W3C Forms Life Science Semantic Web Group



The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) today announced the formation of a new group that seeks to bring life scientists and Semantic Web experts together to help improve the way data is accessed, shared, and analyzed.

Specifically, the Semantic Web Health Care and Life Sciences Interest Group (HCLSIG) aims to help life scientists tap the potential benefits of using Semantic Web technology by developing use cases and applying standard Semantic Web specifications to healthcare and life sciences problems.

This application of standards to a specific community is a W3C first. The W3C sees it as a way to help push the adoption of Semantic Web technology in general. 

“This new venture puts W3C specifications through the paces of a dynamic, multifaceted, and interdependent set of communities,” said Tim Berners-Lee, W3C director. “We have a remarkable opportunity to listen to the area experts, to see how our work meets their needs, and to serve their future requirements.”

Overseeing the HCLSIG for the W3C will be Eric Miller, Semantic Web activity lead, W3C, who will look to industry to provide the oversight needed to bring in the subject matter expertise. To that end, he has recruited co-chairs Eric Neumann (an independent consultant and former global head of knowledge management at Aventis, which was acquired by Sanofi and became Sanofi-Aventis) from the life sciences and Tonya Hongsermeier, corporate manager, clinical knowledge management and decision support at Partners HealthCare System from healthcare.

Miller notes the origin of the group goes back to a gathering about a year ago. “When we brought together people in the Semantic Web Life Sciences Workshop it was exciting to see the benefits [that Semantic Web might bring to] the problems and issues they were dealing with,” said Miller. That workshop included researchers and IT professionals from many pharmaceutical companies, academic labs, and other life science organizations. (For a summary of that workshop go here.)

At that point it became clear to both the W3C and life scientists that it made sense for the two groups to work together.

The HCLSIG will operate within the W3C as an active group where vendors, users, and industry professionals will come together in vendor-independent way to address issues facing the industry.

One role of the HCLSIG will be to develop use cases that illustrate the value of adopting Semantic Web technology, core vocabularies, and ontologies. To accomplish this, Miller sees the group providing a forum that supports communication, education, and collaboration. “The W3C has a strong track record of sharing use cases,” said Miller.

While the HCLSIG will focus on specific issues related to the life sciences and healthcare, related W3C work in broader applications areas (such as security) will also be taken into account. Additionally, the group will work with other Semantic Web groups.

One area where the group will likely apply its efforts is to finding ways to make existing life science and healthcare vocabularies and ontologies work within a Semantic Web context. Making existing data Semantic Web-aware will make it easier to access, find, and share that information. And once the information is in a Semantic Web format, “people will start seeing the benefits as they will be able to stitch together data,” said Miller.

The group’s website already has a collection of several well known and some lesser known life sciences Semantic Web examples. Examples include BioDash, active semantic electronic medical records, and Partners’ Health Care Knowledge Management Portal. More will be added over time.

To coincide with the group’s announcement, the HCLSIG also put out a call for participation in its first formal meeting. The event will be held January 25th and 26th in Boston. Details about the meeting can be found here. “We hope to have people fly in from all over the world,” said Miller.

Related Stories:

Masters of the Semantic Web

Getting the Gobbledygook Out of Data Sharing

Berners-Lee Seeks Killer App for Semantic Web

The Key to the Semantic Web

 

Click here to login and leave a comment.  

0 Comments

Add Comment

Text Only 2000 character limit

Page 1 of 1



White Papers & Special Reports

sgi - whp 1
Turning Genomics Data into Practical Insight
Sponsored by SGI

With worldwide sequencing capacity approaching 13 quadrillion DNA bases annually turning genomics data into knowledge is a true computational challenge. Read this paper and learn how the SGI UV coherent shared memory platform can:  

  • Speed results time while cost competitively tackling the most difficult computational problems across all omics disciplines. 
  • Push performance by scaling to extraordinary levels, up to 256 sockets (2,560 cores, 4,096 threads) per single system (one OS image). 

Provide support for up to 16TB of coherent shared memory in a single system image enabling extreme efficiency across a wide range of compute demands. 



accerlys-logo_2012_wh
New Complimentary Market Survey…
Collaborations and Communications Within Drug Discovery Research
Sponsored by Accelrys
This survey was conducted by the Cambridge Healthtech Media Group in January, 2012. It was sponsored by Accelrys related to their HEOS initiative to gather valid information around externalizing collaborative research while improving communications in the cloud. With 310 qualified industry respondents the survey findings reveal useful usage and trends patterns.  An insightful follow-on discussion and webinar related to this survey, and the HEOS by Scynexis SaaS portal is also available on the Bio-IT World website for complementary viewing.
 


Job Openings

tessella logo 
Scientific Software Engineer
Boston MA
$70,000 to $95,000
 

Tessella delivers software engineering and consulting services to leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies. We are recruiting Software Engineersto work with skilled bioinformaticians and scientists to identify business needs and recommend and develop technical solutions. Applicants require BS, MS or PhD in bioinformatics, biology or chemistry and 2+ years of software development in either: Java, C#, C++, C or VB.NET. 

Apply at http://jobs.tessella.com   

 

oxford nanopore logo 


 Early Access Collaborations Managers
Oxford Nanopore Technologies is developing a novel technology, GridIONTM for the direct, electronic analysis of DNA/RNA and other analytes.  As the system approaches the market, we are building a team of technically knowledgeable, highly motivated candidates with excellent customer service and facilitation skills to join our company as Collaboration Managers.  This is a unique opportunity to work with world-leading genomics customers throughout the early adoption phase of a new generation of DNA sequencing technology.. This is a facilitative, enabling role with responsibility for managing technology development collaborations with key customers at leading genomics institutions.  It will include long term management of the collaboration plan and milestones and associated meetings and documentation. Click here to find out more and apply   

Oxford Nanopore's GridION technology, VP, Sales and Marketing Oxford Nanopore Technologies is a fast-moving technology company that is developing a novel electronic molecular analysis technology. The technology is adaptable for the analysis of DNA/RNA, proteins, chemicals and other molecules.  It is therefore suitable for use in a variety of markets including scientific research and clinical applications.  As the technology approaches the market, Oxford Nanopore is seeking a visionary VP of sales and marketing to join the senior team.  The candidate will embrace the opportunities afforded by entering the market with a truly disruptive technology that has the potential to expand the number of users and the variety of applications in each target market.  This is a rare opportunity to influence the commercial strategy at an early phase of its commercial lifetime, in a well funded company.  Oxford Nanopore welcomes applications from candidates with a track record of high-level strategic commercial  leadership, who wish to apply a fresh approach to existing markets.  Experience in Life Sciences/DNA sequencing is central to this role, however we will consider your application if you have experience of disruptive technologies in other related industries.  We are particularly interested in candidates with strong expertise in the use of digital technologies for sales and marketing of scientific/technical products.  Click to  Apply  


 

For reprints and/or copyright permission, please contact  Tim McLucas, (781) 972-1342, tmclucas@healthtech.com .