediate statistics regarding work progress was available during the entire period, that ensured accurate and effective process management. General and specialised online dictionaries, online AGROVOC database and popular web search engine were provided for translators using the web-based tool. Professional translators were requested, and they were able to translate 90+% of the terms themselves, while subject experts translated problematic terms, as well as double checked difficult terms. 1 Innovation Technology for Information Society 1177

2 Proportion of translated and proofed terms available in the Hungarian language at the end of Phase I.: 96,34%. Number and percentage of terms available in other languages: en 27531, 100%; de 25290, 91,86%; fr 24110, 87,57%; cz 27353, 99,35%; es 24284, 88,20%; pt 23702, 86,09% (hu 26526, 96,34%). Final percentage of terms available in Hungarian will be around 99% by the end of 2005 (after refinements). Number of AGROVOC Terms in different languages Number of translated terms Czech English French German Hungarian Portuguese Spanish Languages Phase II.: Development of new application modules, upgrading of existing web services based on results achieved in Phase I. In order to utilise some of the already available semantic functionalities of AGROVOC in Hungarian, the following generic methods and processes are developed, in order to benefit from methodological results in the course of implementing several projects: 2) Basic semantic functions In the framework of GAC IT projects, large proportion of project documents are processed using basic semantic tools and services such as automated indexing, concept based searching, ontology browsing, generating multilingual extract, creating simple fingerprints and ranking. Machine generated document classification system as well as document targeted queries, searches, filtering algorithms based on AGROVOC thesaurus are developed to improve existing services and integrated into new projects. During data processing activity AGROVOC is first used at the document transformation and database input stage. In certain cases well-structured XML files are used instead of less (not-) structured html and txt files - to facilitate better understanding of the document content by AGROVOC thesaurus. 1178

3 Specialised AGROVOC extract is produced from each document, that ranks - evaluates the importance/relevance of - the terms, which constitute both the document and AGROVOC thesaurus. Because of inherent Hungarian grammatical rules, many terms in the Hungarian language text must be processed (pruned) before matchmaking. We are currently in the process of developing our own rules of ranking, depending on project (user) needs. Calculation algorithms are based on the number of repetitions of the term in the text, the hierarchical location of the term within the text structure, the weight of the term in the thesaurus (descriptor/non-descriptor, parent/child), etc. The extracted content is kept in the database together with the document, and made ready for quick access anytime when users may wish to use a more advanced, knowledge based, multilingual document query system. We also provide a simple automated text classification utility in case of projects where the involvement of human indexers is required and their job is facilitated by suggestions for keywords generated by the machine. Collaboration with countries already using AGROVOC in their national languages is under way by the intention of development of common applications (see Point 4.). Description of resources using AgMES (Agricultural Metadata Set, maintained by FAO) is another horizontal strategy applied in every project. 3) Development of ontologies In relation with certain projects it is also our task to prepare complex, structured collection of concepts (ontology), in different topics within the project, that includes the following activities: - Identifying knowledge domains that belong to certain topics, and ontologies that represent the subject of the task. - Selection of necessary resources to be able to fulfil this activity, such as documents and subject specialists. - Investigating, collection and analysis of already available (other) semantic vocabularies in the field of interest of our subject, with the intention of reuse and extraction of those ontologies and possible integration into ours (pruning). - Identifying and construction of class hierarchies, conceptual categories related to particular ontologies, relation categories between concepts. - Description of the structure and content of ontology according to OWL conventions. - Constructing the chosen sample in OWL, processing with Protege software, validating the given data structure, checking usability and applicability of descriptive rules. During performing the above steps we take into consideration besides keeping the rules of common structuring what we expect to be the main functionalities and services of the proposed ontology in other words, what types of answers we hope to receive from the system. This will tell us what aspects of categorisations are sensible, what kind of hierarchic relationships and referential connections we wish to develop. 1179

4 4) Deployment of semantic tools in relevant ongoing and upcoming projects 4.1. efarmer - EU econtent Project Relevant project objectives: Creation of CAP content transformation system by producing up-to-date ruralaid related content services (the static use of efarmer content) o Understanding and representing the domain using RDF, XML, OWL technologies. Creating efarmer namespace. o Main reference lists to be identified and structured in OWL, in cooperation with organisations already developing ontology in the certain topics. Suggestions include: Land (place)-cooperation with CELK, Product (production technology), Farmer (personnel data), Measures (regulations). o Description of resources with AgMES. Improving access in a multiplicity of languages providing relevant CAP content dedicated to the farmers in V4 countries, also with the use of AGROVOC vocabulary, already available in all V4 languages. Introduction of a set of rural aid compilation and electronic submission web services (the dynamic use of efarmer content), connecting farmers to IACS. Countries participating: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland SAFEFOODNET - EU 6 th Framework Programme Relevant project objectives: Objectives of the project are to harmonise and integrate Associated Candidate Countries and New Member States infrastructures and activities in the field of chemical food safety with those of Member States. Website is developed with the information on contaminants in food in the different countries, methods to analyse them, regulations. The network, the project reports and the website will serve EFSA and other interested parties implementing chemical food safety strategies. The use of AGROVOC to index chemical food safety documents has been started early this year. First project results will be available online from autumn Our plan is to adopt existing food (safety) related ontologies such as the Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health ontology (FAO - Karslruhe University), the W3C ontology, and contribute to the development of this subject. We also wish to create safefoodnet namespace and micro-ontologies (details are under clarification, suggestions include laboratory equipment ontology, control methods ontology, etc). AgMES is proposed to be used to describe resources. 1180

5 Countries participating: The consortium of SAFEFOODNET has 20 partners from 17 countries, which include 4 MS (Italy, Denmark and Germany, Belgium), 10 NMS (Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Estonia) and 3 candidate countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey) FDIN - Farm Data Information Network FAO SEUR Project (UN) Project components: - Gross margin calculation / optimising production technology on the farm/parcel level. - Farm management documents archive: soil and climate, agriculture and environment, land resources by category and ownership, farm structures, farming systems description, crop production and resources, livestock production and resources, agricultural machinery, agricultural input use. =>>AGROVOC is now used to index documents, AgMES to describe resources. =>> Building farm management ontology is mid term objective. Countries participating: Latvia, Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Albania EU-INFO Project started in 1999, co-financed by the Prime Minister s Office and the Ministry of Agriculture between GAK has been running the EU Info Service via Internet and Teletext since As of today we present online almost all area-specific legislation materials, the electronic version of the Official Journal with related regulations, news services from EU and domestic resources. All information is daily updated and each piece of textual data is translated to the Hungarian language (using TRADOS system until last year). EU-Info activities will soon be integrated to efarmer project (see point4.1.). Some actual priorities of this long going project: Official Journal L series content and the agricultural regulations are structured in XML, also indexed according to AGROVOC and to our own lists (to be aggregated and perhaps merged into a common ontology in the future). EU-INFO news documents are described with Dublin Core metadata element set since Expert comments are attached to many data records. Official Journal S series (TED, including public procurement calls), full Hungarian version is developed, also with expert comments and in XML. 1181

6 Databases for analytical use are built with numeric content (extracted from the annexes of OJ regulations). Dynamic graphical presentation of numeric data is provided. Rapid, Midday official press release document translations are provided occasionally. Personalisation: setting up user profiles (based on agricultural product groups), enriching documents with our own product group vocabulary (see above). Increasing user interactivity, launching expert forums in certain topics of interest Agricultural Bookstore Online Project components: - This website serves the sales and marketing needs of GAK publication office and retail shop. - Books and other publications - university schoolbooks, test books, etc - can be ordered through the website, online payment is currently not available, shipment must be paid to postman upon delivery. - Framework for ordering and buying electronic (downloadable) publications is under construction. - Indexing/cataloguing agricultural publications is recommended to be achieved by the use of AGROVOC, and is expected to be implemented by the second half of About the authors: Dr. Ferenc Kulcsár: Graduated chemist, received doctorate degree in chemical analysis in February Candidate of Science degrees by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in July FAO and UNIDO expert in Vietnam, Nepal, Malawi, Yemen, Uganda, Jordan, Egypt, and Romania, performing midterm assignments (2-6months). Head of department of food physic at the Hungarian Central Food Research Institute until 1990,where his task was to manage the development of new analytical methods. Senior official at the Ministry of Agriculture from 1990 to 2004, with the task of creating and maintaining database of daily EU agriculture related regulations and news in the Hungarian language. Dr. László Papócsi. Post-graduate in the science of agricultural economics (Budapest University of Economics) in 1994, his thesis was related to Incubation of agro-food companies in the economic transition of Hungary. As director of St. Stephen University Agribusiness Centre Information Management Division, his main activities include information management, agricultural extension, organising professional events, training programmes. Some recent project management experiences: efarmer (econtent), SAFEFOODNET (EU 6. Framework Programme), two Visegrad Four IT projects related to the issue of EU CAP Policy and Food Safety Issues ( ), FAO Agroweb CEE activities, FAO Farm Data Information Network, International Association of Agricultural Librarians and Information Specialists (IAALD) projects, ITEM (Agro-food semantic web), EU-Info project. 1182