Editorial pointers

COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM December 2005/Vol. 48, No. 12 5 SEMANTIC WEB TECHNOLOGIES ENABLE USERS TO combine and share information as never before. Knowledge management systems give organizations the ability to discover or “know what they know.” And ebusiness processes offer firms a means for automating exchanges among customers, employees, and business partners in a transparent manner. As potent as these capabilities have become alone, together they represent the roots of the emerging field of Semantic E-Business. The ongoing effort to blend Semantic Web and Web Services technologies promises a seamless flow of information and knowledge, offering companies the tools to search, identify, and tap into more business opportunities as well as the ability to perform automatically what was once done manually. Moreover, that work can be integrated and shared among floors, departments, branches, indeed, different companies. This month’s special section examines the vision that is fast becoming Semantic E-Business. Guest editors Rahul Singh, Lakshmi Iyer, and A.F. Salam, recognized experts in this field, have called on colleagues and researchers who are doing some of the most important work to enhance and expand this “vision.”