When a child wants to build, he reaches for the nearest set of blocks and has at it.  For the semantic Web Developer or Information Architect, finding that perfect block proves a bit more difficult, as there many more Web tools available than letters in the alphabet.  If what you’re looking for is a resource that places database information in a semantic form, then one small block you might want to investigate is Triplify.  Triplify ‘semantifies’ Web Applications, bringing to light the semantic structures embedded in relational databases, and makes the Web mashable.

So What Does Triplify Do?

In short, Expose Semantics! Triplify provides for a knowledge representation of relational data and makes the content available in RDF, JSON or Linked Data form.  Furthermore, Triplify leverages its lightweight structure, a few files totaling less than 500 lines of code, to insure rapid deployment, reuse, and ease of implementation.

How Does Triplify Work?

Triplify capitalizes on the connections inherent in relational database queries, to retrieve data according to the queries of your choice and convert them to:

• RDF
• JSON
• Linked Data.

Generally, a minor 3 to 7 queries generates the majority of valuable information. After extracting database data, Triplify software constructs a shareable RDF, JSON or Linked Data semantic representation.

How Can Triplify Help Me?

Beyond simply preparing a semantic representation of your database on the Web, Triplify turns your Web Application into a data source for use in conjunction with other sources of data across the Web.

Notable uses include:

Semantic Search

• Sindice – A Semantic Web document index

Mashups

• Yahoo! Pipes – Pipe designer can utilize instances of Triplify as a data source.
• Simile Potluck – Mash Triplify data sources [No Programming Required!]
• Programmableweb – DB of API’s for use in conjunction with Triplify

Data Browsing

• OpenLink RDF Browser
• Tabulator
• Exhibit
• JSON Output – Access Triplify data without a parser
  • append ?t-output=json to any Triplify URI

Publishing Update Logs

• Publish a hierarchically structured update log as linked data.

Application Advantages:

• Search engines can better evaluate the content and more easily find content.
• Different application instances can easily syndicate dynamic content without the needing interfaces, content representations.
• Ability to create custom-tailored niche search engines. Easy searching for a product with certain characteristics.

How Do I use Triplify?

• Download and extract the Triplify script to your Web application.
• Create a Triplify configuration file according to your application.
  • Customizing the SQL queries to select information you wish to extract.
• Ensure the script registers your application instance with the Triplify registry so that it can be found by other Web applications.
• Enjoy your contribution to the Semantic Web initiative!

Check out the RDF data source for DavidKuhta.com at the Triplify Registry!

- Modeled after the WordPress configuration file below

Community contributed configuration files for some major Web applications:

• WordPress 2.7+ : by Andrei Mihăilă
• OpenConf 2.0 : by Sören
• Drupal 5.x : by David
• WackoWiki 4.2 : by Sören
• OpenJournalSystems 2.0 : by Sören
• Joomla! :  by Le Phuoc
• osCommerce : by Elias
• OMDB : by Sören
• phpBB : by Elias
• Gallery : by Elias

Important Considerations:

• Privacy – Triplify is accessing your database! Be judicious in your queries, insuring that only the data that is accessible to the web is accessible to Triplify.
  • Triplify recommends creating a separate “Triplify” database user for whom only read access is granted.
• Beta – As of this writing, Triplify v0.7 is still in beta and as any beta software still has some kinks to work through.
• Performance – Triplify currently caters to small to medium size apps, but retains the ability to cache for more extensive applications

Developers:

Triplify strongly encourages developers to become a part of the Triplify Community, and welcomes contributions of any kind. So, if you’re looking for an opportunity to contribute to a Semantic Web initiative, here’s your opportunity.

In A Nutshell

Triplify ‘semantifies’ the web, providing developers with a resource to semantically extract relational database information and make it available to the Semantic Web.  With its lightweight code, robust structuring, and ease of use, Triplify proves to be a valuable Semantic blocks for Web Applications. Likewise, Triplify’s approach in bypassing the chicken-and-egg dilemma of “simultaneously lacking of semantic representations and semantics-conscious Web search facilities” makes a push for the Semantic Web, today!

Simplify Semantics with Triplify!

A twist on traditional Semantic Web Technologies, OpenAmplify looks to go beyond simply data categorization or classification and strike at the heart of what content means. By its own definition, “OpenAmplify is a web service that brings human understanding to content.” In doing so, it decodes the linguistic structure of content and returns the embedded topics, brands, people, perspectives, emotions, actions and timescales. OpenAmplify provides a unique tool and resource to the Semantic Web community.

So What Does OpenAmplify do?

Put simply, Amplify Meaning.  OpenAmplify identifies the parts of speech in text and captures indicators of emotional meaning. By utilizing OpenAmplify, text can be analyzed from a semantic standpoint while retaining the ability to look at meaning of the underlying content.

How Does OpenAmplify Work?

OpenAmplify analyzes text content from any source using language processing technology and returns different ‘signals‘ in an XML structure.

5 different text analyses exist to chose from individually, but the option to amplify text using all analyses is available as well.

Analyses of the text include:

• The Topic Analysis – Which returns topical signals including a positive or negative perception (polarity) and degree to which guidance is sought (guidance).
• The Action Analysis – Which returns signals related to actions detected in the text including the likelihood of the action being taken (decisiveness), degree to which guidance is sought (guidance) and time when the action might take place (temporality).
• The Style Analysis – Which returns stylistic signals indicating how elaborate and decorative the linguistics are (flamboyancy) as well as the degree to which the text invokes slang vocabulary (slang).
• The Demographic Analysis – Which returns the likely age, gender and education level of the text’s author or audience.
• The TopicIntentions Analysis – Which  reports topics with associated action signals (A hybridization of Topic and Action).

Upon submission, OpenAmplify returns an XML structure, denoting an amplification of the content corresponding to the desired analysis.

How Can OpenAmplify Help Me?

OpenAmplify provides a tool and resource for both individuals and corporations.

Distinct uses for OpenAmplify include:

• Online Advertising – By enabling advertisers, publishers and ad networks to monitor brand safety, reputation management, targeting and SEO online through real-time content analysis in XML structure which can be dynamically incorporated and acted upon.
• News Analytics – By providing a qualitative data component, generated from precision amplification of topic representation, to a quantitative news flow.
• Blog post-tagging and comment analysis – By providing feedback for content generators on the tone and structure of their language and writing style, bloggers can know how to tag their posts and how readers perceived it via comments.

How Do I use OpenAmplify?

However you want! Currently OpenAmplify hosts an OpenAmplify repository of applications built by the OpenAmp Team and community users. Two Notable applications include: TweetyPants and the OpenAmplify Gmail Add-On (which requires Grease Monkey).

To use OpenAmplify for a personal web service like the Gmail Add-On or a Drupal plugin, you will need to:

1. Join the OpenAmplify community.
2. Go Edit Profile, and copy your OpenAmplify API Key to enter in any OpenAmplify applications of your choice.

Note: OpenAmplify provides 1,000 free “transactions” per day, once you’ve registered for your free API key. This proves generous enough for the average user. A premium service is available to individuals and organizations looking for responses in excess of that.

Can’t find that perfect tool to meet your text amplification need? Amp it yourself!

OpenAmplify offers a wide range of tutorials and developer resources. ranging from code samples, tutorials, and documentation to help you construct that perfect application. I’m currently developing a free OpenAmplify WordPress plugin for semantic tagging and linguistic text feedback, so if your a WordPress blogger, hold tight, there’s a solution in the works!

In A Nutshell

All in all, OpenAmplify is pretty unique in its construct and contribution to the Semantic Web.  The vast array of solutions and web applications it offers are powerful. Furthermore, interface with an API offers the web community a sure fire way to amplify content as best they see fit. If your looking to take your content generation and analysis to a whole new level and see what it really means, give it a try.

OpenAmplify is ready for you, Loud and Clear.