Semantic web and human computation: The status of an emerging field

Abstract

This editorial paper introduces a special issue that solicited papers at the intersection of Semantic Web and Human Computation research. Research in that inter-disciplinary space dates back a decade, and has been acknowledged as a research line of its own by a seminal research manifesto published in 2015. But where do we stand in 2018? How did this research line evolve during the last decade? How do the papers in this special issue align with the main lines of work of the community? In this editorial we inspect and reflect on the evolution of research at the intersection of Semantic Web and Human Computation. We use a methodology based on Systematic Mapping Studies to collect quantitative bibliographic data which we analyze through the lens of research topics envisioned by the research manifesto to characterize the evolution of research in this area, thus providing a context for introducing the papers of this special issue. We found evidences of a thriving research field; while steadily maturing, the field offers a number of open research opportunities for work where Semantic Web best practices and techniques are applied to support and improve the state-of-the-art in Human Computation, but also for work that exploits the strength of both areas to address scientifically and societally relevant issues.