User-Specific Semantic Integration of Heterogeneous Data: W...

User-Specific Semantic Integration of Heterogeneous Data: What Remains to be Done?

techreport
Patrick Ziegler
In data integration, autonomy of data sources is usually given higher priority than diversity of information needs of data end-users. However, data receivers strongly differ in their information needs and in their conceptual mental models of their particular application area. In this paper, we review existing data integrations approaches for their compliance with the ASME criteria (Abstraction, Selection, Modeling, and Explicit semantics). Our goal is to assess whether existing data integration approaches provide suitable means for truly user-specific data integration from selected data sources. In particular, we investigate whether data from heterogeneous sources can be integrated in a way that it perfectly fits to a particular user's information needs, emphasizing his individual way to perceive a domain of interest. Additionally, we survey data integration approaches for their support for explicit representation of data semantics and for shielding users from technical-level heterogeneities of underlying data sources.
User-Specific Semantic Integration of Heterogeneous Data: What Remains to be Done?
2004
IFI-2008.0009
Department of Informatics, University of Zurich
March