Simone Braun studied Media Systems at the Bauhaus-University Weimar with focus on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). Since December 2005 she is a research associate at FZI in the research group Information Process Engineering. She is working in the team of Prof. Rudi Studer and the team of Prof. Peter Lockemann within the competence areas Knowledge & Learning and Semantic Technologies. She is further a PhD student of Prof. Rudi Studer.
Her main research interest is collaboration and informal learning support with semantic technologies with focus on collaborative ontology development under special consideration of social aspects.
Within the German BMBF-funded project Im Wissensnetz (“In the Knowledge Web”), she has been investigating how to transfer approaches of (business-oriented) knowledge management and work-integrated learning on demand to scientific working processes under special consideration of informal learning processes and social relationships.
She is further involved in the development of SOBOLEO. SOBOLEO is a tool that combines social semantic bookmarking with collaborative lightweight ontology development. It supports the process of ontology maturing (cf. „Ontology Maturing: a Collaborative Web 2.0 Approach to Ontology Engineering“).
In other projects she worked on transferring the concept of work-integrated learning on demand into future releases of SAP ERP software. She was also involved in the conceptualization of a knowledge management strategy for a large German automotive manufacturer.
Activities
Publications
2010
Simone Braun, Christine Kunzmann, Andreas Schmidt
People Tagging & Ontology Maturing: Towards Collaborative Competence Management
In: David Randall and Pascal Salembier (eds.): From CSCW to Web2.0: European Developments in Collaborative Design Selected Papers from COOP08, Computer Supported Cooperative Work vol. , Springer, 2010
Abstract Competence Management approaches suggest promising instruments for more effective resource allocation, knowledge management, learning support, and human resource development in general. However, especially on the level of individual employees, such approaches have so far not been able to show sustain-able success on a larger scale. Piloting applications like expert finders have often failed in the long run because of incomplete and outdated data, apart from social and organizational barriers. To overcome these problems, we propose a collabora-tive competence management approach. In this approach, we combine Web 2.0-style bottom-up processes with organizational top-down processes. We addressed this problem as a collaborative ontology construction problem of which the con-ceptual foundation is the Ontology Maturing Process Model. In order to realize the Ontology Maturing Process Model for competence management, we have built the AJAX-based semantic social bookmarking application SOBOLEO that offers task-embedded competence ontology development and an easy-to-use interface. Following evolutionary prototyping within the design-based research methodology we conducted two field experiments in parallel with the system development in order to test the approach of people tagging in general and to explore motivational and social aspects in particular.
Simone Braun, Valentin Zacharias
SOBOLEO – Editor and Repository for Living Ontologies
In: Mathieu d'Aquin and Alexander García Castro and Christoph Lange and Kim Viljanen (eds.): Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Ontology Repository and Editors for the Semantic Work (ORES 2010) at the Extended Semantic Web Conference (ESWC 2010), 2010
Abstract SOBOLEO is a web based system that enables groups of people to collaboratively develop and use SKOS ontologies and semantically organized information spaces. SOBOLEO supports the development and refinement of living ontologies – i.e. ontologies that are never finished and that are used and developed at the same time. It offers tools to edit the SKOS ontology used and the information space. It also offers interfaces for remote applications to be notified of changes and to change the ontology itself.
Andrew Ravenscroft, Simone Braun, Tobias Nelkner
Combining Dialogue and Semantics for Learning and Knowledge Maturing: Developing Collaborative Understanding in the ‘Web 2.0 Workplace’
In: International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT) 2010, July 5-7, 2010, Sousse, Tunisia, 2010
2009
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt, Valentin Zacharias
Mit Social Semantic Bookmarking zur nützlichen Ontologie
i-com - Zeitschrift für interaktive und kooperative Medien, vol. 8, no. , 2009, pp.
Abstract Dieser Artikel präsentiert das SOBOLEO-System und das zugrundeliegende Ontologiereifungsprozessmodell für die kollaborative Ontologieentwicklung. Man kann beobachten, dass die meisten aktuellen Ontologieentwicklungsprozesse und -werkzeuge von einer organisatorischen, personellen, technischen und zeitlichen Trennung zwischen Entwicklung und Nutzung der Ontologie ausgehen – eine Trennung, die wiederum häufig zu kostspieligen und nicht an ihre Nutzung angepasste Ontologien führt. Unser Ansatz überwindet durch diese Trennung verursachten Schwierigkeiten mittels Methoden und Werkzeuge, die die Nutzer der Ontologie in die Lage versetzen, diese selbst zu entwickeln, und zwar im gleichen System, das die Ontologie nutzt und zu dem Zeitpunkt und Umfang wie jeweils nötig (arbeitsintegriert).
Valentin Zacharias, Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt
Social Semantic Bookmarking with SOBOLEO
In: San Murugesan (eds.): Handbook of Research on Web 2.0, 3.0 and X.0: Technologies, Business, and Social Applications, IGI Global, 2009
Volker Braun, David Czech, Benjamin Fletschinger, Silke Kohler, Verena Lüber
Motivation und Anreize in informellen Lernprozessen beim Thema Wissensmanagement
Project thesis, Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, 2009
Christine Kunzmann, Andreas Schmidt, Volker Braun, David Czech, Benjamin Fletschinger, Silke Kohler, Verena Lüber
Integrating Motivational Aspects into the Design of Informal Learning Support in Organizations
In: 9th International Conference on Knowledge Management and Knowledge Technologies, September 2-4, 2009, Graz, Austria, 2009
Abstract Motivational aspects in knowledge management have so far largely been considered from the perspective of designing and implementing incentives that influence the extrinsic motivation of employees to participate, contribute, share etc. This is increasingly considered problematic so that this contribution takes a more holistic viewpoint by analyzing and systematizing barriers that have an impact on the motivation to engage in knowledge maturing activities. Based on an ethnographic study and targeted semi-structured interviews, a model is presented that decomposes the motivational aspects. Furthermore, it is presented how motivational aspects can be incorporated into the design of learning support systems.
Simone Braun, Claudiu Schora, Valentin Zacharias
Semantics to the Bookmarks: A Review of Social Semantic Bookmarking Systems
In: International Conference on Semantic Systems (I-SEMANTICS 2009), Graz, Austria, 2009, pp. 445-454
Abstract In this paper we present a review of systems that follow the novel paradigm of Social Semantic Bookmarking. Social semantic bookmarking allows for the annotation of resources with tags extended by semantic definitions and descriptions that also evolve (collaboratively) within the same system. We analyzed nine different systems that extend social bookmarking in the direction of more semantics; i.e. that enable their users to add semantics to the folksonomy. We studied the systems regarding the realization of the social semantic bookmarking paradigm, the features offered to the users to add semantics, what kind of semantics can be added, and how the system makes use of the semantics. We will present commonalities, main differences and distinctive features, and future trends.
Simone Braun, Claudiu Schora, Valentin Zacharias
Semantics to the Bookmarks: A Review of Social Semantic Bookmarking Systems
In: Adrian Paschke and Hans Weigand and Wernher Behrendt and Klaus Tochtermann and Tassilo Pellegrini (eds.): 5th International Conference on Semantic Systems (I-SEMANTICS 2009), Proceedings of I-KNOW 09 and I-SEMANTICS 09, Verlag der Technischen Universitt Graz, 2009, pp. 445-454
Abstract In this paper we present a review of systems that follow the novel paradigm of Social Semantic Bookmarking. Social semantic bookmarking allows for the annotation of resources with tags extended by semantic definitions and descriptions that also evolve (collaboratively) within the same system. We analyzed nine different systems that extend social bookmarking in the direction of more semantics; i.e. that enable their users to add semantics to the folksonomy. We studied the systems regarding the realization of the social semantic bookmarking paradigm, the features offered to the users to add semantics, what kind of semantics can be added, and how the system makes use of the semantics. We will present commonalities, main differences and distinctive features, and future trends.
2008
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt, Andreas Walter, Valentin Zacharias
Using the Ontology Maturing Process Model for Searching, Managing and Retrieving Resources with Semantic Technologies
In: OnTheMove Federated Conferences 2008 (DAO, COOP, GADA, ODBASE), Monterrey, Mexico, Lecture Notes in Computer Science vol. , Springer, 2008
Abstract Semantic technologies are very helpful in improving existing systems for searching, managing and retrieving of resources, e.g. image search, bookmarking or expert finder systems. They enhance these systems through background knowledge stored in ontologies. However, in most cases, resources in these systems change very fast. In consequence, they require a dynamic and agile change of underlying ontologies. Also, the formality of these ontologies must fit the users needs and capabilities and must be appropriate and usable. Therefore, a continuous, collaborative and work or task integrated development of these ontologies is required. In this paper, we present how these requirements occur in real world applications and how they are solved and implemented using our Ontology Maturing Process Model.
Simone Braun, Valentin Zacharias, Hans-Jörg Happel
Social Semantic Bookmarking
In: Practical Aspects of Knowledge Management - 7th International Conference, PAKM2008, Yokohama, Japan, Lecture Notes in Computer Science vol. , 2008
Abstract In this paper we present the novel paradigm of Social Semantic Bookmarking. Social Semantic Bookmarking combines the positive aspects of semantic annotation with those of social bookmarking and tagging while avoiding their respective drawbacks like the cumbersome maintenance of ontologies or the lacking semantic precision of tags. Social semantic bookmarking tools allow for the annotation of internet resources based on an ontology and the integrated maintenance of the ontology by the same people that use it. We introduce Social Semantic Bookmarking and present the SOBOLEO application as an implementation of this paradigm.
Valentin Zacharias, Simone Braun
Tackling the Curse of Prepayment – Collaborative Knowledge Formalization Beyond Lightweight
In: 1st Workshop on Incentives for the Semantic Web (INSEMTIVE), 7th International Semantic Web Conference ISWC2008, October 27th, 2008, Karlsruhe, Germany, CEUR Workshop Proceedings vol. , 2008
Abstract This paper argues for collaborative incremental augmentation of text retrieval as an approach that can be used to immediately show the benefits of relatively heavyweight knowledge formalization in the context of Web 2.0 style collaborative knowledge formalization. Such an approach helps to overcome the "Curse of Prepayment"; i.e. the hitherto necessary but very large initial investment in formalization tasks before any benefit of Semantic Web technologies is visible. Some initial ideas about the architecture of such a system are presented and it is placed within the overall emerging trend of "people powered search".
Ronald Maier, Stefan Thalmann
Informal learner styles: Individuation, interaction, in-form-ation
In: Andreas Schmidt and Graham Attwell and Simone Braun and Stefanie Lindstaedt and Ronald Maier and Eric Ras (eds.): 1st International Workshop on Learning in Enterprise 2.0 and Beyond, CEUR Workshop Proceedings vol. 383, 2008
Abstract Web 2.0 has sparked tremendously increased interest in IT-supported knowledge management and technology-enhanced learning in organizations. Although there have been abundant activities of how to benefit from Web 2.0 technologies, information on how to go about deploying these in organizational settings in a coordinated manner are scarce. Based on the findings of an ethnographically informed study, this paper presents three idealized, richly described scenarios of informal learner styles which are used in order to develop theses on the relationship of Web 2.0 and workplace learning.
Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Learning in Enterprise 2.0 and Beyond (LEB-2008), Maastricht, The Netherlands, September 17, 2008. In conjunction with the 3rd European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (ECTEL 08), Maastricht, The Netherlands, September, 2008.
Andrew Ravenscroft, Simone Braun, John Cook, Andreas Schmidt, Jenny Bimrose, Alan Brown, Claire Bradley
Ontologies, Dialogue and Knowledge Maturing: Towards a Mashup and Design Study
In: Andreas Schmidt and Graham Attwell and Simone Braun and Stefanie Lindstaedt and Ronald Maiaer and Eric Ras (eds.): 1st International Workshop on Learning in Enterprise 2.0 and Beyond, CEUR Workshop Proceedings vol. 383, 2008
Abstract This paper proposes an initial design study to examine and test some of the key concepts and issues within a large-scale European research project that is exploring and aiming to realise learning as a process of knowledge maturing in the workplace. It will outline some of these concepts, based on a contemporary (or Web 2.0 driven) articulation of how ontologies can be acquired, externalised and exploited by a user-community and introduce a new role for learning dialogue - through developing work into „dialogue games‟. An initial scenario, or „thought experiment‟, is proposed that is grounded on currently available ontology development (SOBOLEO) and learning dialogue (InterLoc) web-technologies and how these could be integrated, or „mashed up‟, to improve the management, understanding and application of labour market information in the context of careers advice. Finally, we also consider the potential role of m-learning techniques and the implications about context that these give rise to.
Tobias Nelkner, Wolfgang Reinhardt, Graham Attwell
Concept of a Tool Wrapper Infrastructure for Supporting Services in a PLE
In: Andreas Schmidt and Graham Attwell and Simone Braun and Stefanie Lindstaedt and Ronald Maier and Eric Ras (eds.): 1st International Workshop on Learning in Enterprise 2.0 and Beyond, CEUR Workshop Proceedings vol. 383, 2008
Abstract As one of the most relevant way of learning after apprenticeship is the informal learning an implementation of a PLE should try to support the learner by mashing up services and tools of every day work, creates cross links between them and gives motivation and support for personal and individual style of learning. This paper presents implementations and ideas for the whole collection of necessary pieces of software to provide a PLE in a bottom up manner. A server implementation is introduced which is based on a SOA approach and which includes an extractor for metadata of file objects. This module is furthermore able to run a semantic analysis on unstructured texts which results in for example in high-quality keywords and identification of persons. Taking this as technical background the social functions are explained which are identified as the functions a PLE is supposed to provide more than any knowledge management or e-learning software. Closing, these functions are converted in ideas of possible implementations of tools and services, back up by graphical mock-ups.
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt, Andreas Walter, Valentin Zacharias
Von Tags zu semantischen Beziehungen: kollaborative Ontologiereifung
In: Birgit Gaiser and Thorsten Hampel and Stefanie Panke (eds.): Good Tags and Bad Tags - Social Tagging in der Wissensorganisation, Medien in der Wissenschaft vol. 47, Waxmann, 2008, pp. 163-173
Abstract Die Popularität von Tagging-Ansätzen hat gezeigt, dass dieses Ordnungsprinzip für Nutzer insbesondere auf kollaborativen Plattformen deutlich zugänglicher ist als strukturierte und kontrollierte Vokabulare. Allerdings stoßen Tagging-Ansätze oft an ihre Grenzen, wo sie keine ausreichende semantische Präzision ausbilden können. Umgekehrt können ontologiebasierte Ansätze zwar die semantische Präzision erreichen, werden jedoch (besonders aufgrund der schwerfälligen Pflegeprozesse) von den Nutzern kaum akzeptiert. Wir schlagen eine Verbindung beider Welten vor, die auf einer neuen Sichtweise auf die Entstehung von Ontologien fußt: die Ontologiereifung. Anhand zweier Werkzeuge aus dem Bereich des Social Semantic Bookmarking und der semantischen Bildsuche zeigen wir, wie Anwendungen aussehen können, die eine solche Ontologiereifung (in die jeweiligen Nutzungsprozesse integriert) ermöglichen und fördern.
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt
People Tagging & Ontology Maturing: Towards Collaborative Competence Management
In: 8th International Conference on the Design of Cooperative Systems (COOP '08), Carry-le-Rouet, France, May 20-23, 2008, 2008
Abstract Competence Management approaches, aiming at making transparent individual competencies and their relationship to organizational goals, suggest promising instruments for more effective resource allocation, knowledge management, learning support, and human resource development in general. However, especially on the level of individual employees, such approaches have so far not been able to show sustainable success on a larger scale. Piloting applications like expert finders have often failed in the long run because of incomplete and outdated data, apart from social and organizational barriers. This affects both competency profiles of the individual employee and non-adequate and often also outdated competency catalogs used as a vocabulary for the profiles. To overcome these problems, we propose a collaborative competence management approach. In this approach, we combine Web 2.0-style bottom-up processes with organizational top-down processes: Web 2.0 oriented bottom-up processes allow every employee to participate and contribute with low usage barriers; i.e. by tagging colleagues; the organizational processes take up and guide these bottom-up developments towards organizational goals. Key idea is that we cannot do competence management completely without an agreed vocabulary (or ontology), i.e. the competency catalog, but we have to make the process of evolving this catalog more collaborative and embedded into its actual usage (e.g., while tagging other employees). Likewise, we do not conceive competency profiles as self-descriptions, but rather as results of collective judgments of others. We approached this problem as a collaborative ontology construction problem of which the conceptual foundation is the Ontology Maturing Process Model. In order to realize the Ontology Maturing Process Model for competence management, we have built the AJAX-based semantic social bookmarking application SOBOLEO that offers task-embedded competence ontology development and an easy-to-use interface.
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt, Ulrich Graf
Partizipative Entwicklung von Kompetenzontologien
In: Workshop Nutzerinteraktion im Social Semantic Web, Mensch & Computer - 8. Fachuebergreifende Konferenz - M&C 2008 (Sept. 8-9, 2008, Lübeck, Germany), 2008
Abstract Ontologiebasierte Ansätze haben sich im Bereich des Kompetenzmanagments, z.B. für die Zusammenstellung von Teams, als vielversprechend herausgestellt. Mit dem Modell des Ontologiereifungsprozesses präsentieren wir einen partizipativen Ansatz für die Entwicklung von Kompetenzontologien, der alle Mitarbeiter in einer Organisation miteinbindet. Dadurch können übliche Probleme in der Erstellung und Pflege der Kompetenzontologie, wie fehlende Aktualität oder unterschiedliche Granularität, aber auch der individuellen Kompetenzprofile überwunden werden. Zur Unterstützung des Ontologiereifungsprozesses für das Kompetenzmanagment wurde die AJAX-basierte semantische Social-Bookmarking-Anwendung SOBOLEO entwickelt, welche die aufgaben-integrierte Entwicklung von Kompetenzontologien zusammen mit einem einfach zu nutzenden Interface bietet.
2007
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt, Andreas Walter, Valentin Zacharias
The Ontology Maturing Approach to Collaborative and Work-Integrated Ontology Development: Evaluation Results and Future Directions
In: International Workshop on Emergent Semantics and Ontology Evolution (ESOE), ISWC 2007, Busan/Korea, 2007
Abstract Ontology maturing as a conceptual process model is based on the assumption that ontology engineering is a continuous collaborative and informal learning process and always embedded in tasks that make use of the ontology to be developed. For supporting ontology maturing, we need lightweight and easy-to-use tools integrating usage and construction processes of ontologies. Within two applications – ImageNotion for semantic annotation of images and SOBOLEO for semantically enriched social bookmarking – we have shown that such ontology maturing support is feasible with the help of Web 2.0 technologies. In this paper, we want to present the conclusions from two evaluation sessions with end users and summarize requirements for further development.
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt, Valentin Zacharias
SOBOLEO: vom kollaborativen Tagging zur leichtgewichtigen Ontologie
In: Tom Gross (eds.): Mensch & Computer - 7. Fachübergreifende Konferenz - M&C 2007, Oldenbourg Verlag, 2007, pp. 209-218
Abstract Bisher gibt es kein integriertes Werkzeug, das sowohl die kollaborative Erstellung eines Indexes relevanter Internetressourcen („Social Bookmarking“) als auch einer gemeinsamen Ontologie, die zur Organisation des Indexes genutzt wird, integriert unterstützt. Derzeitige Werkzeuge gestatten entweder die Erstellung einer Ontologie oder die Strukturierung von Ressourcen entsprechend einer vorgegebenen, unveränderlichen Ontologie bzw. ganz ohne jegliche Struktur. In dieser Arbeit zeigen wir, wie sich kollaboratives Tagging und kollaborative Ontologieentwicklung vereinen lassen, so dass jeweilige Schwächen vermieden werden und die Stärken einander ergänzen. Wir präsentieren SOBOLEO, ein System, das kollaborativ und web-basiert die Erstellung, Erweiterung und Pflege von Ontologien und gemeinsamer Lesezeichensammlung ermöglicht und gleichzeitig die Annotierung von Internetressourcen mit Konzepten aus der erstellten Ontologie unterstützt.
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt
Wikis as a Technology Fostering Knowledge Maturing: What we can learn from Wikipedia
In: 7th International Conference on Knowledge Management (IKNOW '07), Special Track on Integrating Working and Learning in Business (IWL), 2007
Abstract The knowledge maturing theory opens an important macro perspective within the new paradigm of work-integrated learning. Especially wikis are interesting socio-technical systems to foster maturing activities by overcoming typical barriers. But so far, the theory has been mainly based on anecdotal evidence collected from various projects and observations. In this paper, we want to present the results of a qualitative and quantitative study of Wikipedia with respect to maturing phenomena, identifying instruments and measures indicating maturity. The findings, generalized to enterprise wikis, open the perspective on what promotes maturing on a method level and what can be used to spot maturing processes on a technology level.
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt, Andreas Walter, Gabor Nagypal, Valentin Zacharias
Ontology Maturing: a Collaborative Web 2.0 Approach to Ontology Engineering
In: Proceedings of the Workshop on Social and Collaborative Construction of Structured Knowledge at the 16th International World Wide Web Conference (WWW 07), Banff, Canada, 2007
Abstract Most of the current methodologies for building ontologies rely on specialized knowledge engineers. This is in contrast to real-world settings, where the need for maintenance of domain specific ontologies emerges in the daily work of users. But in order to allow for participatory ontology engineering, we need to have a more realistic conceptual model of how ontologies develop in the real world. We introduce the ontology maturing processes which is based on the insight that ontology engineering is a collaborative informal learning process and for which we analyze characteristic evolution steps and triggers that have users engage in ontology engineering within their everyday work processes. This model integrates tagging and folksonomies with formal ontologies and shows maturing pathways between them. As implementations of this model, we present two case studies and the corresponding tools. The first is about image-based ontology engineering (introducing so-called imagenotions), the second about ontology-enabled social bookmarking (SOBOLEO). Both of them are inspired by lightweight Web 2.0 approaches and allow for realtime collaboration.
Simone Braun, Andreas Schmidt, Valentin Zacharias
Ontology Maturing with Lightweight Collaborative Ontology Editing Tools
In: Norbert Gronau (eds.): 4th Conference on Professional Knowledge Management - Experiences and Visions, Workshop on Productive Knowledge Work (ProKW 07), GITO, 2007, pp. 217-226
Abstract Ontology building is an important prerequisite for state-of-the-art semantic technologies for knowledge worker support. But ontology engineering methods have so far neglected the early phase of ontology building where a conceptualization only exists rather informally and underlies continuous evolution through collaboration and interaction within the community. We have to view ontology building as a maturing process that requires collaborative editing support and the integration into the daily work processes of knowledge workers. In spirit of current Web 2.0 applications, we present an AJAX-based lightweight ontology editor as a first approach to this problem.
