CRC806-KB: A Semantic MediaWiki Based Collaborative Knowledge Base for an Interdisciplinary Research Project

Abstract

In the frame of an interdisciplinary research project that is concerned with data from heterogeneous domains, such as archaeology, cultural sciences, and the geosciences, a web-based Knowledge Base system was developed to facilitate and improve research collaboration between the project participants. The presented system is based on a Wiki that was enhanced with a semantic extension, which enables to store and query structured data within the Wiki. Using an additional open source tool for Schema⁻Driven Development of the data model, and the structure of the Knowledge Base, improved the collaborative data model development process, as well as semi-automation of data imports and updates. The paper presents the system architecture, as well as some example applications of a collaborative Wiki based Knowledge Base infrastructure.

Keywords

• data base
• information management
• knowledge base
• metadata
• linked data
• interoperability
• semantic wiki
• collaborative web infrastructure
• virtual research environment