Prior to the launch of McMaster Experts, McMaster’s information was presented to the Web as unstructured HTML data from scores of domains and subdomains. Yet there is a distinct shift in Web architecture away from relying on such unstructured, noisy data toward a semantically aware search experience, often pithily described as “things, not strings.” Any casual user of Google’s search engines has seen their use of knowledge graphs, the box that appears to the right of results whenever the search software perceives a match between a query and a specific entity. This information is not generated by random string matching, but through a semantically powered tool that relies on structured sources of linked open data.

Using HR information from Mosaic, McMaster Experts automatically create a profile for each McMaster faculty member. Participation by faculty and researchers is encouraged but not mandatory, noting that a shell profile will be created with the information available. The underlying database ingests information from public sources, making it much easier for information to remain current than is presently possible. McMaster Experts employ the commercial Research Information Management System (RIMS) Symplectic Elements to ingest publication data into each faculty profile, minimizing the manual input of this critical information and helping to create robust profiles for McMaster researchers. These profiles can be ported to other websites and systems as required. Furthermore, the Symplectic Elements database will create a central repository of bibliometric information which can be used across campus for reporting purposes.

Phase 2 (to be scheduled) will finalize the automation and implement the sustainability plan; a separate proposal will be prepared. This also does not include inserting photographs into each profile. Again, a separate proposal will be prepared and evaluated by the Research Technology committee.