Reasoning Web. Semantic Technologies for Information Systems

The Semantic Web is one of the major current endeavours of applied computer science. The Semantic Web aims at enriching the existing Web with meta-data and processing methods so as to provide Web-based systems with advanced (- called intelligent) capabilities, in particular with context-awarenessand decision support. TheadvancedcapabilitiesrequiredinmostSemanticWebapplicationscen- ios primarily call for reasoning. Reasoning capabilities are o?ered by Semantic Web languages that are currently being developed. Most of these languages, however,are developed mainly from functionality-centred perspectives (e.g., - tology reasoning or access validation) or application-centred perspectives (e.g., Web service retrieval and composition). A perspective centred on the reasoning techniques complementing the above-mentioned activities appears desirable for Semantic Web systems and applications. The Summer School is devoted to this perspective. The “ReasoningWeb” series of annual Summer Schools was started in 2005 on behalf of the work package “Education and Training (ET)” of the Network of Excellence REWERSE. This year’s edition focused on the use of semantic technologies to enhance data access on the Web. For this reason, courses presented a range of techniques and formalisms which bridge semantic-based and data-intensive systems.