ISEN: Internet Search Environment Number

Learn more about Internous, the Library of the Future, in this full length interview with Matthew Theobald, CEO, Internous, at I-Open Education on this page (requires sign-in).

Matt describes the project Internous, a database of all databases, its history and connection to information science as the Library of the Future, and the value it brings to individuals, their communities and global sustainability.

See Interview Video

Over the last couple months Andrew Benninghoff and Matt Theobald worked on an animation to communicate how ISEN works. Voice work by Jennifer Eisner. Andrew completed the movie as an internship with Internous through the MIME program at the Indiana University School of Telecommunications in Bloomington. Thanks to Thom Gillespie for putting us together.

Launch Video:
http://www.isen.org/isenupload2009/

On February 24th, 2009 Matt Theobald moderated the “Mayor’s Night Out” at Indianapolis Public School #2 in Center Township. If you are truly interested in civic activity in downtown Indianapolis, or are truly bored, you can see the video.

Bill Brooks, Editor of the Urban Times wrote about the format:

“Residents attending the Mayor’s Night Out on Feb. 24 were invited to write their questions on a sheet of paper. After being vetted and collated by Mayor’s Neighborhood Liaison Tonya Beeler, the questions were presented by Lockerbie Square resident Matthew Theobald.

Top city officials who attended the event included Nick Weber, deputy mayor; Olgen Williams, deputy mayor for neighborhoods; Scott Newman, public safety director; Chris Cotterill, corporation council; David Sherman, director of public works; Maury Plambeck, director of metropolitan development; Stewart Lowry, director of IndyParks; Sarah Taylor, director of constituant services; Rick Powers, administrator for code enforcement; and Michael Spears; chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept.

Also attending was Michael Terry, president and chief executive officer of IndyGo.

The session was preceded by an invitation-only reception for the mayor at the Survive Alive House.”

“Deep Web” = quantitative. “Semantic” WWW = qualitative.

Since the deep web has poked its head out of obscurity via an article in the New York Times yesterday, I thought I’d point something out. The question “Where is the nearest store that has a particular brand of yogurt arriving on such date?” is a semantic web type of question. Knowing where to look would be in the deep web.

The deep and semantic web(s) have to work together.

Our solution utilizes both and we’ve already done both for years on smaller scales. Now we’re building the web-wide world’s first glimpse into what the web of meaning and web of of depth can offer. We’ve been thinking and doing semantic interoperability since the mid-nineties. Wish us luck as we scale up.

-M@

If you like this idea, go to Change.gov , search for ISEN and vote “up” to support it for inclusion in a briefing to President Obama when he takes office next week.

There is no standard for organizing the deep web of information in publically available databases. Like an ISBN for books, the ISEN would unify national data assets and deliver the directory at no cost to the Library of Congress and local community libraries.
The task is to identify and describe (catalog) databases throughout communities of practice and communities of purpose nationwide.

Current studies reveal that conventional search engines reveal .03% of the surface web. If adopted and embraced by librarians nationwdie who would catalog the information, we could see a seed change in the amount of quality fee and free information available to citzens to support the challenges we face.

Here are few examples of Librarian Blog coverage of ISEN in 2008.

Library Blog Buzz:

“The Internet Search Environment Number (ISEN) (standard) is a dream come true for librarians and researchers.”

Musings Unclassified:

There is a new concept in the formation. ISEN (Internet Search Environment Number). It may end the problem of indexing the databases, which are the main knowledge blocks of the ‘deep web’.

Lone Wolf Librarian:

“ISEN Unfolds as the future ISBN for Catalogs & Databases”

Liblology:

“The Internet Search Environment Number (ISEN) is a fantastic idea. On-line databases would be assigned their own, unique number, similar to an ISBN or ISSN, which would identify them as a resource. This would aid tremendously in organizing and ultimately accessing these troves of information that, for the most part, belong to the deep web.”

Catalogablog:
“The Internet Search Environment Number (ISEN) intends to catalog catalogs and other databases.”

The Geek Librarian:
“ISEN: identificativo per le risorse internet.
Nella lista di discussione Web4lib, un msg di qualche giorno fa segnala l’avvenuto deposito di un brevetto relativo all’ISEN - Internet Search Environment Number, un nuovo standard per l’identificazione delle risorse web - sorta di integrazione di ISBN, DNS registration, Dublin Core e LCSH.

L’autore del msg sulla mailing list, nonché creatore dell’ISEN, Matthew S. Theobald, segnala che il brevetto è stato depositato presso l’USPTO - United States Patent and Trademark Office e prossimamente Serials Librarian dedicherà un articolo al nuovo standard.

Ulteriori info (incluso lo slogan - incoraggiante - che Theobald associa a ISEN: Connect Your Mind with the Body of Knowledge) sul blog di ISEN, sul sito e sulla mailing list dedicati.”

Matt started his career working with the National Information Consortium (NIC) through Indiana Interactive, LLC designing a web presences for the Indiana Community Network Association, the Indiana Digital County Network, and the State of Indiana’s Access Indiana Information Network; the official State web site. NIC sent Matt to Iowa where he was information architect for the Citizen Information Network, IOWAccess Project I, for which he received the Governor’s Award in 1998.

Matt then took a position as Information Specialist working for the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication Network (IHETS) in advanced research for telecommunications as well as application of technologies for information architecture and knowledge management.

Matt served as an adviser to senior staff for the BarackObama.com Internet campaign for just under two years. He is Past Chair of the Indiana Chapter of the American Society for Information Science & Technology. He holds a BA in History from Hanover College and an MLS from Indiana University where he was a graduate and teaching assistant in digital libraries.

The ISEN mantra routing around the city of Indianapolis in June 2008.

Nick, the venerable Chatterbox bartender and professional photographer’s Van that Thought Out Loud showed/displayed the ISEN slogan for some time this past summer.

Peh-chak-cha? Peh-cha Kuh-cha? PK? However you say it, you’re invited to Pecha Kucha Night Indy : Volume 2.

Presenters include:
John Clark - Surrealism and Transformation
Pete Gall - Rise of the Service Economy
Tamara Johnson - Salsa Politics
Matt Kessler - DARPA : The Far Side of Weaponry
Bruce LaDuke - Integral Futuring
Paul Puzzello - Handcraft and the Digital Revolution : In Terms of Endearment
Aaron Renn - Aphorisms by Aaron : Great Cities & Indianapolis
Francesco Rocchio & Vessel Ruhtenberg - Towards an Old Architecture
Matt Theobald - ISEN : The Database of Databases

Volume 2 will take place on April 25 from 9:00pm - 11:00pm, at Big Car Gallery in Fountain Square.
How To Get Tickets

There are 60 tickets available at $20 each. Ticket holders will receive an exclusive American Apparel PK-Indy shirt and access to the open beer and wine bar.

To reserve your spot, send an email to tickets@pkindy.org. Include “RSVP” in the subject line, and your name and the number of tickets you would like to purchase in the body of the email. You will receive your tickets via email to print and bring to the event. Payment will be accepted in the form of check or cash at the door. All proceeds go to towards this and future Pecha Kucha events.