OVERVIEW

The course provides an in-depth overview of the infrastructure and evolution of the Internet and the Web, with a particular focus on technologies and application paradigms that enable advanced content understanding by software agents and generative search engines.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the key features of the Internet and the evolution of the Web. Specifically, the course will address the technological infrastructure of the Internet and key paradigms such as Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, and Web of Things, which have become central to modern digital systems, and continue to evolve. Moreover, the course will examine the Web’s ongoing transformation towards a more structured and semantically rich environment. It will introduce methods and techniques for knowledge representation using ontologies, Semantic Web languages, and linked data principles, enabling advanced content understanding by software agents and generative search engines.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge on the following topics: the Internet, the Web, search engines, IoT, Cloud Computing, the Semantic Web, the Semantic Web of Things, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

At the end of the course, students

- will understand the HTTP/HTTPS protocols
- will learn the principles of the Internet of Things and Cloud Computing
- will understand the architecture of the Semantic Web and the RDF data model
-will be able to semantically annotate web pages and test them using JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa markup
-will be able to use the schema.org vocabulary
-will understand and be able to apply the principles of SEO and GEO, with a particular focus on on-page SEO

- will have acquired project skills

PREREQUISITES

The prerequisite for this course is 12 CFU in Computer Science

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching is based on lectures, working groups,  and on class exercises. Classes can be attended face-to-face or online and include design activities.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The infrastructure of the Internet: TCP/IP model (review), mobile Internet, and the Internet of Things. The network as a service, Web Services, and Cloud Computing. Evolution of the Web: Social and Semantic Web, Linked Data, Semantic Web of Things. In-depth study of languages and technologies for the semantic annotation of Web content: XML, URI, Namespace, RDF(S), OWL, SPARQL, and markup for structured data. Theoretical explanations will be accompanied by practical exercises aimed at providing students with specific skills in using the technologies presented. Finally, application scenarios will be presented involving the use of semantic annotation techniques oriented towards web content optimization for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), aiming to improve search engine ranking and information presentation on result pages, as well as GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), to increase visibility on systems based on generative engines.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Learning content, including slides and exercises, are available on  AulaWeb
• Books:
  • F. Kurose, Keith W. Ross. Reti di calcolatori e internet. Un approccio top-down 6/Ed. opp. 7/Ed, 2017
  • D. Allemang, J. Hendler, F. Gandon, Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist: effective modeling for linked data, RDFS, and OWL , ACM Books; 3rd edition agosto 2020
  • Di Noia, De Virgilio, Di Sciascio, M. Donini. Semantic Web. Tra ontologie e open data, Apogeo, 2013
• Further readings will be provided to non-attending students

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Second semester

 https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/index.php?view=easycourse&_lang=it&include=corso

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

• written assessment, 
• development and discussion of a project

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam is aimed to assess if students are skilled about Internet infrastructure and new trends, have abilities to build and query an ontology and to annotate web contents by using structured data markups, in particular schema.org that is relevant for SEO and GEO purposes.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with disabilities or learning disorders are allowed to use specific modalities and supports that will be determined on a case-by-case basis in agreement with the Delegate of the Engineering courses in the Committee for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities. Students are invited to contact the teacher of this course and copy the Delegate (https://unige.it/commissioni/comitatoperlinclusionedeglistudenticondisabilita.html).