Web science
Encyclopedia
The Web Science Trust is a joint effort originally started between MIT and University of Southampton
to bridge and formalize the social and technical aspects of the World Wide Web. The Trust now coordinates a set of international "WSTnet Laboratories" that include many of the top academic research groups in this emerging area.
It was first announced at MIT on November 2, 2006 as the Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI), changing its name in 2009 to the Web Science Trust. Tim Berners-Lee
is leading the program that also aims to attract government and private funds, and is now involved in creating new undergraduate and graduate curricula. Given the similarities between Web Science and Information Science, Web Science overlaps with the interests of the ISchool
movement , particularly in the United States, but focuses more specifically on the Web itself.
Some initial areas of interest are:
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
to bridge and formalize the social and technical aspects of the World Wide Web. The Trust now coordinates a set of international "WSTnet Laboratories" that include many of the top academic research groups in this emerging area.
It was first announced at MIT on November 2, 2006 as the Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI), changing its name in 2009 to the Web Science Trust. Tim Berners-Lee
Tim Berners-Lee
Sir Timothy John "Tim" Berners-Lee, , also known as "TimBL", is a British computer scientist, MIT professor and the inventor of the World Wide Web...
is leading the program that also aims to attract government and private funds, and is now involved in creating new undergraduate and graduate curricula. Given the similarities between Web Science and Information Science, Web Science overlaps with the interests of the ISchool
ISchool
An information school, I-School or iSchool is an emergent label of university departments or independent institutions committed to understanding the role of information in nature and human endeavors...
movement , particularly in the United States, but focuses more specifically on the Web itself.
Some initial areas of interest are:
- Social Networks
- Collaboration
- Understanding online communities
- Analyzing the human interactions inherent in social media
- Developing "accountability" and other mechanisms for enhancing privacy and trust on the Web.
Key Personnel
Directors- Tim Berners-LeeTim Berners-LeeSir Timothy John "Tim" Berners-Lee, , also known as "TimBL", is a British computer scientist, MIT professor and the inventor of the World Wide Web...
- Wendy HallWendy HallDame Wendy Hall DBE, FREng, FBCS, FIET, FCGI, FRS is Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, England.- Background :...
- Nigel ShadboltNigel ShadboltNigel Richard Shadbolt FREng CEng CITP FBCS is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.Nigel Shadbolt was born in London. He studied for an undergraduate degree in philosophy and psychology at Newcastle University. His PhD was from the Department of...
- Danny Weitzner
- James HendlerJames HendlerJames Hendler is an artificial intelligence researcher at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA, and one of the originators of the Semantic Web.-Background and research:...
- Noshir ContractorNoshir ContractorNoshir Contractor is a professor of Behavioral Science at Northwestern University. He is the director of and is also the director of Web Science Trust. He has published more than 250 research papers in the area of social communication networks...
Conferences
The first Web Science conference (WebSci09: Society on Line) was sponsored in part by WSRI and was held in Greece in March 2009. The conference had over 300 registrants from a number of fields including computing, social science, law, economics, philosophy, psychology. The second conference was held in Raleigh-Durham co-located with WWW 2010, and the third was held in Koblenz Germany.| Conference | Date | Place | Keynote speakers | registrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACM WebSci'11 - International Conference on Web Science 2011 | 14-17 June |  Germany KoblenzKoblenz Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the... , Germany |
Barry Wellman Barry Wellman Barry Wellman, FRSC directs NetLab as the S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto. His areas of research are community sociology, the Internet, human-computer interaction and social structure, as manifested in social networks in communities and organizations... , Jaime Teevan Jaime Teevan Jaime Teevan is a researcher at Microsoft Research. She was named a Technology Review 2009 Young Innovator for her research on personalized search... |
|
| Web Science 2010 | 26 & 27 April |  United States RaleighRaleigh, North Carolina Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh... , North Carolina, USA |
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Jennifer Chayes, Melissa R. Gilbert | |
| Web Science 2009 | 18–20 March |  Greece AthensAthens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... , Greece |
Noshir Contractor Noshir Contractor Noshir Contractor is a professor of Behavioral Science at Northwestern University. He is the director of and is also the director of Web Science Trust. He has published more than 250 research papers in the area of social communication networks... , Nigel Shadbolt Nigel Shadbolt Nigel Richard Shadbolt FREng CEng CITP FBCS is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.Nigel Shadbolt was born in London. He studied for an undergraduate degree in philosophy and psychology at Newcastle University. His PhD was from the Department of... , Jacques Bus, Sir Tim Berners-Lee |
300+ |
See also
- Internet Strategy ForumInternet Strategy ForumThe Internet Strategy Forum is a nonprofit professional association in the United States. ISF members have primary responsibility for driving Internet strategy and implementation for medium to large organizations....
- List of I-Schools
- World Wide WebWorld Wide WebThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
- WebometricsWebometricsThe science of webometrics tries to measure the World Wide Web to get knowledge about the number and types of hyperlinks, structure of the World Wide Web and usage patterns...
- Web EngineeringWeb engineeringThe World Wide Web has become a major delivery platform for a variety of complex and sophisticated enterprise applications in several domains. In addition to their inherent multifaceted functionality, these web applications exhibit complex behavior and place some unique demands on their usability,...