The highly-anticipated program for the Semantic Technology and Business Conference, June 3-7, 2012 in San Francisco has been announced. SemTechBiz returns to the Hilton Union Square for five comprehensive days of fresh insight and immersive learning from global experts.  The conference brings together today’s industry thought leaders and practitioners to explore the challenges and opportunities jointly impacting both corporate business leaders and technologists.

When asked about the program, SemTechBiz Co-Chair Tony Shaw said, “Every year we move further towards the ‘business’ end of the ‘Tech-to-Biz’ spectrum, and that will be even more obvious in the agenda for 2012.  The experience of practitioners is deeper and better-informed, while the increasing maturity of solutions and products is making it much easier to implement semantic applications.  If it’s been a couple of years since you last looked at semantic technologies, you will find it almost unrecognizable today.”

View the program here

Throughout the five days, attendees will find case studies; real-world business applications; introductory and advanced sessions; hands-on tutorials; news on the latest standards and best practices; sessions that focus on specific verticals such as financial services, healthcare, and government; networking opportunities; and much more.

Early Registration Pricing Expires Tomorrow!

Those considering attending the Semantic Technology & Business Conference may want to register right away as there is an early registration deadline tomorrow, Friday, February 17.

Join us in June at Semantic Tech & Business Conference - San Francisco

Join us at Semantic Tech & Business Conference, June 3-7 in San Francisco, for complete coverage of Big Data, Linked Data, Extreme Information Management, and Semantic Web. From breakthrough approaches to solving business problems to the big data implications of fast–evolving technologies, SemTechBiz provides you with an unparalleled interactive experience and delivers tangible business value. Early bird prices are available. Sign up now and save!

SemTechBiz is returning to San Francisco on June 3-7, and once again we plan to make it the biggest and most comprehensive educational conference on the business of semantic technologies. And that’s exactly where we are asking you to contribute please – by sharing the practical experience you have gained in your own semantic projects.

We’re looking for case studies big and small – whether you’re building the semantic infrastructure of the future, like the DoD Enterprise Web, or you’ve done semantic annotation on a local business web site, like Plush Beauty Bar. They’re all relevant, because the curiosity of the audience is so rich and diverse.

The Call for Presentations ends on January 16, 2012, so get your abstract together ASAP. All the information you need, and the links to submit your presentation proposal, are HERE.

Conference registration is also open. Register by February 17 and save with substantial early bird discounts.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at Tony@SemanticWeb.com

Thanks,

Tony Shaw

We are pleased to announce the preliminary program for SemTechBiz – Berlin, the latest in our growing series of regional Semantic Technology and Business Conferences. The conference will take place on 6-7 February, 2012 and like the recent regional events in London and Washington DC, this event is designed to be smaller and more focused than the large, annual SemTechBiz – San Francisco Conference. The Berlin program boasts two days of sessions aimed at showing how Semantic Technologies are being used today to help companies make money, save money, and solve business problems. There are sessions aimed at both technical and non-technical attendees.

In coming weeks, we will feature some of the presenters and companies here at SemanticWeb.com. In the meantime, the full program can be viewed here.  (Please note: there are some gaps in the program while we confirm the last few speakers.)

Registration

Significant registration discounts are available to those who register and pay prior to 13 January 2012.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Companies in the USA should contact Frank Fazio at eventsales@mediabistro.com or +1.203.662.2887 for available opportunities.

Companies in Europe should contact Claudia Pacheco at claudia.pacheco@risingmedia.de or +49 89 7670 4459 for available opportunities.

Due out next month from Springer Publishing is Linking Government Data, a book that highlights some of the leading-edge applications of Linked Data to problems of government operations and transparency. David Wood, CTO of 3RoundStones and co-chair of the W3C RDF Working Group, writes and edits the volume, which includes contributions from others exploring the intersection of government and the Semantic Web.

“If you look at the LOD cloud, you see that a very large percentage of data comes from government sources,” Wood says. Historically, it’s made up about one-quarter to one-third of it, and it’s a very international set of data. The new book, with contributions from authors in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, the U.S. and the U.K., among others, aims at providing visibility into what’s going on around all that data, such as work underway between academia and governments that could lead to more mainstream deployments in the sector in coming years.

Read more

In advance of his appearance at the Semantic Technology & Business Conference in Washington DC (November 29-December 1, 2011), Evren Sirin, CTO of Clark & Parsia, LLC, will conduct a Webcast on the topic of Using Semantic Technologies for Enterprise Policy Management.

All attendees of the webcast will be entered to win a Free Registration to SemTechBiz DC!*

WEBCAST DETAILS

• Wednesday, November 16, 2011
• 2:00 pm EST (US)

DESCRIPTION

Access control is an essential part of nearly every IT system; especially in domains dealing with sensitive information such as financial accounts, personal health records, etc.
Read more

At midnight Eastern US Time on October 31, 2011, the Call For Presentations ends for the first Berlin Semantic Technology & Business (#SemTechBiz) Conference.

About the Conference

The 2012 Semantic Tech & Business Conference (#SemTechBiz) will be held at the Seminaris CampusHotel Berlin in Berlin, Germany on 6-7 February 2012.

The conference is two days of presentations, panels, case studies and conversations. The conference is designed for business and technology executives who need to learn what semantic technologies are and how to take advantage of semantics in their enterprise and web-based systems. Attendees will further their technical understanding in introductory sessions and learn from our expert Keynote speakers how to integrate the technology into their organization and how to benefit from it. Discovering all the latest tools while providing an unprecedented opportunity to network, talk shop and share ideas among like-minded industry peers and influencers is what the conference is all about.

If you have not yet submitted a proposal and have a good story to tell about a business application of Semantic Technologies, now is your chance. Begin the submission process here:

http://semtechbizberlin2012.semanticweb.com/cfp.cfm?pgid=40

Along with our partners at Mediabistro.com, we’ve released the complete conference schedule for the upcoming SemTechBiz DC Conference. The conference — which will take place from November 29 through December 1, 2011 in Washington, DC — is set to feature the latest innovations in Semantic Web and linked data technologies. With sessions ranging from introductory discussions to advanced technical lectures, speakers from around the country will offer business cases, product demonstrations, and insights relating to the hottest trends and greatest advances of the Semantic Web. Read more

The Environmental Protection Agency is facing some tough challenges in the run-up to the presidential elections. The House wants to cut its funding by 18 percent, and it’s dealing with criticism from some corners that new regulatory proposals could impose another burden on businesses that may hurt economic recovery efforts.

Hands up if you think this makes an even stronger case for investigating the role of semantic technology and Linked Data projects in the government sector. Semantic technology doesn’t favor any political parties’ agendas, of course. But Linked Data approaches do help the government (and the citizenry) do more with and get more out of data for less money, as Bernadette Hyland, co-chair W3C Government Linked Data Working Group and CEO of 3 Round Stones, explains here.

Add to that that its application could some day have a softening impact on regulatory requirements, too. While it’s too early in the government’s exploration of Linked Data for such scenarios to have been played out yet, the idea seems to have merit. “I’m part of the EPA’s IT organization so I’m not really involved in policy work, but there’s huge potential there,” says  David G. Smith, Information Management Specialist at the U.S. EPA. Smith will be speaking at the upcoming Semantic Tech & Business Conference in Washington D.C. about the work the EPA has underway related to Linked Data.

Consider, for example, that modeling and publishing and mashing linked government data sets – the EPA’s but other agencies’, too – could lead to new understandings into the cumulative regulatory burden on companies.

Read more

The first Semantic Technology and Business Conference in the United Kingdom (#semtechbiz) wrapped up in London this week, and there are some themes that emerged from the presentations and networking conversations.

We heard a lot about the benefits of using Semantic Technology solutions. There were strong case studies and experiences shared, and we will be diving deeper into some of these in coming weeks here at SemanticWeb.com.  Sometimes these solutions were in place of — and sometimes in conjunction with — RDBMS databases, spreadsheets, XML files, and other data management systems.  While there was a nice diversity of companies, industries, and products represented, there seemed to be consensus around some of the following benefits of using Semantic Tech for business applications:

Read more

The Semantic Web Media Summit on September 14 in New York was a great success, a recent article reports. This review of the event covers several sessions including Michael Dunn’s keynote and Mike Petit’s “call to action.” According to the article, Petit noted that “(1) The Semantic Web and its associated technology have become tangible and effective tools for publishers, and (2) Social media have complicated the publishing model and have become indispensable.” Read more