URL: http://bombadil.mindlab.umd.edu/cgi-bin/urchin
Date created: 2004-07-29
Description:
Urchin is a customizable RSS aggregator and filter written in Perl. It consists of two main parts: a web-based user interface to query its database and an administration unit that allows the control for managing channels in the database. Administrators can add RSS 0.9*, 1.0, and 2.0 channels to the Urchin, where items are converted into RDF and stored in its native mySQL database. Using the web interface, user can query the database using Urchin-specific keywords, plaintext, or the RCQL query language. Urchin can then display the results as several output formats, including RSS 1.0 and RSS 0.91 feeds. This aggregation allows each user to create a RSS feed tailored to the individual's interest from the available channels in the database. In addition, Urchin is suitable for building a RSS portal service.
The Urchin-Kowari project replaces the mySQL database with the specialized RDF triple store Kowari. This takes advantage of the fact that all data in Urchin are RDF statements and Kowari is a specialized RDF database. Urchin and Kowari communicate via SOAP, and can be running on different machines. This decoupling of interface and storage allows users the freedom to access any available Kowari server on the Web. In Urchin-Kowari, the core Urchin functionalities are preserved as much as possible. The Web interface retains its look, but query syntax has been modified. Raw iTQL queries to the storage replace the RCQL queries. Many Urchin keywords are being developed. Administrative control of the channels is also preserved.
The current implementation is written using Urchin 0.90 and Kowari 1.0.5
(pre-release, dated July 29, 2004).
Contact:
Kendall Clark
University of Maryland, MIND Laboratory
Taowei David Wang
University of Maryland, MIND Laboratory
Jay Banerjee
University of Maryland, MIND Laboratory
More information:
Original Urchin information page (now v. 0.92),
Original Kowari information page