David Provost, a business development professional and a strategist, published a report on the 30th of September which outlines a global review of the current position of the Semantic Web in the Information Technology industry, providing a commercial slant on the advancement of the Semantic Web in IT companies. Initially, some key concepts of the Semantic Web are summarized, providing both less-technical entrepreneurs and those on the development side with a general overview of the Semantic Web. The executive summary of the article mentions some key emerging trends: linked data, Social Network Analysis and the Semantic Web’s role in this scenario, and the role played by Natural Language Processing (NLP), Semantic search and the traditional publishing industry. However, most significantly, this summary captures an evident trend which has recent become more and more notable in the industry: the transition from technical descriptions of technology, to an emphasis on problems, solutions and applications.
Given that new companies which rely on Semantic Web technology are continuously emerging, it appears that the moment has arrived for these IT businesses to differentiate themselves in the market. This report provides a step in this direction, by providing a summary of what these leading companies, or vendors, are comprised of and what they offer. The information is based on phone or face-to-face personal interviews, with representatives of 17 companies, analysed for credibility with regard to being a “going concern”, in other words, an active companies with substantial cash flow (according to the author; those companies who have used spare cash to sponsor a conference, however, this is not a definitive indicator of the financial status of an organisation). Ten companies were based in North America, six in Europe, and one in South Korea.
These organizations address diverse topics within the Semantic Web, such as: databases for storing semantic data, ontology engineering and management tools, application development platforms, and NLP. One important transformation is that previously, companies just sold software. Now, the transition to “do” solutions rather than “make” solutions is evident, with vendors selling ready-made solutions with less emphasis on the development side. For example, solutions in areas such as: knowledge management, risk management, and content management, among others. The author redefines this trend as a change in market strategy: companies have widened their market, targeting companies who previously could not afford to employ complex development skills to adopt a solution to their needs. Now these companies are being offered solutions which already suit their internal requirements, without having to make substantial modifications.
A diagram is provided, which lists the following 17 companies as having taken part in the review: Aduna, The Calais Initiative, Cambridge Semantics, Dow Jones Client Solutions, Expert System, Franz, Mondeca, Ontoprise, Ontos, OpenLink Software, Primal Fusion, Saltlux, Sindice, Thetus, TopQuadrant, Twine/Radar Networks, and Yahoo!/Searchmonkey. The diagram marks each company schematically according to the functions they possess, defined as the following: Solution, Middleware, NLP, Database, Platform, Ontology, Search, Consumer Web Service, and Developer Web Service. Solution and Platform exhibit the highest frequency; Developer Web Service and Consumer Web Service the least. Subsequently, the findings of the report are published, in the form of four key trends: Semantic Web technology has emerged to be fierce competition for companies providing solutions using traditional technology, NLP has transpired to be a fundamental tool for mining content for the Web, the value and use of Linked Data is slowly gaining recognition, and the role of marketing, technical and solution partners is becoming essential in selling Semantic Web based solutions.
The principal findings are followed by a profile of each of the organizations interviewed, defined in terms of their products, employees, revenue, Installed base, primary offering, key differentiators, six/twelve month plan, and a final analysis. Given that the article has been written from a strategist’s perspective, it should be viewed as such, as it focuses on the aspects for the marketing of companies, rather than any shortcomings. It is not an entirely objective review, and some companies, such as Talis, are missing, but it is nevertheless an interesting read and a good overview.
http://pdfmenot.com/view/http://www.davidprovost.com/Resources/Semantic%20Web%20Industry%20Revie.pdf
Tags:
Aduna,
cambridge semantics,
Dow Jones Client Solutions,
Expert System,
Franz,
Mondeca,
Ontoprise,
Ontos,
OpenLink Software,
Primal Fusion,
Saltlux,
Semantic Web,
Sindice,
The Calais Initiative,
Thetus,
TopQuadrant,
Twine/Radar Networks,
Yahoo!/Searchmonkey
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