Opening the information floodgates: the technologies and challenges of a web of linked data

• 6.30pm – 7.30pm on 16 November 2010
• at The Royal Society, London

Watch the video

Professor Nigel Shadbolt FREng 
University of Southampton

We are living in an age of superabundant information. The Internet and World Wide Web have been the agents of this revolution. This deluge of information and data has led to a range of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations. From characterising the shape and structure of the Web to efficiently searching its billions of items of content.

We are also witnessing the emergence of a new Web - a Web of Linked Data - driven by the release of large sets of data into the public domain. This offers new opportunities for science, government and business.

There are challenges too – how will we ensure the quality and integrity of these information assets, how do we respect and protect our privacy in a world of increasingly interconnected data. The lecture will discuss these fast moving developments and how they will impact all aspects of our lives.

Speaker biography

Nigel Shadbolt FREng is Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Southampton and with Sir Tim Berners-Lee has been developing Open Data technology and policy for UK Government. His research is directed to the development of the next generation Web and the establishment of Web Science.

Professor Shadbolt was one of the four scientific organisers of the Royal Society Scientific Discussion Meeting, Web Science: a new frontier, and recorded presentations from the speakers are available to view online on-demand.