Knowledge-based semantification of business communications in ERP environments

Abstract

The complexity of information in business environments is increasing in rates that are difficult for companies to handle using traditional solutions. The diversity of information and communications that stem from remote and heterogeneous sources creates the need for information management in multi-dimensional contexts and platforms, such as web sources, mobile devices and databases. As web technologies evolve, the volume, temporality and heterogeneity of available data exhibits a degree of dynamicity that is beyond manual control. Without these limitations, the aggregation of this information can provide new value-driving layers in business environments. Moreover, when this data is semantically structured, knowledge sharing and rule-based management allow for new ways of controlling the flow of information, both internally and externally. Focusing on the extraction of information about communications and its exploitation in platform-independent manners, we propose, design and implement a set of semantic components extending ERP systems in order to assist semantic web interoperability, to provide a basis for intelligent knowledge management and to unify communication level platforms under shared sets of principles. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.