Web Science Overview

http://www.w3.org/2008/Talks/0708-ws-30min-tbl/

Tim Berners-Lee

MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)
Southampton University School of Electroncis and Computer Science
Web Science Research Initiative

This talk

• Remember back before the Web?
• Net, Web, Graph
• Web Science

CERN: The European Particle Physics Laboratory

CERN from the air

CERN: Atlas Detector

The ATLAS detector - a big project

1980: Enquire

> ENQUIRE
Enquire V 1.1
Hello!
Opening file (PSK-PCP)VAC-V1:ENQR...
PSB Vacuum Control System (concept) < O>
--- ------ ------- ------
 [ 1] described-by: Enquiry System
 An experimental system for which this is a test.
 [ 2] includes: Vacuum History System
 Records and displays slow changes in pressure.
 [ 3] includes: Vacuum equipment modules
 Perform all the hardware interface
 [ 4] includes: Control and status applications programs
 Provide operator interaction from the consoles.
 [ 5] described-by: Controle du System a Vide du Booster 11-2-80
 Operational specification of the software
 [ 6] includes: PSB Pump Surveillance System PCP 228
 Allows rapid monitoring of pressure changes
[number ]

1989: Web memo

Circles and arrows again...

Circles and arrows diagram

1990: WWW design

• URI is global identifier, having one is good
• URI schemes have different properties
  • HTTP scheme allows publish and lookup
  • HTTP allows many data formats
    • HTML is a language for hypertext
    • .. but links not typed.

1990: Original WWW architecture

The original architecture diagram

Web must be universal

Must worik with any...

• ... hardware.
• ... browser, operating system
• ... network
• ... language, culture
• ... disability
• ... type of infromation

1991-4: First WWW server hits

Increase of 10x every year

1994: World Wide Web Consortium

Standards: good + fair + fast

Leading the web to its full potential

2006: Web Science Research Initiuative

• Analysis and Synthesis
• Promote Research
• New curriculum

(Historical Roadmap, Web Science

http://www.w3.org/2007/Talks/0920-webhistory-tbl/

Layers: Link

link level

Layers: Net hides links

net level

Layers: Web hides computers

web level

Layers: Web hides computers

web level

Layers: Semantic Web

sem web level

Layers: Semantic Web

sem web level

Layers: Semantic Web

graph level

Layers: Semantic Web

graph2 level

Linked Open Data

Many connected data sources

Web Science

The process of designing things in a very large space

Designing a system...

process of web science

involves social conventions too.

process of web science

Microscopic system

process of web science

Macroscopic effect

process of web science

Analyse the result

process of web science

Is this what we want?

process of web science

The process of web science

process of web science

Science and engineering

process of web science

Magic

process of web science magic = stuff you don't understand

More magic

magic = stuff you don't understand yet process of web science

Second guessing

Second guessing

Conclusion

• The WWW is big, complex and important
• We should study it
• We should engineer it
• We should prepare for a future we can't imagine
• ... yet

http://www.w3.org/2008/Talks/0708-ws-30min-tbl/

credits