Isabel Cruz Boeken

“Evolve or perish” encapsulates the essence of living systems, and the Web exemplifies this vitality with new sites and business ideas emerging daily, often attracting millions of users. The term “Web 2.0” reflects these developments, highlighting efforts to enhance interactivity (like Ajax), collaboration (like Wikis), and relationship-building (like social networks), aiming to realize the Web's original promise. These advancements present both opportunities and challenges for the Semantic Web, transitioning from “dry” specifications to a foundation for information exchange, fostering a shared semantic information space. These themes were explored by hundreds of computer scientists, developers, vendors, government workers, venture capitalists, students, and users at the Fifth International Semantic Web Conference (ISWC 2006) in Athens, Atlanta, USA, from November 5–9, 2006. Building on previous successful conferences, this sixth annual event showcased new research, technologies, and applications that highlight the current state of the Semantic Web. Notably, there was a significant increase in contributions to the In-Use Track, indicating a growing focus on practical applications, while the Research Track maintained a steady number of submissions compared to the previous year.