The Semantic Web is a vision to create a “web of knowledge”; an extension of the Web as we know it which will create an information space which will be usable by machines in very rich ways. The technologies which make up the Semantic Web allow machines to reason across information gathered from the Web, presenting only relevant results and inferences to the user. Users of the Web in its current form assess the credibility of the information they gather in a number of different ways. If processing happens without the user being able to check the source and credibility of each piece of information used in the processing, the user must be able to trust that the machine has used trustworthy information at each step of the processing. The machine should therefore be able to automatically assess the credibility of each piece of information it gathers from the Web. A case study on advanced checks for website credibility is presented, and the site presented in the case presented is found to be credible, despite failing many of the checks which are presented. A website with a backend based on RDF technologies is constructed. A better understanding of RDF technologies and good knowledge of the RAP and Redland RDF application frameworks is gained. The second aim of constructing the website was to gather information to be used for testing various trust metrics. The website did not gain widespread support, and therefore not enough data was gathered for this. Techniques for presenting RDF data to users were also developed during website development, and these are discussed. Experiences in gathering RDF data are presented next. A scutter was successfully developed, and the data smushed to create a database where uniquely identifiable objects were linked, even where gathered from different sources. Finally, the use of digital signature as a means of linking an author and content produced by that author is presented. RDF/XML canonicalisation is discussed in the provision of ideal cryptographic checking of RDF graphs, rather than simply checking at the document level. The notion of canonicalisation on the semantic, structural and syntactic levels is proposed. A combination of an existing canonicalisation algorithm and a restricted RDF/XML dialect is presented as a solution to the RDF/XML canonicalisation problem. We conclude that a trusted Semantic Web is possible, with buy in from publishing and consuming parties.

The aim of this thesis is to develop an educational methodology for the following languages: Markdown, HyperText Markup Language (HTML), eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG); and to verify the methodology at Czech elementary schools on the lower secondary level. An integral part of the methodology is also an introduction to the history and development, as well as the theory of syntax of the mentioned markup languages, necessary for teaching according to this methodology. The methodology uses specific examples, on which the students can verify their newly acquired knowledge in practice. The verification of the methodology took place in the form of teaching at two Czech elementary schools. The teaching took place in the seventh grade within the compulsory elective subject of informatics, in the ninth grade within a compulsory subject. The expected differences in understanding the markup languages education in favor of the ninth year have not been confirmed. The motivation of the students proved to play much greater role than their age. The verification of the methodology has shown that it is necessary to pay careful attention to the precise formulation of the task assignments and guidelines to the students, to avoid confusion and substitution of the source code of the...

ITC/USA 2006 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Second Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 23-26, 2006 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / In this paper we provide the motivation for a neutral instrumentation hardware abstraction language that is focused on the description and control of instrumentation systems and networks. We also describe the design approach and structure of such a language that meets the needs. The language design is described according to the three roles it must serve: (1) as a descriptive language for specifying and describing the components and configuration of an instrumentation system, (2) as a command language for issuing configuration and data commands to instrumentation hardware and (3) as a query language for requesting the current state of instrumentation hardware.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / This paper describes the basic foundations of XML and the description of a JAVA-based eXtensible Markup Language (XML) prototype application being developed for the E-9A Airborne Telemetry Platform. In an effort to eliminate proprietary software and improve range safety data exchange, radar boat position data will be tagged with pre-defined XML tags prior to being transmitted from the E-9A. Ground Station software will then processes the XML-based boat position data to provided a means for ground station personnel to strip out data and distribute over the Internet. Leveraging XML for a telemetry application provides the ability to efficiently exchange telemetry data between users over the Internet and harness a web based standard with industry wide support.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 23-26, 2000 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / XML is a simple, powerful way to agree on data transfers between organizations, applications and/or computer systems. XML was originally developed to separate data content definition from the display of data on a web page. XML is based on a subset of the Standardized General Markup Language (SGML), which means XML uses a tag-based syntax similar to Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). Whereas HTML uses fixed tags to display data, XML uses custom designed tags to describe data. XML provides a simple, standard, portable, and flexible way to transfer data between applications. This could provide a useful way to transfer telemetry attributes data between customers and systems. Currently, there is not a significant amount of support for the use of the Telemetry Attributes Transfer Standard (TMATS). Telemetry vendors still use their own formats, customers maintain their own databases, and support facilities/ranges promote the use of their own implementations. TMATS was supposed to define a common ground to transfer data definitions, but the tools to TMATS have not come about. TMATS is a well defined, structured specification that maps into XML extremely well. Even though XML is a fairly new technology, there are already many tools available to support XML parsing with more becoming available. This makes XML an excellent choice to supplement TMATS for the interchange of telemetry attribute information. This paper provides an initial attempt at defining the language and structure for an XML vocabulary of TMATS.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 22-25, 2001 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Visitors to web pages are, in most cases, restricted to viewing information the page designer has anticipated they will be interested in viewing. Many times this is adequate, but there are instances where the visitor wants the information they view to be based on selections they choose. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate anticipates selected customers will have a need to view very large data sets that vary from the satellite payload to the satellite state of health1, and will require controlling what they view in an “ad hoc” manner. In response, AFRL is using Java Server Pages developed within the data center to bring interactive and dynamic web page content to these customers.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Computer Science and Information Systems / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Computer Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / New facility construction and existing facility renovation create new or modified operation and maintenance (O&M) requirements for the maintenance responsibility organization such as a Public Works Department (PWD). This O&M requirement is fully described by an Operation and Maintenance Support Information (OMSI) package. OMSI content includes facility, systems, and product information. This thesis will address information integration, the process of allowing information systems to cross-communicate and share data. OMSI information integrated within the framework of a Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) system allows for early identification of O&M requirements, an improved planning capability for new facilities, and more efficient economies of scale. In addition to PWD manpower savings, OMSI-CAFM integration will also allow a revolution in the way O&M requirements are planned and created. Preliminary OMSI information would be ideally created by the design A/E after having considered work force capability from both a workload and expertise perspective. While this may be impractical due to the changing nature of workforce capability and the lengthy planning and design cycle of military construction, OMSI-CAFM integration will certainly allow O&M planning to begin early in the OMSI development stages. OMSI submittals can be layered to provide preliminary planning information in the first submittal and add additional detailed information in later submittals. In such a manner, PWD O&M planners can begin an incremental planning effort early in the facility construction phase. This thesis provides a non-proprietary, no-cost solution to OMSI-CAFM information integration that minimizes specialized knowledge on the part of the OMSI AE. This will allow a broad applicability of the solution to all OMSI developers, including those for smaller non-MILCON projects that aren’t specifically funded for OMSI generation. An effective solution must also provide for easy and inexpensive repurposing of OMSI information for future (and as yet unknown) uses. The solution uses XML technologies (XML, XSD, XLS, XLST, XPath, XQuery, etc) and XML storage systems for the content creation, management, and repurposing of OMSI information. / Lieutenant Commander, Unites States Navy

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / The advent of Wireless Local Area Networking (WLAN) has seen a widespread adoption of its technology and functionality in many different areas. Many studies show more and more organizations are extending their networks to incorporate wireless devices and their applications. Permitting wireless devices to access private networks however, further complicates the tasks of protecting the network and its resources from unauthorized access. Now that they have become a significant element in today's networks, selecting and deploying adequate security measures have become the focus of many research efforts. Typically, network managers implement countermeasures to augment security. The goal of this thesis is to research approaches that compliment existing security measures with fine grain access control measures. The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is adopted to accommodate such granular access control as it provides the mechanisms for scaling security down to the document content level. / Captain, United States Marine Corps