Main Research Interests

• Theoretical aspects of databases.
• Dynamic aspects of databases.
• Queries (declarative, for data science, ...)
• Graph databases.
• Tree languages, tree automata and their applications on XML and semi-structured databases.
• Web services, the application of trace theory on the composition of web services.
• Deductive databases, temporal databases, non-classical logic applied to databases, data warehouse.

Current Projects

• ARD JUNON

  - PROJECT DATA
  ABSTRACT: The JUNON programme, led by BRGM, is part of the regional Centre-Val de Loire Ambition Research Development scheme. This ambitious programme to develop a digital centre for research on the continental environment (agricultural, urban, forests and rivers) in the Centre-Val de Loire region aims to design digital services to improve monitoring and understanding of the environment, for better management of natural resources.

• DOING

  Intelligent Data - From text to Knowledge
  ABSTRACT: DOING focuses on transforming data into information and then into knowledge. The idea is to gather researchers in NLP (Natural Language Processing), DB (Databases), and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to discuss two main problems:
  (1) how to extract information from textual data and represent it in knowledge bases;
  (2) how to propose intelligent methods for handling and maintaining these databases with new forms of requests, including efficient, flexible, and secure analysis mechanisms, adapted to the user, and with quality and privacy preservation guarantees.

DOING is an action having different 'colors' ...
• DOING@DIAMS
(Working group in the network DIAMS) : 2019-2023
• Role: Leader
• Partners: LIFO, LIFAT, LLL, LIG, IRISA, UFPR, UFRN, ERTIM-INALCO, Láonard de Vinci Pôle Univ, Ennov
• Domaines: Databases, Natural Langage Processing, Artificial Intelligence
• Web page
• DOING@MADICS
(ACTION in GDR MADICS -- 2020 -2023)
• Role: co-leader with Anne-Lyse Minard Forst(LLL-Orláans) and Genoveva Vargas-Solar (LIG-Grenoble)
• Web pages: Here or at Madics'page
• Previously: a working group of MADICS
• APR-IA DOING
Regional Projet (2022 - 2024)
• Role: Leader
• Partners: LIFO, LIFAT, LLL
• DOING@ADBIS
(Worskshop at the international conference ADBIS: since 2020)
• Role: co-chair with Carmem S. Hara (UFPR, Brazil)

• ANR-SENDUP (2018-2023) SEmantic Networks of Data: Utility and Privacy

• Role: Member
• Partners:
• Coordinator: Cédric Eichler (LIFO)
• LIFO, Université d'Orléans, France.
• LIG, Université de Grenoble

Other Projects (finished)

• PEPS MULTIPOINT (2017)
MULTImodal Platform fOr e-socIal sciences aNalyTics: application to political sciences
• Role: Member
• Partners:
• Coordinator: IRISA - UMR Université de Rennes 1
• LIFO, Université d'Orléans, France.
• LIG, Université de Grenoble
• CEMRA, Université de Grenoble

• GIRAFON (2015 - 2017)
Grands graphes : interrogation, fouille et analyse
• Role: Member
• Partners:
• Coordinator: LIFO, France .
• LIFO, Université d'Orléans, France.
• LI; Université de Tours

• SWANS -STIC-AMSUD (2014 - 2015)
Semantic Web Analytics: Processing Big Data on Energy Consumption
• Role: Site leader
• Partners:
• Coordinator: Grenable Computer Science Laboratory (LIG), France .
• LIFO, Université d'Orléans, France.
• DIMAp; Universidade do Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN - Brazil.
• INCO; Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay

• CLEVER -STIC-AMSUD (2011 - 2012)
Cloud-Based Latin-American Environmental Virtua Observatory.
• Role: Site leader
• Partners:
• Coordinator: Grenoble Computer Science Laboratory (LIG), France .
• LIFO, Université d'Orléans, France.
• DIMAp; Universidade do Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN - Brazil.
• INCO; Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay

• ANR-Codex (March 2009 - 2013)
• Role: Site leader (Université de Tours site).
• Partners:
• Coordinator: Saclay (Gemo group of INRIA)
• Lille (Mostrare group of INRIA)
• Paris Sud (Paris Sud, Sorbonne)
• Paris 7 (PPS)
• Grenoble (Centre de recherche Grenoble-Rhône-Alpes, LIF Marseille)
• Innovimax (Innovimax SARL)
• Goals: The research work we propose to undertake seeks to push the frontier of XML tech- nology innovation in three interconnected directions. First, we propose to study lan- guages, algorithms, and develop prototypes for efficient and expressive XML processing, in particular advancing towards massively distributed XML repositories. Second, we will consider models for describing, controlling, and reacting to the dynamic behavior of XML corporas and XML schemas with time. Third, we propose theories, models and prototypes for composing XML programs for richer interactions, and XML schemas into rich, expressive, yet formally grounded type descriptions.

Collaborations - independent from project (past, present, under construction ...)

International collaborations

• DIMAp, UFRN - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil: Martin Musicante, Umberto Costa
• DInf UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil: Carmem S. Hara
• IRD, UGB - Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, Sénégal: Cheikh Ba
• ICMC- USP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos, Brazil: Cristina Dutra Aguiar
• DCC, UFMG - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais: Rodolfo Resende

National collaborations

• Université de Cergy Pontoise: Dominique Laurent (PR émerite)
• LIRIS-CNRS : Genoveva Vargas-Solar
• BDTln et RFAI teams, Université de Tours: Jean-Yves Ramel, Donatello Conte, Béatricie Bouchou, Véronika Peralta
• BRGM
  Financial support of the PhD student Cheikh Ba (with "Région Centre") .
  Domaine of research: web services

PhD Students

Current

• Lingchen Wang (October 2022 - )
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (50%) and Jacques Chabin (50%).
  Incrementally updating of attributed graphs with incomplete information
  French scholarship



Graduated

• Nicolas Hiot (October 2019 - July 2024)
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari and Jacques Chabin.
  From pharmacovigilance texts to context-driven knowledge graphs: construction and maintenance
  (Construction et interrogation orientée-contexte d'un graphe de connaissances à partir de données textuelles de la Pharmacovigilance)
  CIFRE - Ennov (Paris) - Collaboration with Joshua AMAVI


• Ciro Morais Medeiros (October 2019 - August 2022)
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (40%) and Martin Musicante (60%).
  Privacy Restrictions in Linked Data Based on Formal Languages
  Brazilian PhD - International collaboration and co-supervision (sandwich scholarship)


• Flávio Uber (2015 - January 2019)
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (30%); Carmem Hara(70%).
  Updates on RDF data (Garantia de integridade en bases RDF)
  Brazilian PhD - International collaboration and co-supervision


• Thanh Binh Nguyen (2014 - December 2018)
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (50%); Béatrice Bouchou(50%).
  Towards an intelligent support for web data and services operation
  PhD scholarship Orléans-Tours. Regional collaboration.


• Joshua Amavi (2011-2014)
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (50%); Pierre Réty (50%).
  Evolution and comparaison of XML schemas


• Cheikh Ba (2004-2008).
  PhD Degree on November 2008
  Official advisor (100%) since my HDR.
  Supervision until 2007: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (95%); Jean-Yves Antoine: (5% as the official suppervisor).
  Web service composition with PEWS: trace theory approach.


• Maria Adriana Vidigal de Lima. (2001-2007)
  PhD Degree on December 2007
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (45%); Béatrice Bouchou (45%); Dominique Laurent (10% as the official suppervisor).
  Incremental maintainaince of XML integrity constraints.


• Ahmed Cheriat (2002-2006).
  PhD Degree on Novembre 2006 a
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (45%); Béatrice Bouchou (45%); Dominique Laurent (10% as the official suppervisor).
  An approach for XML document correction integrated in an incremental schema validation.


• Denio Duarte (2001-2005).
  PhD Degree on July 2005
  Supervision: Mírian Halfeld Ferrari (40%); Béatrice Bouchou (40%); Dominique Laurent (20% as the official suppervisor).
  A consistency-preserving approach for schema Evolution for XML.