1 Overall status QMUL: QMUL has implemented a new model of clustering for unsupervised learning based on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). It is inspired from the self-assembling behavior observed in real ants where ants progressively become attached to an existing support and then successively to other attached ants. The way the artificial ants move and build the tree depends on the similarity between the data. This clustering algorithm will be integrated with ACO based image classification module in order to improve the learning process of classification. The part of the goal is pattern discovery where the information given by the pairwise constraints we explore is weaker than the information given by labeled data. Moving from Instance-Level constraints to Space-Level constraints could distort pairwise proximities between instances to reflect the spatial information given by the constraints. The above contribution is also part of our work in WP 4.5. KU: KU started work to integrate SemFs with a Peer-to-Peer based semantic exchanged architecture SEA. In conntection with SEA, SemFs can now be used to browse and access files at remote peers. The prototype has been completed after the end of the reporting period and presented at ISWC'2006. ITI: ITI has continued and has extended the work on the development of a user interface for a visual search engine that combines content-based and ontology based queries in a hybrid way, with a view to bring the lessons learnt into WP5.3. CWI: CWI has continued its work on the /facet prototype in the following areas: * introduced and implemented a new query algorithm with improved performance * added geographical visualization * improved interface and configuration options, in order to make /facet more accessible as an end-user tool * worked towards evaluation of /facet through a user study For more information and online demo: http://slashfacet.semanticweb.org/ We have also prepared and distributed the ToC for the Deliverable D5.3 GU: GU continued the implementation of techniques that support users in an interactive video retrieval system. To this end, we have performed a user evaluation of our prototype. It involved 12 participants, performing 6 search topics from the TRECVID 2006 topic set each. Each participant spent three hours using the system. As a result, we obtained a vast amount of data from usage logs and questionnaires. We have analysed this data for interesting or common usage patterns in order to inform the design of both the interface and our underlying feedback model. The focus of our work in this area is now to improve the system to support user interactions that are close to the user's expectations. We have presented this work in various ways. We exhibited a poster on our video retrieval system in the International Workshop on Adaptive Information Retrieval (AIR 2006) in Glasgow, UK. Furthermore, we summarised our approach in a notebook paper for the TRECVID 2006 workshop. Finally, we have submitted a paper on the results of both the simulated and user study to the European Conference on Information Retrieval (ECIR 2007). 2 Issues and Deviations from the Plan None 3 Deliverables and Milestones for the Reporting Period None 4 Dissemination - /facet has WON the Semantic Web Challenge 2006 (CWI) - The full paper presenting /facet has been presented in the research track of ISWC 2006 (CWI) - A demo/poster of /facet has been presented to ISWC 2006 (CWI) - A demo/poster of "A Networked Semantic Environment" has been presented to ISWC 2006 (KU) - A poster of the the GU video retrieval system has been presented to AIR 2006 (GU) 5 Meetings Attendance - Raphael has visited INA (Jean Carrive), Wed 20th of September, to work on a note "Analyzed Queries from INA's Archive Departement" available in the SVN repository under WP5.3. 6 Conclusion Everything is going as planned