By Robert Thanaraj, Sr Director Analyst at Gartner

Semantic representations of information are crucial for the functionality of large language models (LLMs), which is fuelling a heightened focus on semantics within data and analytics (D&A) and AI. 

Data silos become entrenched and limit an organization’s capacity to draw insights from its data. Without understanding the relationships within data, the individual pieces of information become less useful.

Semantic approaches facilitate a shared understanding of business terms and their interrelationships, which is vital for providing the necessary context for generative AI (GenAI). In a Gartner survey on the evolution of data management, 44% of the respondents from AI-ready organizations reported that semantic alignment is a key factor in assessing the AI readiness of their data.

D&A leaders can enhance and expand their semantic understanding by leveraging emerging technologies such as knowledge graphs and augmented data catalogs, thereby unlocking greater value from their information resources.

What is Data Semantics?

Data semantics refers to the meaning and interpretation of data within a business-specific context, as opposed to focusing on the physical representation of data through a data dictionary or a business glossary. It involves understanding what a data element represents, how it should be used, and its relationships with other data elements. Without this understanding, data is of limited use for AI use cases.

Semantic modeling is a practice of connecting technical metadata with business metadata.

A business glossary serves as the foundation for all things “semantic,” documenting the meanings of business-related terms. When the semantics and rules of a business glossary are well-understood, it leads to better data quality, easier integration and greater usefulness, supporting interactions with LLMs. The glossary also supports business goals like reducing costs and managing risks by making definitions clear, consistent and easy to trace back to their sources.

Top Recommendations for D&A leaders

• -Upskill your data engineers with semantic modeling techniques such as the use of knowledge graphs in building business ontologies.
• -Introduce DataOps practices to “deliver value from data” more easily, quickly and broadly. Take a people-, product- and governance-centric approach.
• -Invest in converged data management platforms. Establish a platform engineering team that produces platform services for platform tenants.

Key Benefits of Data Semantics

Leveraging and governing semantics effectively enables:

• –Improved Data Understanding: Both people and applications gain a unified view of data and its structure. For example, if several medical e-commerce sites use consistent relationships between terms, applications can extract and aggregate information across these sites to support user queries or serve as input for other applications.
• –Knowledge Reuse: Relationships uncovered by one group can be reused or built upon by others for new use cases, allowing previously identified connections to be embedded in future work.
• –Enhanced Accuracy with LLMs:  Incorporating knowledge graphs into the training and inference processes of LLMs serves as a factual base (i.e., data and metadata source) for mitigating errors and hallucinations.
• –Enhanced Interoperability and Innovation: By adopting semantic modeling, organizations open themselves to a wider range of use cases and enable more effective data interchange.

Link Data from Different Sources to Derive Data Relationships

Semantic reconciliation plays a crucial role in effectively linking data from different sources. It is also essential for inferring relationships between disparate datasets. Without a clear understanding of the relationships, correlations and distinctions among the meanings of data from different modalities such as text, videos, images and structured data, organizations cannot fully realize the potential of their data assets.

Modern semantic tools use algorithms to find connections in data. These tools recommend the best ways to clean, organize and analyze information. They also track where data comes from and how it is used for better governance.

With augmented data discovery, algorithms automatically detect correlations, segments, clusters, outliers and relationships, presenting the most statistically significant and relevant results. By using these semantic approaches, organizations can connect information from different sources, uncover relationships and gain valuable insights that drive better decisions.

In business ecosystems, the degree of openness is driven by members’ strategies, common goals and shared interests. For example, governments, nongovernmental organizations, charities and community groups can collaborate on health or public policy issues, or in open-source developer communities. This creates an opportunity for exploiting the knowledge of data and the meaning of data in terms of what can be applied to several digital business moments.

Lastly Think Data Semantics Before Introducing Large Language Models

Organizations are spearheading transformative initiatives to implement large language models in order to transform their operations. However, data and analytics leaders often rush to integrate LLM capabilities without first ensuring these tools are aligned with real business outcomes. To maximize value, it’s essential to connect LLMs with robust semantic frameworks.

Knowledge graphs are a powerful foundation for leveraging LLMs in business contexts. These machine-readable data structures capture semantic knowledge about both physical and digital entities. These worlds include entities and their relationships, which adhere to a network of nodes and links forming the graph data model.

LLMs can streamline the creation of ontologies, which define categories and relationships within data. By using “few-shot” learning prompts—providing just a handful of examples—users can guide LLMs to generate base ontologies in open formats that suit their needs. These initial frameworks can then be refined for greater detail as required.

Additionally, LLMs support ontology mapping by helping users align entities and relationships across different datasets or systems. With targeted prompts and sample mappings, organizations can extract relevant connections from their data and improve accuracy through iterative refinement.

By adopting large language models alongside semantic representations like knowledge graphs and ontologies, organizations position themselves for faster deployment of advanced analytics solutions that deliver meaningful business value.

Check out our previous post NMK Interactive 2025 Sets New Middle East AV Benchmark

NMK Electronics, a Midwich Group Company, hosted the latest edition of its flagship event NMK Interactive on September 25, 2025 – an annual event that brings together and celebrates technology, artistry, and industry leadership in the region.

Held at the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, the event brought together over 600 system integrators and partners from across the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, the evening underscored NMK’s role not only as a leading value-added distributor, but as a regional enabler of innovation, connection, and growth.

An Immersive Celebration of Culture and Technology

Under the theme “Music from Around the World,” NMK Interactive 2025 transformed the ballroom into an immersive journey through global soundscapes, blending red-carpet elegance with the energy of live performances and the power of next-generation technology.

“NMK Interactive goes beyond showcasing technology, it’s about bringing people together, said Nicolas Cox, Managing Director at NMK Electronics. Every demo, every performance, and every conversation is part of a larger story: one of collaboration, community, and shared growth. Together with our partners, we are not only shaping projects, we are shaping the future of the AVLC industry.”

Guests were welcomed into a pre-function area alive with interactive brand booths, miniature live stages, and engaging activations. The atmosphere was further elevated by orchestral ensembles and spirited cultural performances from India, Africa, and the Arab world, creating a rhythmic energy that set the perfect tone for the evening.

As the doors opened to the main hall, the space was transformed into a breathtaking canvas of light, sound, and laser effects. What followed was a series of captivating moments from high-energy water drum and dance performances to the prestigious awards ceremony and thrilling raffle draws, each keeping the excitement soaring and the audience fully immersed.

From the first note to the final applause, NMK Interactive 2025 was curated as a testament to NMK’s commitment to experience-driven engagement, setting a new benchmark for how technology events can inform, inspire, and entertain.

A Technology Ecosystem in Full View

At the heart of the event was NMK’s comprehensive technology portfolio, spanning audio, video, lighting, communication, infrastructure, and control. With live demos, branded activations, and global brand representatives on-site, the event provided hands-on access to the latest innovations from world-leading manufacturers, including:

• Shure, Bose Professional, Q-SYS, Epson, L-Acoustics, Arthur Holm, Riedel Communications, Lightware, Infiled, Televic, Neat, Barco ClickShare, Surgex, Allen & Heath, Luminex, Neutrik, Chauvet professional, Milos, SRS Group, Microsoft, Avid, Turtle AV, Peerless AV & 7^th Sense.

Each brand had a dedicated showcase zone, offering an opportunity for attendees to experience cutting-edge solutions and gain firsthand insights into emerging trends, applications, and collaboration opportunities.

Recognising Partnerships and Performance

A core highlight of the evening was the NMK Awards FY 24-25, which recognized outstanding projects delivered by system integrators across the region. Winners were selected based on the uniqueness of their projects, the strength of collaboration with NMK, the integration of multiple NMK portfolio brands, professional execution, and ultimately, the impact on end-user experience.

Winners included:

• Meeting Room Solution of the Year – Integral Polymedia Systems LLC (UAE)
• Custom Boardroom Integration of the Year – Direct Source Technologies
• Auditorium Project of the Year – AVI-SPL
• Hybrid Learning Solution of the Year – Scope Information Systems LLC
• Background Music Solution of the Year – Royal Technology Solutions LLC
• Foreground Music Solution of the Year – Al Mahbara Digital AV Systems (Almoe Group)
• Immersive Experience Solution of the Year – Alec Technologies
• Experience Center Solution of the Year – IT Works

Sector Excellence Awards:

• Government Sector Project of the Year – Advanced Integration Technology (AIT)
• Corporate Sector Project of the Year – Omnix International
• Finance & Banking Project of the Year – AVI-SPL
• Hospitality Project of the Year – Oxford Systems Integration
• Aviation Project of the Year – Alpha Data PJSC
• Real Estate Project of the Year – Absons IT

Congratulations to all winners for their remarkable achievements and collaborations, which continue to raise the bar for AV excellence across the Middle East.

The evening concluded with raffle draws sponsored by partner brands, featuring experiences such as skydiving, Yas Island adventures, luxury staycations, and premium tech gear.

With every handshake, demo, and performance, NMK Interactive 2025 reinforced what matters most: strong partnerships, shared knowledge, and a future shaped together.

Shure MEA has launched its Experience Zone in Dubai, a dynamic and multi-faceted training hub designed to showcase how audio innovation can transform collaboration, government meetings, and education across the region. The new facility is poised to provide hands-on demonstrations in realistic settings, reflecting the Middle East’s ballooning preference for advanced AV technologies in response to meeting spaces, digital governance, and modern learning environments that require clear audio delivery.

Addressing Sector-specific Needs

The launch places strong emphasis on three sectors driving the region’s digital transformation. In Unified Communication, the focus is on seamless integration with leading conferencing platforms, supporting the Middle East’s meeting spaces. In Government, Shure highlights secure and resilient systems that ensure clarity and confidentiality for official proceedings and public addresses. In Education, advanced solutions empower classrooms and lecture halls, enabling interactive, technology-driven learning both in-person and online.

The Experience Zone is divided into four demo spaces that mirror real-world environments. In small rooms, Shure highlights compact, easy-to-deploy solutions that emphasize clarity and reliability. The facility will feature medium rooms to showcase scalable systems designed to grow with organizational needs, larger rooms to demonstrate robust setups that ensure coverage and flexibility in complex environments, while the auditorium will illustrate how high-performance solutions deliver clear, consistent audio to large audiences. These immersive setups allow visitors to not only hear the difference but also to experience how Shure’s innovations adapt seamlessly to varied applications.

“The Experience Zone will demonstrate how audio can empower sector-specific needs. By immersing visitors in real-world scenarios, we’re not just showcasing products – we’re demonstrating how Shure solutions are shaping communication experiences,” said Antony Lovell, Sales Director, Shure MEA.

Key Features

Shure MEA’s Experience Zone is designed to be more than a demo room. It serves as a regional resource for partners, customers, and IT decision-makers, providing a robust environment that combines interaction with knowledge-sharing. By creating this platform, Shure is reinforcing its role not only as an innovator but also as a trusted partner within the Middle East’s expanding technology ecosystem.

With Dubai’s position as a global innovation hub and the region’s rapid pace of digital transformation, the launch underscores Shure MEA’s long-term commitment to supporting sustainable growth. By combining immersive demos with sector-driven insights, the Experience Zone sets a new benchmark for how audio solutions are experienced in the Middle East.