Search

Search
- Search

Downscaling the Semantic Web – Second international workshop 2013

DownScale 2013 – Semantic Web Annual Workshop
Thursday 19 September, 12:00 – 17:00 @ Université de Genève, Uni Pignon campus

Coordinators: Martin Murillo (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and Victor de Boer (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Despite their success, data sharing platforms are out of reach for a bit more than two thirds of the world population. Roughly, everyone that is either illiterate and/or does not have a stable Web access is deprived from efficient, semantically rich, structured data sharing. Having a way to publish data that does not rely on getting a domain name and publishing a Web document and/or REST services in the cloud is one step into improving this situation. Deploying innovative voice-based interfaces and using small hardware are other steps. The DownScale workshop is about finding all those steps to make to make data sharing a reality for everyone.

We are a small group of researchers gathered around the thematic of making the Semantic Web a reality even for those that do not have access to the Web. The Downscale workshop is a venue to discuss our progress and make the group grow.
– See more at:

Visiting professor Hans Akkermans, ICT4D expert André Baart, CEO at Babafla, AI specialists Gossa Lô and Chris van Aart from Dutch tech firm Bolesian and video & media expert Leeuw van Moerkerken from Leeuw Film visit UDS for a AI/ICT4D ongoing collaboration in education and research, with UDS researchers Francis Dittoh, Gideon Ali and many others. Anna Bon represents VU Amsterdam in the ICT4D workshop, that will take place in a rural community nera Nyankpala, The team will meet the Department Head of the Computer Science Department, Dr. Barik, the Dean of Engineering Prof Seini, the Director of International Relations, Prof. Courage Setsoafia. And we will meet Prof Saa Dittoh in a writing workshop about the book about Indigenous Knowledge and the Plug-in Principle. To be continued...

30 June - 1 July - Connecting Worlds Conference at NU gebouw VU. Keynotes from Saa Dittoh and Narayanan Kulathuramayir. 7 June 2022 - start of ICT4D in the Field course. 1-8 May TMT-OKP funded W4RA Second Workshop in Koudougou, Burkina Faso, with women entrepreneurs for Regreening, marketing of non-timber forest products. W4RA and Reseau MARP. 22-28 February 2022 TMT-OKP funded W4RA workshop with AOPP in Mali, about seeds 7-12 February 2022 - TMT-OKP funded W4RA Workshop in Koudougou, Burkina Faso, with women entrepreneurs for Regreening, who produce non-timber forest products. W4RA and Reseau MARP. 9-16 November 2021 "Cyber Security in and for the Global South". An interdisciplinary seminar organized by Universitas Indonesia and VU Amsterdam. 26-27 August 2021 Academic Conference "Digital Society and Global Citizenship" location: VU (tbd) and online. 28 June 2021 Final Student Conference ICT4D in the Field - 6 projects presented on AI in and for the Global South. 2-4 June 2021 Webinar "AI in and for the gLobal South" online event with 9 AI expert lectures. 28 May 2021 Start ICT4D in the Field course. 31 March - 20 May 2021 ICT4D master course at VU. 26 March 2021 Panel Discussion DIgHum - Education and the Digital Society. 26 February 2021: Francis Dittoh presented the paper Tibaŋsim: Information Access for Low-Resource Environments at ICICT 2021 Conference. 15 December 2020 at 13h CET: Anna Bon defended her PhD thesis Intervention or Collaboration? Redesigning Information and Communication Technologies for Development in the Aula of Maastricht University. 11 December 2020: Sophie Vos and Hella Schaefers presented again at the IFIP conference the Food Security Project Sustainability and Ethics by Design. 26 November 2020: Sophie Vos and Hella Schaefers present their paper at the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute.

Although the Internet offers a wealth of information, and the World Wide Web has become today's paradigm of information and knowledge sharing on the planet, it is still inaccessible to the illiterate and to most rural communities. Moreover, most websites offering information about Africa are written in English, French, and other European languages. Few, however, contain relevant content information in local African languages. Furthermore, the Web is only accessible with an Internet connection, which most rural households do not have, relying instead on radio and mobile phones for communication. These are all important obstacles to overcome. But we believe this is possible to achieve - due to today's advanced ICT technologies and the local and international technical-scientific expertise present in the W4RA collaboration program.