Metadata for Asset Management

Peter B. Hirtle Co-Director Cornell Institute for Digital Collections

1

Problem: Imaging projects produce many digital files

Problem redux
How to you locate, manage, and display scanned images?

One possible answer:

Put identifying information into the file header Problems with this approach

Hard to search and retrieve May change over time May not be able to migrate data

Second approach
Use an image management system to manage images:

A software application (often a database) used for organizing, managing, and providing access to digital media

Image management system

Provides tools for searching

(Descriptive metadata)

Provides public and internal links to the images

(Structural metadata)

Provides the control elements needed for short and long-term access
(administrative metadata)
7

Metadata for image management

No single accepted standards for each type of metadata

Descriptive metadata

MARC, DC, MOA2, EAD, VRA, Open Archives Initiative LC RFPs, MOA2, DOIs DIG 35, NISO draft standard, MOA2, in process preservation standards such as CEDARS

Structural metadata

Administrative metadata

Key concept: metadata is seldom fixed

You will be massaging the metadata throughout the life of the project

To conform to emerging standards To adjust to new technical environments To add functionality

Once you start a digital project, you are committed to it for life
9

So where do you get an image management solution?

No single off the shelf solution Solutions vary according to:

complexity performance cost

10

What is the ideal solution?

Dependent upon your needs:

size

of database expected demand for images volatility of the data available technical resources

11

Other elements to consider....

Access to a controlled thesaurus Flexibility in database design The expected life-span of the data If permanent, the potential for migration
Adherence

to database standards Adherence to data content standards

12

Three classes of solutions

Generic database applications

Desktop Client/server

Specialized image management programs SGML-based solutions

13

Generic database applications

Most common desktop programs

MS Access, Filemaker Pro

Oracle, Informix (including Illustra), 4th Dimension, object-oriented applications

Client/server applications

14

Demo Here

15

Advantages to desktop programs

Low initial cost for desktop programs Desktop programs are relatively easy to program and use Simple data import and export Growing 3rd-party market of add-ons (especially web tools)

16

Disadvantages

Desktop solutions limited in size

(< 10,000?)

Few standardized data structures Web interfaces require customization High costs of programming
explicit

with large applications hidden but real with desktop

17

Specialized image management programs

Desktop examples:

Cantos Cumulus
http://www.canto-software.com/

ImageAXS

http://www.dascorp.com

Portfolio (formerly Fetch)

http://www.extensis.com/products/Portfolio/

Content (shown here)

18

Advantages

Pre-defined data structure Built-in links to images Some are cross-platform Some have built-in links to the web Overall, less programming expertise required

19

Disadvantages

Fixed data structure Proprietary database structures Limited customization possible Web access is primarily via scripts

20

Larger client/server image management programs

Library software Museum-oriented programs Document management programs Digital library solutions Other programs for newspaper photos, stock photos, multimedia asset management, etc.

21

Library systems

Image-enabled library catalogs include

VTLS CARL OCLC Sitesearch Endeavors Voyager and ENCOMPASS RLG has a system in development

All library systems will head in this direction

22

Advantages

Ready links between catalog and digital images Built on common data structures

MARC or Dublin Core

Increased likelihood they will exploit library-specific metadata Greater possibility for shared resources
23

Disadvantages

Poor integration between images and text No common repository standard No shared standard for utilizing metadata Administrative hurdles

Do digital imaging and Library Systems talk to each other?

24

SGML and XML-based systems

A new approach: using metadata encoded with SGML or XML Based on document type definitions (DTD) Examples:

Photographs using EAD: California Heritage project Text using Ebind (electronic binding DTD) Agoras complete management system

25

Why consider SGML?

Based on an international standard DTDs may themselves become standard

Example: MOA2

May be more appropriate for textoriented description Links to other SGML or XML-encoded resources are possible
26

Disadvantages to SGML

Little native client support for SGML SGML engines may not be as powerful as relational databases XML databases are just being developed Native SGML software tends to be expensive Often it is easier to store data in a database, and write it out with SGML XML tags for exchange or export
27

Summary

No single imagebase package is likely to meet all your needs Plan on continuously modifying databases, interfaces, and metadata Monitor closely the work developing image database standards in the area of greatest interest to you Avoid if possible the hidden costs of internal development
28