Knowledge Graph Insights

Andreas Blumauer

Every enterprise nowadays is awash in data, content, and knowledge, the understanding of which is all too often available only in employees' heads.

Forward-thinking businesses are moving to knowledge graphs to capture that tacit knowledge so that they can better understand and use it.

Andreas Blumauer shows how those graphs work best when they're accompanied by a domain knowledge model, creating a "semantic layer" that provides a vivid map of your business knowledge.

We talked about:

the recent merger of his company, Semantic Web Company, with Ontotext to form a new company, Graphwise, which aims to help enterprises build their semantic layer

the 20-year-old origin story behind his definition and description of a semantic layer

the emerging trend he sees of data, content, and knowledge people coming together, often around explorations of language and content structure

how getting domain knowledge out of people's heads and into multimodal AI architectures can streamline business research

how a semantic layer provides a map of your business knowledge

the importance of a domain knowledge model in a semantic layer architecture

the inadequacy of "desktop data integration," the practice of calling colleagues, consulting varied sources, and otherwise searching through ad hoc enterprise knowledge sources, and the stress it can cause

how a domain knowledge model can connect and reveal knowledge across an organization

the surprisingly small footprint of the domain knowledge model in an enterprise knowledge graph, typically just 1% or so of the semantic layer

how LLMs can help in the discovery of data and the construction of knowledge graphs

the two main elements of the semantic layer: domain knowledge models (taxonomies, ontologies, etc.) and an automatically generated enterprise knowledge graph

the different perceptions of the value of the semantic layer across data and content professionals, and how the arrival of gen AI has resulted in them talking together more to each other

how the semantic layer can facilitate the alignment of vocabularies and the understanding of data across business divisions

the benefits of a hybrid centralized-decentralized/global-local "glocalization" semantic layer strategy

Andreas' bio

Andreas Blumauer is SVP Growth at Graphwise, and CEO and founder of the Semantic Web Company (SWC), provider and developer of the PoolParty Semantic Platform and leading solution provider in the field of semantic AI and RAG. For more than 20 years, he has worked with more than 200 organizations worldwide to deliver AI and semantic search solutions, knowledge platforms, content hubs and related data modeling and integration services. Most recently, Andreas has been involved in the development of AI-powered ESG solutions for companies and investors.

A globally recognized thought leader and author in the field of semantic AI and graph technologies, Andreas has helped define and implement knowledge and AI strategies for various industries and domains. He is the author of "The Knowledge Graph Cookbook: Recipes that Work", a practical guide to building and deploying knowledge graphs in organizations. He is passionate about enabling clients to harness the power of semantic AI and graph technologies to achieve their business goals and make a social contribution.

Since 2022, Andreas has focused primarily on developing AI-based solutions that help organizations implement ESG and sustainable systems.

Connect with Andreas online

LinkedIn

Graphwise

Resources mentioned in this episode

Knowledge Graphs, LLMs and Semantic AI LinkedIn group

From Data to Trust: Leveraging Knowledge Graphs for Enterprise AI Solutions webinar

Enterprise architecture model that includes a semantic layer

Video

Here’s the video version of our conversation:

https://youtu.be/dEQh6m6zoDE

Podcast intro transcript

Jessica Talisman

Jessica Talisman is a seasoned information architect with decades of experience across a variety of domains.

She's done a lot of education and outreach around her semantic and and information architecture practices. One of the most important lessons she's learned is the crucial role of standards like the W3C SKOS model to bring structure and semantics to information and knowledge systems.

Since there are never enough information architects in any organization, she supports the democratization of IA practices, but she's also quick to highlight the unique skills that you can only get with deep study.

We talked about:

her work as a senior information architect at Adobe and previously in GLAM (galleries, libraries, art, and museums) and other domains

how her work in GLAM showed her the importance of the concept of lineage and attribution and benefits of the FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) framework

how standards and rules bring discipline and structure to information and data ecosystems

how capturing knowledge via the SKOS standard can provide on its own the structure, semantics, and disambiguation your data needs, as well as set you up for future successes

the importance of focusing on semantic fundamentals and how the ensuing understanding if your data assets can improve activities like a graph RAG implementation

the importance of collaborating and sharing ideas across domains

democratization, evangelism, and other kinds of information architecture outreach

the "Golden Spike" railroad metaphor she uses to illustrate cross-functional collaboration challenges

how linked data can help span organizational silos and align stakeholders on language and terminology

the importance of understanding your unique organizational fingerprint

how applying the library science concept of "scholarly communications" can move organizations forward and promote innovation

Jessica's bio

Jessica Talisman is a Senior Information Architect at Adobe. She has been building information systems to support human and machine information retrieval for more than 25 years. Jessica has worked in a variety of domains such as e-commerce, government, AdTech, EdTech and GLAM. Jessica holds a Masters in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Informatics. She lives in Santa Cruz, California with her partner Dave, and two dogs.

Connect with Jessica online

LinkedIn - Jessica is working on a new book about information architecture and is looking for anecdotes and other input. If you're an IA practitioner with good stories to share, she'd love to connect.

Video

Here’s the video version of our conversation:

https://youtu.be/1tlrZTJ52Vs

Podcast intro transcript

This is the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast, episode number 12. Anyone who has tried to discern how people in a domain talk about the concepts in it, and then try to align stakeholders in an organization around those concepts and the words that describes them, and then share that information with computers so that you can scale the impact of your work, knows that you need a good system to manage your taxonomies and other terminology. Jessica Talisman argues that the W3C SKOS standard is your best friend in such endeavors.

Interview transcript

Larry:

Okay. Hi everyone. Welcome to episode number 12 of the Knowledge Graph Insights Podcast. I am really delighted today to welcome to the show Jessica Talisman. Jessica's currently a senior information architect at Adobe, but she is extremely experienced in information architecture and knowledge graph stuff, so welcome Jessica, tell the folks a little bit more about what you're up to these days.

Jessica:

Thanks, Larry. So I'm currently, as Larry said, a senior information architect at Adobe, and before this, I was information architect over at Amazon. I've worked in many different domain spaces,

Tony Seale

With ten years of semantic data experience and an endless stream of insightful posts on LinkedIn, Tony Seale has earned the moniker "The Knowledge Graph Guy."

Tony says there's precious little time for enterprises to prepare their data with the interconnectedness and semantic meaning that it needs to be ready for the coming wave of more powerful AI technology.

We talked about:

his 10-year history of applying academic knowledge graph insights to commercial work, mostly in the finance industry

the yin-yang relationship in his "neuro-symbolic loop" concept that connects creative, generative LLMs and the reliable, structured knowledge provided by knowledge graphs

the contrast in reasoning capabilities between LLMs and knowledge graphs

how neither formal logic nor probabilistic systems are rarely the right answer on their own, hence the yin-yang analogy

the crucial role of understanding and consolidating data, the gold mine on which every enterprise is sitting that describes any organization's unique value

the power of understanding the "ontological core" of your business and then projecting it, selectively and strategically, to the world

the urgent threat posed by snake oil salesmen and other opportunists coming into the graph world and derailing enterprises' chances to properly exploit their unique data advantage

the two crucial characteristics of AI-ready data: connectedness and semantic meaning

his work chairing the Data Product Ontology (DPROD) working group, an effort to provide a semantic definition of what a data product is

Tony's bio

For over a decade, Tony has been passionate about linking data. His creative vision for integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) and Knowledge Graphs in large organisations has gained widespread attention, particularly through his popular weekly LinkedIn posts, earning him the reputation of 'The Knowledge Graph Guy.'

Tony’s journey into AI and knowledge graphs began as a secret side project, working from a computer under his desk while employed at an investment bank. What started as a personal passion quickly evolved into an area of deep expertise. Over the past decade, Tony has successfully delivered several mission-critical Knowledge Graphs into production for Tier 1 investment banks, helping these institutions better organise and leverage their data.

Now, Tony has just founded The Knowledge Graph Guys, a brand-new consultancy dedicated to making knowledge graphs accessible to organisations of all sizes. Through this venture, he aims to empower businesses with the tools and strategies needed to harness this powerful technology.

Connect with Tony online

LinkedIn

The Knowledge Graph Guys

Resources mentioned in this podcast

Connected Data London conference

Knowledge Graph Conference

GraphGeeks podcast

DPROD working group

Video

Here’s the video version of our conversation:

https://youtu.be/lkNvCzwhTRY

Podcast intro transcript

This is the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast, episode number 11. Whether they realize it or not, every business on the planet is sitting on a gold mine, the precious data that uniquely positions them in their industry and market. With ten years of AI practice and an endless stream of insightful social media posts, Tony Seale has earned the moniker "The Knowledge Graph Guy." Tony argues that enterprises that fail to grasp the urgent need to consolidate and understand their data will not survive the coming wave of more powerful AI.

Interview transcript

Larry:

Hi, everyone. Welcome to episode number 11 of the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast. I am really delighted today to welcome to the show Tony Seale. Tony is the Knowledge Graph Guy. That's how everybody knows him on LinkedIn, and I think he's earned that moniker. He also does a lot of consulting and work for big investment banks and things in the financial world. But welcome, Tony.

Paco Nathan

Graph RAG is all the rage right now in the AI world. Paco Nathan is uniquely positioned to help the industry understand and contextualize this new technology.

Paco currently leads a knowledge graph practice at an AI startup, and he has been immersed in the AI community for more than 40 years.

His broad and deep understanding of the tech and business terrain, along with his "graph thinking" approach, provides executives and other decision makers a clear view of terrain that is often obfuscated by less experienced and knowledgeable advisors.

We talked about:

his work building out the knowledge graph practice at Senzing, and their focus on entity resolution

the importance of entity resolution in knowledge graph use cases like fraud detection

the high percentage of knowledge graph projects that we never hear about because of their sensitive or proprietary nature

his take on the concept of "graph thinking" and how he and colleagues illustrate it with a simple graph model of a medieval village

how graphs add structure and context to our understanding of the world

the importance of embracing complexity and the Cynefin framework in which he grounds various types of business challenges: simple, complicated, complex, and chaotic

how to apply insights discerned from a Cynefin framing in management

how knowledge graphs can help oranizations understand the complex environments in which they operate

the wide range of industries and government entities that are applying knowledge graphs to concerns like supply chains, ESG, etc.

his overview of RAG - retrieval augmented generation and graph RAG

the wide variety of uses of the term "graph" in the current technology landscape

Microsoft's graph RAG which uses NetworkX inside their graph RAG library, not a graph database

Neo4j's approach which creates a "lexical graph" based an an NLP analysis of text

"embedding graphs"

ontology-based graphs

Google's approach to RAG, using graph neural networks

graphs that do reasoning over LLM-created facts assertions

"graph of thought" graphs based on chain-of-prompt thinking

"causal graphs" that permit causal reasoning

"graph analytics" graphs that re-rank possible answers

the evolution of graph RAG libraries and the variety of design patterns they employ

the shift in discovery dominance from search to recommender systems, most of which use knowledge graphs

examples of graph RAG from LlamaIndex and LangChain, in addition to Microsoft's graph RAG

his prediction that we'll see more reinforcement learning, graph tech, and advanced math capabilities like causality in addition to LLMs in AI systems

his reflection on his efforts to advance graph thinking over the past 4 years and the current state of LLMs, graphs, graph RAG, and the open-source software community

the need for a shift in thinking in the industry, in particular the need for cross-pollination across tech proficiencies and enterprise teams

the "10:1 ratio for the number of graph RAG experts versus the number of people we've actually worked with a library"

Paco's bio

Paco Nathan leads DevRel for the Entity Resolved Knowledge Graph practice area at Senzing.com and is a computer scientist with +40 years of tech industry experience and core expertise in data science, natural language, graph technologies, and cloud computing. He's the author of numerous books, videos, and tutorials about these topics.

Paco advises Kurve.ai, EmergentMethods.ai, KungFu.ai, DataSpartan, and Argilla.io (acq. Hugging Face), and is lead committer for the pytextrank and kglab open source projects. Formerly: Director of Learning Group at O'Reilly Media; and Director of Community Evangelism at Databricks.

Connect with Paco online

LinkedIn

Sessionize

Derwen.ai

Senzing.com

Resources mentioned in this interview

Connected Data London conference

Knowledge Graph Conference

Katariina Kari

For the past eight years, Katariina Kari has built knowledge graph teams at giant e-commerce companies like IKEA and Zalando. This practical, real-world experience puts her in an elite group of ontology and knowledge graph experts.

Knowledge graphs offer unique benefits to e-commerce merchants. From better product recommendations to more useful search results, the semantic capabilities that knowledge graphs provide routinely result in seven-figure sales increases.

The knowledge graphs that Katariina builds provide a semantic layer in the enterprise architecture that lets companies capture, use, and re-use the organization's unique domain knowledge in any number of applications.

Because knowledge graph isn't one application that does one thing. It's a paradigm shift in the way we work with data. It's a paradigm shift in the way we code, because now you don't need to put business logic into your code.

We talked about:

her work over the past eight years building knowledge graphs at companies like IKEA and Zalando

how using knowledge graphs to improve reccomendation and search routinely brings seven-figure business benefits

the set of skills and talents it takes to implement a knowledge graph project, most of which already exist in most companies

how LLMs and other AI tools can help transform structured or unstructured data into semantic data, a computable resource that captures business domain knowledge

some of the specific skills needed for KG work: ontology experts, back-end developers who understand the semantic web stack, data scientists and engineers, knowledge practitioners to capture domain knowledge, and product management

the need in each organization for a unique knowledge graph team tailored to the needs of the company and the talent available

the importance of user-centricity and use-case understanding in any knowledge graph project

the benefits of capturing business logic in a semantic layer which can be used and re-used in multiple applications

an interesting search-improvement use case that resulted in seven-figure sales increases, as well as experience-improving recommendation and info-box use cases

how capturing subject matter expertise in a knowlege graph can dramatically improve recommendation systems and deliver unexpected benefits to other

the importance of showing the benefits of knowledge graphs to organically advance enterprise adoption

her take on the difference between RDF-based knowledge graphs and labeled property graphs (LPGs) like Neo4j

the compelling case for knowledge graphs in e-commerce, which she has discovered in her eight years of practice

Katariina's bio

Katariina Kari is a leading expert in semantic web technologies, specializing in the development of ontologies and knowledge graphs. Over the past eight years, she has worked with prominent brands like IKEA and Zalando, building knowledge graphs that significantly enhance customer experiences by improving search functionalities and recommendations. Her extensive hands-on experience in creating enterprise knowledge graphs has established her as one of the global top talents in the field.

Katariina is frequently invited to speak at international events on the semantic web and knowledge graphs, sharing her insights and practical expertise with industry professionals. Her deep knowledge and passion for the semantic web have made her a sought-after keynote speaker and thought leader in the field.

Balancing a dual enthusiasm for technology and the arts, Katariina holds both a Master of Science degree and a Master of Music degree. From 2012 to 2016, she ran her own consultancy, where she worked closely with classical music organizations and artists, helping them navigate digital outreach. An art-loving and art-serving nerd, she seamlessly blends her love for music and technology in all her work, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in her field.

Vera Brozzoni

When you manage millions of digital assets, as the BBC does, you need robust metadata practices to organize and discover them.

Vera Brozzoni is a metadata manager at the BBC who focuses on classical music. She combines here academic background in music, philosophy, and the humanities with a rigorous metadata mind to help BBC systems - and ultimately viewers and listeners - discover and appreciate the music she loves so much.

We talked about:

her work as a metadata manager at the BBC and her distinctive background in classical music and philosophy and the humanities

how the complex history of music complicates her work

the role of taxonomy in her work

the meaning behind the famous quote, "Metadata is a love letter to the future"

how "music does whatever it wants" just as biological organisms don't always follow predictable rules

the importance of not being present-bound and imposing current biases on prior generations of music

her thoughts on the need for more practitioners with artistic cultural backgrounds to enter the field of metadata management

the diverse variety of intellectual talent at the BBC

how she sees her role as "bridging two completely different universes"

her thoughts on how AI could benefit her metadata work

her metadata outreach work into the music community

how to measure the effectiveness of a metadata program

her belief that the phantom of the French philosopher Blaise Pascal hovers over all cultural metadata work

Vera's bio

Vera Brozzoni was born in Italy where she studied Philosophy. She then moved to the UK where she studied History of Music and obtained a PhD in Composition at Newcastle University. She has worked in the music industry for many years, specialising in classical music metadata, devising innovative methods of schematising the history of music in all its complexities. Her aim is to evangelise metadata to classical music companies so that they can future-proof data coming from the past. Her other interests include AI, Machine Learning, cinema, literature.

Connect with Vera online

LinkedIn

Video

Here’s the video version of our conversation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MKWKw0x7uc

Podcast intro transcript

This is the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast, episode number 8. Adjacent to the engineering and information practices that build the semantic infrastructure we operate in, is the crucial field of metadata management. Vera Brozzoni agrees with the internet archivist Jason Scott that "metadata is a love letter to the future." In her work at the BBC, Vera combines her deep academic background in music and the humanities with her metadata expertise to help listeners and viewers discover and appreciate classical music.

Interview transcript

Larry:

Hi everyone. Welcome to episode number eight of the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast. I am really delighted today to welcome to the show, Vera Brozzoni. Vera is a metadata manager at the BBC and based in the company in the UK. Welcome, Vera. Tell the folks a little bit more about your work at BBC and ...

Vera:

Hello Larry. So, yeah, as you rightly introduced me, Larry, I'm a metadata manager. My particularity is that I'm a classical music specialist and I come from a staunchly humanities background and not a tech or library science background like most of my colleagues basically.

Vera:

The fact of being an anomaly in this field, I'm trying to use it for the good of culture, for the good of the arts, and trying to convince the classical music world of the importance of metadata, which is great fun as you can imagine.

Larry:

That's funny. I hadn't really thought about that side of it 'cause I've thought more like you, we met in London at a semantic event and you fit right in. It's like you're clearly not having any trouble integrating into the tech world and the media world, but that's interesting. Tell me more about getting your classical music coll...

Teodora Petkova

Teodora Petkova is a scholar and content marketer whose PhD dissertation explored semantic technologies and dialogical theory and how they apply in the field of digital marketing communication.

She thoughtfully combines her rigorous academic thinking with pragmatic data- and knowledge-management practices in her content-marketing work.

She's currently building a knowledge graph with marketing content at Ontotext, the RDF database and data-management platform company.

We talked about:

her work building a knowledge graph of marketing content at Ontotext

her book "Being Dialogic" and the concept of dialogic communication

the importance of metadata in dialogic communication architectures

how creating a controlled vocabulary or an ontology can support a shared understanding of the concepts stakeholders and users work with

her overview of the semantic web

her current study with the 90-year-old marketing-education legend Philip Kotler

the connections she makes between corporate knowledge management and corporate marketing

the utility of enterprise-wide controlled vocabularies

how your content efforts can help you curate your knowledge graph

the urgent need to cultivate the social practices to help us generate and curate metadata

Teodora's bio

Teodora Petkova is a philologist fascinated by the metamorphoses of text on the Web and curious about the ways the Semantic Web unfolds. She holds a PhD. in Marketing Communication, an MS in Creative writing and a Bachelor of Science in Classics. Teodora is the author of the books The Brave New Text and Being Dialogic.

Following her genuine commitment to creating dialogic moments through semantic annotations, from 2022, Teodora is part of the Ontotext Knowledge Graph team. The Ontotext Knowledge Graph is where Teodora strives to harness the potential of the Semantic Web to foster dialogic marketing communications. Driven by the fascination with the ever-evolving nature of text on the Web, Teodora is also teaching web writing to students at the Content Strategy Masters program in FH Joanneum.

Connect with Teodora online

TeodoraPetkova.com

Teodora's newsletter

LinkedIn

Teodora's books

The Brave New Text

Being Dialogic

Resources mentioned in this interview

How to Do Things with Data, Klaus Bruhn Jensen

The Semantic Web, Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler, and Ora Lassila

Marketing 4.0: Moving from Traditional to Digital, Philip Kotler

Video

Here’s the video version of our conversation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF5xKzXxoWM

Podcast intro transcript

This is the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast, episode number 7. When you combine deep academic curiosity, a powerful concept like the semantic web, and an intellectually innovative approach to understanding how humans, computers, and corporate knowledge interact, you get Teodora Petkova's concept of "dialogic communication." Combine this powerful idea with a nuanced appreciation for modern marketing and carefully curated enterprise metadata and you can powerfully convey your organization's value to the world.

Interview transcript

Larry:

Hi everyone. Welcome to episode number seven of the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast. I am really delighted today to welcome to the show, Teodora Petkova. Teodora is just an ordinary content writer stumbled into the knowledge graph world. So welcome to the show, Teodora. Tell the folks a little bit more about what you are doing these days.

Teodora:

Hi, Larry. Thanks for having me. I'm doing what I have been dreaming about. I'm building a knowledge graph with Ontotext, out of marketing content, and I'm doing a lot of fights, a lot of things that I imagined and envisioned, but they need to be translated into specifications and requirements. So I now have a lot of time to write, do content writing per se; however, I write in the book of life.

Larry:

Yeah,

Dean Allemang

Dean Allemang literally wrote the book on the semantic web. "Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist" is now in its third edition.

In the book, Dean and his co-authors, James Hendler and Fabien Gandon, show how to apply web standards to build a meaningful web of global, connected knowledge.

More recently, Dean has conducted research with his colleagues at data.world that shows how using knowledge graphs can triple the accuracy of LLM-based question-answering systems.

We talked about:

his role as a principal solutions architect at data.world

the meaning of the "semantic web" and its intent of sharing meaning across the web

the long history of knowledge representation and how the connectedness of the semantic web adds to it

the crucial difference between documents about things and the strings that describe them

the contrast between the persistent nature of enterprise data and the ephemerality of the applications that use the data

the power of the simple structure of RDF, its mathematical affordances, and the ease of distribution it permits

the impact of newer AI tech on knowledge graph building and querying

the research that he and Juan Sequeda have conducted that shows how using knowledge graphs can triple the accuracy of LLM-based question-answering systems

his thoughts on the yet-to-be-resolved one-way or two-way ontology question

the crucial role of trust in AI and how replacing LLMs with knowledge graphs as the point of contact in AI systems could build more trust

Dean's bio

Dean Allemang has been active in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) since the 1980s. With a notable emphasis on Semantic Web, he is the author of the book "Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist." His passion for understanding and implementing knowledge graphs led to a significant publication about using LLMs to answer queries over structured data, which introduced a new benchmark for evaluation.

In his current role as a Principal Solutions Architect at data.world, he contributes extensively to the development of the AI Context Engine product, which is inspired by his recent research (with Juan Sequeda and Bryon Jacob), and underscores his commitment to practical application of theoretical principles.

For a span of about a decode, Dean operated as an independent consultant, utilizing knowledge graph solutions to address challenges in industries such as Media, Finance, and Life Sciences. This diverse experience has cultivated a broad perspective on applying AI and Semantic Web principles.

Influenced by Sir Tim Berners-Lee's concept of linked data and data sharing, Dean Allemang's work reflects a consistent focus on these principles. His contributions have advanced the field of AI and his current interest lies in how knowledge graphs can make generative AI more effective.

Connect with Dean online

LinkedIn

Medium

Resources mentioned in this interview

Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist

A Benchmark to Understand the Role of Knowledge Graphs on Large Language Model's Accuracy for Question Answering on Enterprise SQL Databases, Juan Sequeda, Dean Allemang, Bryon Jacob

The Semantic Web, Tim Berners-Lee, James Hendler, and Ora Lassila

Video

Here’s the video version of our conversation:

https://youtu.be/29kmAc6tobU

Podcast intro transcript

This is the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast, episode number 6. Long before the introduction of the semantic web - the innovation that added meaning and metadata to documents on the web - AI pioneers like Dean Allemang had been thinking about how knowledge could be formalized to help people do their work. The web itself, along with the W3C standards that power its semantic capabilities, gave Dean and his peers the ability to scale and connect existing practices and technologies to build a more meaningful web.

Interview transcript

Larry:

Things. Hi everyone. Welcome to episode number six of the Knowledge Grap...

Alan Morrison

After 20-plus years of industry analysis, Alan Morrison has developed a keen sense for how knowledge graphs can help enterprises.

Even though he has focused on advanced tech and emerging IT practices and is deeply immersed and invested in current tech developments, much of his advice for enterprises looking to develop their data maturity involves pragmatic baby steps and basic mindset shifts.

We talked about:

his work in the consulting world and his organizing work around the knowledge graph community to improve awareness of the technology

the need to find "foxes instead of the hedgehogs" in enterprises when you're trying to promote adoption of new tech

the relationships between different AI tech, like LLMs and knowledge graphs, and the common connection they share: data

the importance of having mature data practices in any enterprise

how even simple metadata practices in common tools like spreadsheets can support better enterprise data practices

how sidestepping the formal org chart and forming guerrilla teams can advance data practice

the benefits of starting small in any knowledge graph project

how representing organization knowledge at a high level in a knowledge graph can help solve big enterprise problems

how a knowledge graph gives you a multidimensional Tinker Toys set to model and understand your org's data

the benefits of moving from tabular thinking to graph thinking

his frustration with the current framing of AI as being solely about machine learning

his observation that practices across any org - content, knowledge management, data management, business people - could benefit from long-standing standards and proven technologies (that might not be as sexy and topical as LLMs)

Alan's bio

Alan Morrison is a longtime analyst, writer, advisor and podcaster on advanced data technologies and emerging IT. For 20 years at PwC's R&D and innovation think tanks, Alan identified emerging technologies on the cusp of adoption, assessed their business impacts, and advised PwC's clients on innovation strategy.

Before PwC, he was a semiconductor industry market analyst and forecaster, a retail site location analyst, and a US Navy intelligence analyst, Russian linguist and aircrewman.

For the last five years, Alan has been a contributor on knowledge graph and related topics for Data Science Central. His writings over the years have covered dozens of different technologies.

Connect with Alan online

LinkedIn

Video

Here’s the video version of our conversation:

https://youtu.be/TXOWWjM-DBc

Podcast intro transcript

This is the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast, episode number 5. You might think that the lofty perch of multiple decades in industry-analyst roles would inspire grand visions of tech transformation with leading-edge technology. Quite the opposite in the case Alan Morrison. He shows how enterprises can advance their data maturity by cultivating basic graph thinking in their organizations and by taking small, pragmatic steps like adopting established standards for interoperability or simply adding metadata to a spreadsheet.

Interview transcript

Larry:

Hi, everyone. Welcome to episode number five of the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast. I am really happy today to welcome to the show Alan Morrison. Currently, he's a contributor at Data Science Central, a well-known publication in the field. He's a freelancer and consultant around knowledge graphs and a lot of other areas as well. His background, he comes out of the consulting world. Most recently before his current role as a freelancer and consultant, he worked for many years at PriceWaterhouseCooper, the big consultancy as a senior research fellow. So welcome, Alan. Tell the folks a little bit more about what you're up to these days.

Alan:

Hey, Larry. Great to talk with you and folks should know that you and I have some history together as a part of the Data Worthy Collective,

Ellie Young

Ellie Young effortlessly connects the human and technical elements that go into ontologies and knowledge graph building.

Ellie came to the world of knowledge graphs with backgrounds in both literature and sustainability. "If the world wasn't on fire," she says, " I would probably be writing novels."

That sense of urgency drives her work at Common Action, a platform she is creating to address climate change and advance sustainability. She also applies her knowledge graph expertise in projects like HelioWeb at NASA, which connects scientists in the field of heliophysics.

We talked about:

her work at Common Action, a platform for climate and for sustainability that uses knowledge graph technology

her work at NASA to facilitate collaboration and expose knowledge across the domain of heliophysics (the study of the sun)

how personal knowledge graphs can connect individuals and collectives of people

how her background in design, art,literature, and the humanities manifests in her knowledge graph work

her desire to leverage metadata and capabilities like her language knowledge to facilitate topical discovery

the interplay between the efficiencies that AI tech like LLMs offer and the uniquely imaginative variations that human beings create

the importance of the practice of design in advancing the productive use of information

how user experience design connects to ontologies and back-end tech

how she applies, and imagines how others might apply, a literary mindset to ontology practice

how she applied ethnographic methods from anthropology to a paper she co-authored on the NASA HelioWeb ontology

her ongoing call for volunteers to help with her Common Action program, specifically a current need for creating a "phenomena ontology"

Ellie's bio

Ellie Young brings knowledge to communities to catalyze successful, local actions to address climate/sustainability problems.

She is the founder of Common Action, an innovation network facilitating climate and sustainability action through the development of community and knowledge graph technology.

Previously she served as Head of Community and Director of Conference Operations at The Knowledge Graph Conference.

Connect with Ellie online

LinkedIn

ellie at common-action dot org

Resources

The cultural-social nucleus of an open community: A multi-level community knowledge graph and NASA application, Applied Computing and Geosciences

Common Action vision

Video

Here’s the video version of our conversation:

https://youtu.be/CL9HWocoh7I

Podcast intro transcript

This is the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast, episode number 4. In the domains of ontology engineering and the semantic web, there are plenty of people with advanced technical skills. Practitioners with social-science skills, well-developed literary instincts, and a design mindset are harder to find. Ellie Young smoothly navigates the technical and linguistic worlds that intersect in knowledge graphs, applying her humanities mindset to projects that connect scientists at NASA and address climate change and sustainability.

Interview transcript

Larry:

Okay. Hi everyone. Welcome to episode number four of the Knowledge Graph Insights podcast. I am super delighted today to welcome to the show Ellie Young. Ellie is the founder of Common Action, a sustainability and climate change activist organization. She's also ... The way I first met her, she's the former head of community for the Knowledge Graph Conference, and one of the people who really ushered a lot of people into this community. So welcome Ellie. Tell the folks a little bit more about what you're up to these days.

Ellie:

Thanks, Larry, and thank you for inviting me to be a special guest with you on this very nice community visit. So yeah. Now I've gone from KGC. I think I left about three years ago to starting Common Action, which is not really an activist organization.