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ESTC2008: Expert Panels debate the future of semantic technology

Learn how Europe is driving the market for semantic technologies forward in over 30 presentations by leading businesses and researchers

European Semantic Technology Conference (ESTC2008)
September 24-26, 2008, Vienna, Austria
www.estc2008.com

**HIGH LEVEL PANEL DISCUSSIONS
As well as a set of excellent tutorials and presentations, the ESTC2008 programme also includes senior experts from industry and government discussing and debating key current issues surrounding semantic technology and its industrial uptake in three stimulating panel sessions.

*PANEL: Does Semantics Bring Business Intelligence to Search?

It's been long proclaimed that business intelligence and search may eventually swallow one another; essentially both boiling down to the discovery of information and its effective presentation to the target user. While Nitin Mangtani, lead product manager for enterprise search group at Google, may conclude that "Search is not trying to replace the BI tools", an overlap in such prominent fields anyway begs the utility of semantic technologies. This panel session will focus on the higher level application of semantic technologies: What must take place to fully integrate semantic technologies into the products offered by leading business intelligence providers? Is this necessary, or will semantic search techniques replace BI? How established is semantic search? What must take place to bring these two fields under one central R&D focus?

Peter Jackson | Thomson & Reuters
Atanos Kiryakov | Ontotext
Christian Hempelmann | hakia
Franceso Webber | matrixware
Dickson Lukose | Mimos
Joerg Wurzer | iQser
Moderation: Gregor Honsel | Technology Review

**PANEL: Commercializing New Technology
On the occasion of the European Semantic Technology Conference, the Austrian Trade organizes a workshop "Commercializing New Technology". Within a panel discussion exciting issues such as marketing, commercialization of new technologies and developments, application as well as evaluation of patents will be covered.

Dr. Michael Scherz | Austrian Trade, Director
Dr. Thomas Friedrich | marionmed, CEO
Dr. Andreas H. Gotwald | TPA Horwath European and Technology Consultants GesmbH, CEO
Thomas P. Offner | fatfoogoo, CFO
Monika Thurnher/KR Julius Thurnher | iku(REG)windows, CEO
Georg Eder | LEDworx

*PANEL: Semantic Technology: Encouraging Industrial Uptake

Based upon Project10X's "Semantic Wave 2008 Report: Industry Roadmap to Web 3.0 & Multibillion Dollar Market Opportunities" the markets for semantic technology in ICT are predicted to exceed $10 billion by 2010. The same report list over 350 companies and organizations which provide and develop semantic technologies. Other estimates based on semantisize, a site that gathers and categorizes online content related to semantic technology, show a collection of approximately 150 companies and organizations involved in this field. Talis has provided a vision of how the interface of the Semantic Web might differ from how the everyday user interacts with the current Web of documents, and what this might mean for both users and producers of Web content. This panel session will take a look at both of these perspectives: how to encourage the adoption of semantic technologies into the solutions and products currently offered by leaders of ICT industrial market, as well as
inviting vertical domains; and how to acquire a customer base of end users looking to directly benefit from semantic technologies.

Michael Brodie | Verizon
Richard Benjamins | Telefonica
Peter F Brown | Pensive S.A.
John Davies | British Telecom
Mark Greaves | Vulcan
Marta Nagy-Rothengass | European Comission
Moderation: Paul Miller | Talis

*PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
<http://www.estc2008.com/index.php/program>
The final conference program is now available and contains over 30 presentations, keynote talks, tutorials and panel sessions. Program highlights include:

• Experts talking about Semantic Search: new kind of methodologies and innovative information retrieval technologies used for specialized search engines, like Hakia, Matrixware and seekda.
• Presentations dealing with the question of how Semantic solutions can improve Business Intelligence - interoperability of data, systems and organizations.
• Pharma companies like UCB and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals will present case studies about using semantics in managing pharmaceuticaldata.
• High level experts from industry and governmental institutions like Michael Brodie from Verizon, John Davies from BT and Richard Benjamins from Telefonica taking part in three prominent panels about: 1) Does semantics bring business intelligence to search, 2) Semantic Technology: encouraging industrial uptake, 3) Commercializing New Technology.

ESTC2008 is Europe's most prominent and authoritative conference focusing on the growth of the ICT semantic technology markets. Participants of ESTC learn how to develop a cohesive strategy for managing semantic technology initiatives. ESTC2008 provides invaluable opportunity to meet fellow peers or rub shoulders with some of ICT industry's major players.

**ESTC2008 EXHIBITION
ESTC2008 is sponsored by some of the leading organizations pioneering the adoption of semantic technology. Amongst them are Europe's most successful developers and vendors of semantic technology solutions that have already been implemented in large international companies. Participants have the opportunity to gain insight and learn more about these companies and their services during the exhibition.

• Gold Sponsors: Austria Wirtschaftsservice, DERI Galway, iSoco, Matrixware, Metatomix, Neon, Ontos, Ontotext, seekda, Theseus, W3C, Active, Super, STI Innsbruck
• Semantic Exchange Partners: Aduna, BeInformed, Expert System, iQser, Netbreeze, Project 10x, Semantic System
• Silver Sponsors: Franz Inc., Innoraise, LarKC, Service Web 3.0, Soa4All, Talis

**REGISTRATION
<http://www.estc2008.com/index.php/register>
Register now with the Business Partner Code and save 80 EUR! (Regular subscription 600 EUR)
Business Partner Code: R2D23CP
Please use the online form to register for ESTC2008.

**ACCOMODATION AND TRAVEL GUIDE FOR VIENNA
<http://www.estc2008.com/index.php/venue/accommodation>
We are pleased to offer you a variety of hotels nearby the venue of ESTC2008, the Palais Niederoesterreich and close to the city centre.

For useful information about Vienna please visit the official tourist information website:
http://www.wien.info

Compact Travel Guide for Vienna is available online for free download:
http://www.arrivalguides.com/en/guide.php?dest=vienna&lang=en

**MORE INFORMATION
If you have any questions or need further information about ESTC2008, please contact info@estc2008.com.