Web Science

Web Science

What is the web? How is the web made? This section delves into core components of the world-wide-web. If you are interested in building web applications, please visit that course page.

The big ideas in Web Science

Web Science

The world wide web is a complicated system, made of different parts. You will learn how these different parts work.

Creating the web

• The internet and World Wide Web
• How the web is evolving
• HTTP, HTTPS, HTML, URL, XML, XSLT, CSS
• Uniform resource identifier (URI) and URL
• DNS
• Network Protocols
• Components of a web page
• Protocols and standards on the web
• Different types of web page
• Static web page and a dynamic web page
• Web browsers
• Client-side scripting and server-side scripting
• Common gateway interface (CGI)
• Structure of different types of web pages

Searching the Web

• Search engine
• Search engine optimization
• Ethics in search engines
• Future challenges to search engines

• Surface web and deep web
• Principles of searching algorithms used by search engines
• Web crawler functions
• Meta-tags
• Parallel web crawling
• Web-indexing

Distributed approaches to the web

• Mobile computing, ubiquitous computing, peer-2-peer network, grid computing
• Interoperability and open standards
• Distributed networks
• Decentralization of the web
• lossless and lossy compression
• decompression software in the transfer of information

The evolving web

• Online interaction and social networking
• Cloud computing and client-server architecture
• Cloud computing for specified organizations
• Copyright and intellectual property on the web
• Privacy, identification and authentication
• Network architecture, protocols and standards in future development
• Unregulated monopolies
• The decentralized and democratic web

Analyzing the web

• The web as a directed graph
• Web graph and sub-graphs
• Graph theory and connectivity of the web
• Search engines, web crawling and web graph
• Power laws and predicting the development of the web

Semantic web

• Semantic Web
• Text-web and the multimedia-web
• Ontology and folksonomy
• Folksonomies and emergent social structures
• Expressivity and usability on the semantic web
• Methods of searching for information
• Ambient intelligence and collective intelligence

Standards

• Distinguish between the internet and World Wide Web (web). Level: 2
• Describe how the web is constantly evolving. Level: 2
• Identify the characteristics of the following: HTTP, HTTPS, HTML, URL, XML, XSLT, CSS. Level: 2
• Identify the characteristics of a uniform resource identifier (URI) URL. Level: 2
• Describe the purpose of a URL. Level: 2
• Describe how a domain name server functions. Level: 2
• Identify the characteristics of the internet protocol (IP) transmission control protocol (TCP) file transfer protocol (FTP). Level: 2
• Outline the different components of a web page. Level: 2
• Explain the importance of protocols and standards on the web. Level: 3
• Describe the different types of web page. Level: 2
• Explain the differences between a static web page and a dynamic web page. Level: 3
• Explain the functions of a browser. Level: 3
• Evaluate the use of client-side scripting and server-side scripting in web pages. Level: 3
• Describe how web pages can be connected to underlying data sources. Level: 2
• Describe the function of the common gateway interface (CGI). Level: 2
• Evaluate the structure of different types of web pages. Level: 3

• Define the term search engine. Level: 1
• Distinguish between the surface web and the deep web. Level: 2
• Outline the principles of searching algorithms used by search engines. Level: 2
• Describe how a web crawler functions. Level: 2
• Discuss the relationship between data in a meta-tag and how it is accessed by a web crawler. Level: 3
• Discuss the use of parallel web crawling. Level: 3
• Outline the purpose of web-indexing in search engines. Level: 2
• Suggest how web developers can create pages that appear more prominently in search engine results. Level: 3
• Describe the different metrics used by search engines. Level: 2
• Explain why the effectiveness of a search engine is determined by the assumptions made when developing it. Level: 3
• Discuss the use of white hat and black hat search engine optimization. Level: 3
• Outline future challenges to search engines as the web continues to grow. Level: 2

• Define the terms: mobile computing, ubiquitous computing, peer-2-peer network, grid computing. Level: 1
• Compare the major features of: mobile computing ubiquitous computing peer-2-peer network grid computing. Level: 3
• Distinguish between interoperability and open standards. Level: 2
• Describe the range of hardware used by distributed networks. Level: 2
• Explain why distributed systems may act as a catalyst to a greater decentralization of the web. Level: 3
• Distinguish between lossless and lossy compression. Level: 2
• Evaluate the use of decompression software in the transfer of information. Level: 3

• Discuss how the web has supported new methods of online interaction such as social networking. Level: 3
• Describe how cloud computing is different from a client-server architecture. Level: 2
• Discuss the effects of the use of cloud computing for specified organizations. Level: 3
• Discuss the management of issues such as copyright and intellectual property on the web. Level: 3
• Describe the interrelationship between privacy, identification and authentication. Level: 2
• Describe the role of network architecture, protocols and standards in the future development of the web. Level: 2
• Explain why the web may be creating unregulated monopolies. Level: 3
• Discuss the effects of a decentralized and democratic web. Level: 2

• Describe how the web can be represented as a directed graph. Level: 2
• Outline the difference between the web graph and sub-graphs. Level: 2
• Describe the main features of the web graph such as bowtie structure, strongly connected core (SCC), diameter. Level: 2
• Explain the role of graph theory in determining the connectivity of the web. Level: 3
• Explain that search engines and web crawling use the web graph to access information. Level: 3
• Discuss whether power laws are appropriate to predict the development of the web. Level: 3

• Distinguish between the text-web and the multimedia-web. Level: 2
• Describe the aims of the semantic web. Level: 2
• Distinguish between an ontology and folksonomy. Level: 2
• Describe how folksonomies and emergent social structures are changing the web. Level: 2
• Explain why there needs to be a balance between expressivity and usability on the semantic web. Level: 3
• Evaluate methods of searching for information on the web. Level: 3
• Distinguish between ambient intelligence and collective intelligence. Level: 2
• Discuss how ambient intelligence can be used to support people. Level: 3
• Explain how collective intelligence can be applied to complex issues. Level: 3

Make clear the differences between two or more concepts or items.

Give a detailed account or picture of a situation, event, pattern or process.

Provide an answer from a number of possibilities. Recognize and state briefly a distinguishing fact or feature.

Give a brief account.

Give a detailed account including reasons or causes.

Assess the implications and limitations; make judgments about the ideas, works, solutions or methods in relation to selected criteria.

Give the precise meaning of a word, phrase, concept or physical quantity.

Offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range of arguments, factors or hypotheses. Opinions or conclusions should be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

Propose a solution, hypothesis or other possible answer.

a group or system of interconnected people or things.

a group or system of interconnected people or things.

Give an expected result of an upcoming action or event.