Ordina - one of the first major IT companies in the Netherlands with focus on Linked Data

August 07, 2017

Marco Brattinga, thought leader linked data at Ordina would like Semantics 2017 to be a landmark that Linked Data is here to stay, and a starting point for a bright future for this technology as a driving force for the intelligent data-oriented organization.

Can you tell something about your work/research focus?

I help organizations how they can use data as assets in their operational process to create value for their stakeholders. Most of my work is in the public sector. I specialize in bridging the gap between legislation and information technology. In the public sector, meaning of data is very closely related to legislation. However, most processes and available information about legislation and semantics of data is traditionally only available in documents or even “in the heads” of skilled people. I use my knowledge and experience in both the legal field and information technology to – literally – link the two together.

Which trends and challenges you see for linked data/semantic web and why are they important for Ordina?

A trend I perceive is the shift from “linked data/semantic web” to simply “data on the web”. I foresee that the programmable web movement (REST API’s) and the linked data movement will merge and join forces. In the end: fundamentally a REST API as proposed by Roy Fielding and the original description of Linked Data from Tim Berners-Lee looks quite similar.

A big challenge for linked data will be how linked data will take its rightful place within the enterprise. Linked Data might be “the next big thing” after service oriented architecture (already coined by some as the “Information Oriented Architecture”). So a big challenge will be to convince our fellow engineer that Linked Data might also be sometime for his organization as well.

At a more technical point of view, another challenge will be to include Linked Data within a streaming data platform: real time available, usable and actual data anytime anywhere anyplace. I would like to see a more federated approach to sparql endpoints, to the point that a “service” clause can actually be used to fetch some structured data from the web, in whatever format or protocol! More closely to my current project: the merging of linked data and geospatial data.

What are your expectations about Semantics 2017 in Amsterdam, what makes it special for Ordina as a company?

I’ve got huge expectations about Semantics 2017. I’ve attended Semantics 2016 in Leipzig, which was already one of my favorite recent conference meetings. I expect a lot of talks about real-life cases. I also expect to talk to a lot of bright people that may help me to solve some of the more challenging aspects how we can use linked data to deliver business value.

For Ordina this year’s Semantics is special. As a Dutch company, we very much welcome Semantics to our nation’s capital. Ordina has some history with linked data and the semantic web, and was one of the first major IT company in the Netherlands to focus on Linked Data as a promising technology. We would like Semantics 2017 to be a landmark that Linked Data is here to stay, and a starting point for a bright future for this technology as a driving force for the intelligent data-oriented organization.