August 30, 2006
Semantic MediaWiki Active on Case Wiki
I installed Semantic MediaWiki (SMW) on the Case Wiki this evening. Semantic MediaWiki allows you to embed relations and attributes in articles. In a nutshell, it gives the wiki itself the ability to understand properties about something. For example, you can say that something is "located in" something else and later ask the wiki for all articles located within that something.
Semantic MediaWiki works by introducing new wiki syntax, which is documented at Help:Annotation on the SMW web site. I will plan to add something on the Case Wiki help, but until then...
Semantic MediaWiki opens up a whole new door of possibilities for the Case Wiki. Documenting relations and attributes is only the first step. The real power comes in the ability to query the stored relations and attributes. For example, with a semantic-aware wiki, you will be able to craft specialized queries. For example, "Find buildings in the Case Quad built between 1900 and 1950" or "Find all places to eat in the Case Quad." Best of all, there will be no more need for manually-edited articles like "Places to get coffee." Instead, you can just query for "food providers who sell coffee." Cool, eh?
I welcome any feedback people may have to this new feature.
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