Services

Semantic technologies and their adoption within organizations are still at their early stages. Much is available and known. But, as scales and scopes increase, there is still active learning in terms of methodologies, architectures, technologies, deployments and best practices.

Structured Dynamics LLC provides a suite of services addressing these needs. We are innovators and thought leaders, with world-class knowledge and experience in the semantic space.

Our services are organized into three interlocking areas:

• Semantic Enterprise Adoption and Solutions
• Technology and Development Services
• Applied and Directed Research

We codify and make available our learning and best practices through two open source knowledge bases. The TechWiki presents about 300 detailed articles in all aspects of working with our tools and architectures. The DocWiki extends that with a phased deployment methodology (see Open Seas below) and best practices; itself backed by nearly another 400 articles.

We have and will continue to codify our semantic enterprise experience through the Open SEAS framework. Open SEAS (Semantic Enterprise Adoption and Solutions) is a MIKE2.0-compliant methodology for helping enterprises to transition into semantic technologies and applications.

By utilizing MIKE 2.0 (Method for an Integrated Knowledge Environment), we gain a complete, open source environment for enterprise information development. MIKE2.0 is oriented to solutions -- from the specific to the composite. These are packaged with plans, management documentation, product options (open source and proprietary), activities, benchmarks, and deliverables. Delivery occurs over multiple increments, split into five phases from definition and planning to deployment. The framework allows for multiple projects to be inter-related, all under a common methodology.

Open SEAS follows guiding principles in helping organizations to transition into becoming a semantic enterprise. The combination of its open-world approach and RDF data model with exposure as linked data enables new information to be brought in and incorporated into the framework -- step-by-step. This allows lower risk, incremental development and agile testing and validation of semantic approaches.

These guiding principles do not necessarily mean open data nor open source. The techniques can equivalently be applied to internal, closed, proprietary data and structures. They can be used as a basis for bringing external information into the enterprise. 'Open' is in reference to the critical use of the open world assumption.

A common delivery mode is via teaming with a knowledgeable IT/management consultancy. SD provides the infrastructure, product evaluation and technical design, while the partner provides business process and direct customer engagement. In all cases product and delivery recommendations are based on customer circumstances and the best available options.

The very foundations of the practice encourage a learn-as-you-go approach. Open SEAS is a specific implementation of MIKE2.0's Semantic Enterprise Solution Offering.

Semantic technologies are applicable to many traditional products, such as in business intelligence, data visualization, metadata management, taxonomies and controlled vocabularies, master data management, enterprise search, network analysis, and virtually any aspect of knowledge management. Modernizing these products with semantics is of keen interest to leading vendors and innovative customers alike.

Despite a rich tools environment across the semantic technology stack, it is also the case that many tools are still academic proofs-of-concept or research-grade. Packaging and making these tools commercial-grade remains a key need. Further, there are also pivotal gaps across the stack. For example, Structured Dynamics undertook the development of the UMBEL concept reference ontology and the structWSF platform-independent Web services framework to plug such gaps.

In all cases, existing tools can also be made more generic and suited to adaptive ontologies. These transitions are creating a new class of ontology-driven applications, generic tools that can supply shared functionality based on any properly constructed adaptive ontology. The motivation behind developing such applications is to shift the traditional locus of effort from software development and maintenance to the creation and modification of knowledge structures.

Ontologies are the guiding structures for these approaches. Ontology architecting, modularization, and creation of adaptive ontologies are acknowledged strengths of Structured Dynamics. We have developed and maintain some of the best recognized ontologies and instance record vocabularies extant.

Structured Dynamics is engaged with vendors and market leaders for these purposes. We welcome your inquiries for how our practice in technology and development services can fulfill your requirements.

The foundation for these services is Structured Dynamics' state-of-art understanding of the entire semantic technology space. We actively monitor and track all aspects of the space: researchers, developers, tools, algorithms, interfaces, standards, protocols, papers, languages, ontologies, and methodologies.

In some cases, we have exposed our knowledge of these aspects to the public, where they have become go-to resources. The blogs of Structured Dynamics' principals are both popular and influential. Our public ontologies are some of the most prominent in their domains. We maintain acknowledged authoritative sources on semantic Web tools, ontology tools, large-scale visualization, data structs, RDFizers, use of Wikipedia for semantic purposes, and semantic search. We maintain multiple open source projects and user forums. Our internal resources far exceed these public ones. We codify and make available our learning and best practices through two open source knowledge bases. Our TechWiki and DocWiki knowledge bases are proof-positive of our research and documentation skills.

Our commitment to constant learning is a not-so-secret source of our competitive advantage. We discuss what we have learned and where we are going in advance, and then execute. Our passions are renewed daily with our constant attention to applied research.

We tend to focus our tools development on critical gaps, and to research and learn ahead of the curve.

Contact us with your hard problems.