Knowledge explorer: exploring the 12-billion-statement KnowWhereGraph using faceted search (demo paper)

Author(s)
Zilong Liu, Zhining Gu, Thomas Thelen, Seila Gonzalez Estrecha, Rui Zhu, Colby K. Fisher, Anthony D'Onofrio, Cogan Shimizu, Krzysztof Janowicz, Mark Schildhauer, Shirly Stephen, Dean Rehberger, Wenwen Li, Pascal Hitzler
Abstract

Knowledge graphs are a rapidly growing paradigm and technology stack for integrating large-scale, heterogeneous data in an AI-ready form, i.e., combining data with the formal semantics required to understand it. However, toolchains that support data synthesis and knowledge discovery through information organization, search, filtering, and visualization have been developed at a pace lagging knowledge graph technology. In this paper, we present Knowledge Explorer, an open-source faceted search interface that provides environmentally intelligent services for interactively browsing and navigating KnowWhereGraph. Currently one of the largest open knowledge graphs, KnowWhereGraph contains over 12 billion statements with rich spatial and temporal information from more than 30 data layers. With an extensive collection of facets, Knowledge Explorer enables spatial, temporal, full-text, and expert search with dereferencing functionality to support "follow-your-nose" exploration, and it allows users to narrow their search by selecting facets. Given the size of the underlying graph and dependency on GeoSPARQL, we have improved query performance by implementing Elasticsearch indexing, spatial query generation, and caching. Knowledge Explorer is capable of retrieving information within seconds, answering a wide variety of competency questions posed by researchers, humanitarian relief organizations, and the broader public, thus helping better perform tasks such as cross-gazetteer place retrieval and disaster assessment from global to local geographic scales.

Organisation(s)
Department of Geography and Regional Research
External organisation(s)
Arizona State University, Michigan State University, University of Bristol, Hydronos Labs, Wright State University, University of California, Santa Barbara, Kansas State University
No. of pages
4
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1145/3557915.3561009
Publication date
11-2022
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
507003 Geoinformatics, 207404 Geoinformatics, 102028 Knowledge engineering, 605007 Digital humanities
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Earth-Surface Processes, Information Systems, Computer Science Applications, Modelling and Simulation, Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/knowledge-explorer-exploring-the-12billionstatement-knowwheregraph-using-faceted-search-demo-paper(d12cab96-a459-420c-bd11-06e9099e24d8).html