imho Ocean Semantic..........

All:

Here's a quick hit of my evolving taxonomy of the SOA Semantic Web market, based on ongoing navigation of the ocean semantic.

First off, it's clear to me that the primary use cases for the SOA Semantic Web so far--in terms of vendor activity and enterprise deployment--are in:

• (semantic) search
• (semantic) text mining/analytics
• (semantic) content and knowledge management
• (semantic) enterprise information integration

I put the parentheses around (semantic) for a reason: this (i.e., ontologies, RDF, OWL, etc.) is a new approach that established vendors in those segments are pursuing, plus a growing range of pure-plays. Semantic-oriented search is the hottest of all the segments, judging by the number of startups and others pitching product/service right now....here's a quick list: Aduna, AskMeNow, Cha-Cha, Cognition Technologies, Conversa, Copernic, Endeca, FAST Search and Transfer, Google, Groxis, Hakia, Intelliseek, ISYS Search Software, Metacarta, Ontosearch, Powerset, Readware, Textdigger, Vivisimo, and ZoomInfo.

Well, not so quick a list...but mind-blowing, considering how many of these companies weren't around this time last year....or may be defunct by this time next year....or swept up in furious M&A activity...or huge and rich beyond believe....or still waiting for their ship to come in.

But even more mind-blowing is the current, active list of SOA Semantic Web pure-plays that are more than point solutions for one or more semantic use cases (e.g., search)...but are providers of the ontology modeling tools, ontology inference servers, ontology repositories, and other underlying semanto/onto/taxo componentry for a broad swath of use cases--to wit:

• Advanced Knowledge Technologies: http://www.aktors.org/akt/
• Articulate Software: http://www.articulatesoftware.com/
• Axontologic: http://www.axontologic.com/
• Business Semantics: http://www.businesssemantics.com/
• Crystal Semantics: http://www.crystalsemantics.com/
• Cycorp: http://www.cyc.com/
• DATA-GRID: http://www.data-grid.com/
• Digital Enterprise Research Institute: http://www.deri.ie/
• ExpertMaker: http://www.expertmaker.com/
• Fourthcodex: http://www.fourthcodex.com/
• Franz: http://www.franz.com/
• Garlik: http://www.garlik.com/
• Gnowsis: http://www.gnowsis.org/
• Liminal Systems: http://www.liminalzone.org/
• LinkSpace: http://www.linkspace.net/
• Metatomix: http://www.metatomix.com/
• MetaWeb: http://www.metaweb.com/
• Modus Operandi: http://www.modusoperandi.com/
• Mindful Data: http://www.mindfuldata.com/
• Mondeca: http://www.mondeca.com/
• Ontologent: http://www.ontologent.com/
• Ontology Works: http://www.ontologyworks.com/
• Ontomantics: http://www.ontomantics.com/
• Ontopia: http://www.ontopia.net/
• Ontoprise: http://www.ontoprise.de/content/index_eng.html
• Ontos AG: http://www.ontos.com/de/company/index.php
• Pragati Synergetic Research: http://www.pragati-inc.com/index.html
• Revelytix: http://revelytix.com/
• Sandpiper Software: http://www.sandsoft.com/
• Semagix: http://www.semagix.com/technology.html
• Semandex Networks: http://www.semandex.com/
• Semansys: http://www.semansys.com/
• Semantic Arts: http://www.semanticarts.com/
• Semantic Insights: http://www.semanticinsights.com/
• Semantic Light: http://www.semanticlight.com/
• Semantic Research: http://www.semanticresearch.com/
• Semantra: http://www.semantra.com/
• Semaview: http://www.semaview.com/
• Semtation GmBH: http://www.semtation.de/
• SemWebCentral: http://projects.semwebcentral.org/
• Siderean: http://www.siderean.com/
• Taxonomy Strategies: http://www.taxonomystrategies.com/
• Taxonomy Warehouse: http://www.taxonomywarehouse.com/
• Thetus: http://www.thetus.com/
• TopQuadrant: http://www.topquadrant.com/
• VivoMind Intelligence: http://www.vivomind.com/
• Wordmap: http://www.wordmap.com/
• XSB: http://www.xsb.com/
• Zepheira: http://zepheira.com/

Of course, they're all quite different from each other in their strategies, competencies, solution portfolio, partnerships, target markets, funding, prospects for success, etc. In terms of how their solutions map to my SOA Semantic Web maturity model....well....the mapping is going on as I speak (perhaps even as I sleep...can't get this topic out of my head...not even for a night...this endless notion keeps on sloshing from ear to shining ear).

More to come.

Jim