In this course we will examine the techniques for building information systems on the World Wide Web. These systems leverage the web as a database of content and provide advanced functions that combine or "mash-up", filter, and transform that content. Examples include digital libraries, virtual museums, e-commerce sites, collaborative learning environments, eScholarship frameworks, and social networking sites.
Technology is a fundamental component of these systems and the course will cover markup languages, web services, protocols, ontology and knowledge modeling languages, semi-structured data parsing and manipulation. But, the management, organization, and preservation of information involves integrating technical solutions with economic, policy, and social concerns. Therefore, course content combines:
An additional theme is that information systems pre-date the Web. Those traditional information systems - a.k.a. libraries - have developed well-honed tools, models, and techniques for managing content and services. We will explore how they map to contemporary network-based environments, understand the lessons to be learned from them, and note how many need radical reconsideration in a world of ubiquitous computing, high-speed networks, and new forms of content.
Course work includes readings, critical reviews, and technical projects that build expertise in tools and mechanisms for presenting and organizing information.