Visual interface for adaptation of data sources to semantic web

Development of computer communications has catalyzed integration processes in world communities. Initial efforts concerning integration have showed great heterogeneity between data formats being exchanged between applications. One of the aspirations of Semantic Web Activity lead by W3C is provision of interoperability on concept level between software systems. The idea of Semantic Adapter presented in this paper continues efforts in this direction. It assumes development of software that would “wrap” data entities of legacy systems in additional semantic markup based on common ontology. Since only human knows the semantics of the data provided by data sources, there must be a handy visual interface for binding data source and metadata notion. The chosen way of Semantic Adapter configuration will be intuitively understandable for users, who don’t have knowledge about Ontology presentation standards. Semantic Adapter described in this paper is one of the constituents of GUN Global Understanding eNvironment, being developed by Industrial Ontologies Group [11].