Re: [DBpedia-discussion] Call for Ontology Editor demos for DBpedia

[Olivier R. <oli...@gm...>]

Here is my quite off-topic opinion as the maintainer of Datao.net and
search.datao.net.
(== expect very biased opinions :)

There is a gap to bridge between the data modelers and the service
implementors.
A feedback loop. A community. Something in common...

Inside a J2EE project, the shared point between service implementors and DB
data modelers is the DAO layer. (I see that as the query repository of an
application, but some disagree with my definition.)
Nothing like this DAO layer exists in the LinkedData (as far as I know).
Exposing the DB publicly is seen as an end. But it is just the beginning.
The DB modelers must stay in touch with the service implementors. There
must be a common ground.

My idea, when I developped Datao.net, was to create a tool for that.

Service providers could access a SPARQL endpoint and its data model,
quickly build DAOs on top of it, and then expose a REST service. In a few
clicks [1].

DB modelers could then use the same tool to harvest a maximum of query
pattern on their DB model. Understand the usages. And refactor their DB
acordingly.

Service implementors and DB modelers could then discuss when and why a
given modeling was too poor/inappropriate for a given usage.

I still think such kind of tools are a good common ground for both sides.

So my current thought is this:
May be, the DBPedia community could start developping data services on top
of DBPedia (with Callibacus, Datao or whatever), just to eat their own
dogfood. I think that, eventually, that will create a workflow where you go
from a service idea to the ontology details to the Wikipedia extractor to
the various problems that appear to discussions on improvements. And so
on...

This initiative could then be promoted to external service implementors, to
create a community.


[1]: So the graphical query "Person Details" (cf the attached
1_Person_Details.jpg) would become a REST service like this:

http://mywebsite/Person_Details?person=http://dbpedia.
org/resource/Bill_Gates
http://mywebsite/Person_Details?birthPlace=http://
dbpedia.org/resource/Toulouse