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The journal Semantic Web - Interoperability, Usability, Applicability (published and printed by IOS Press, ISSN: 1570-0844), in short Semantic Web journal, brings together researchers from various fields which share the vision and need for more effective and meaningful ways to share information across agents and services on the future internet and elsewhere. As such, Semantic Web technologies shall support the seamless integration of data, on-the-fly composition and interoperation of Web services, as well as more intuitive search engines. The semantics - or meaning - of information, however, cannot be defined without a context, which makes personalization, trust, and provenance core topics for Semantic Web research. New retrieval paradigms, user interfaces, and visualization techniques have to unleash the power of the Semantic Web and at the same time hide its complexity from the user. Based on this vision, the journal welcomes contributions ranging from theoretical and foundational research over methods and tools to descriptions of concrete ontologies and applications in all areas.
We especially welcome papers which add a social, spatial, and temporal dimension to Semantic Web research, as well as application-oriented papers making use of formal semantics. The journal is peer-reviewed, open access and published bimonthly. Official online version of the journal. Follow the Semantic Web journal on Twitter. Suggestions for special issues are welcome. For any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Editors-in-Chief. IOS Press is a leading international publisher of scientific books and journals in many fields including computer & communications sciences and especially also the Semantic Web. Visit the Semantic Web Journal at IOS Press. The Semantic Web journal relies on an open and transparent review process. Submitted manuscripts are posted on the journal's website and are publicly available. In addition to solicited reviews selected by members of the editorial board, public reviews and comments are welcome by any researcher and can be uploaded using the journal website. All reviews and responses from the authors are posted on the journal homepage. All involved reviewers and editors will be acknowledged in the final printed version. While we strongly encourage reviewers to participate in the open and transparent review process it is still possible to submit anonymous reviews. See review process and FAQ for details before submitting a manuscript or a review. The Semantic Web journal furthermore is a proponent of Open Science Data and requires, whenever possible, that authors provide relevant data and software for evaluation and replication. Please see our corresponding blog post for more details.
It can be hard to knock the amenities -- movies on demand, music on the go, air conditioning in August. It's all good stuff. What else could a modern human need? Nature. Good, old-fashioned, ear-budless, non-digital, fresh-aired nature. Dirt, bugs and photosynthesis. Every option is wonderful -- but every option costs money and, typically, travel time. The idea of piling the kids into the car with all their gear can deter even the most outdoorsy of parents. But what if experiencing the great outdoors were as easy as stepping outside? Fun with nature doesn't have to charge an entry fee. It's right there for the taking, just outside your door. All that's required is a little ingenuity and some sort of outdoor space. A backyard is perfect, although you can take a nature walk on a well-decorated patio or even the city street outside your apartment. It's as easy as planning ahead with a quick Internet search, for a start. When you head into a National Park or a zoo for some nature time, it's easy to know what to look for: Just take a peek at one of the information brochures at the entrance.
Few of us have info packets in a pocket next to the back door, so it can be a bit harder to see what there is to see. So you might want to do some research. It's not that hard to find out what your backyard might have to offer. There are handy Web sites that will tell you what's in your area. Some may have a zip code search that lets you know which plant and animal species you could see around your home. Some city-government Web sites will often have similar information, as will local information kiosks. It can be helpful to give your yard a hand and hang a hummingbird feeder if you find out there are lots of them in your area, or install a birdbath or toss out some wildflower seeds in advance, just to make it extra interesting. Another crucial preparation, especially when kids are involved, is to know what interesting stuff not to touch, lest a perfectly lovely nature walk end in tears.
The only thing worse than a dull nature walk is a red, itchy one. Knowing what to avoid is at least as important as knowing what to seek out, especially if there are little ones getting up close and personal with nature. Any great nature walk, backyard or otherwise, is preceded by a brief lesson on how to recognize poison ivy and poison oak. Google "identify poison ivy poison oak" to see countless options, or check out the library's supply of plant reference books. Just look at pictures of the itchy stuff and perhaps do a little flashcard-style quiz before heading into the yard. If you're sure your yard has neither of the lamentable growths, meaning you've done a close and recent examination of the entire space, corners and all, you could probably skip this step -- although really, what harm can it do to learn to identify some plants?
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