Appendix B. Multimedia Case Studies

When storing, retrieving, and selling digital objects, there are a number of architectures possible for configuration. The goal of this appendix is to go through a number of them and highlight how they work.

As the marketplace is still young, the experience gained from configuring optimal environments is yet to be determined, as technology advances the rules change. An optimally configured setup today, might with hardware upgrades or network changes, be deemed to be obsolete. The challenge is to develop a structure that can adapt and change as the technology changes.

The eight case studies listed here are based on real-life sites in countries around the world. The details have been generalized and simplified to make the underlying architecture simpler to understand.

Museum A

This museum offers two key facilities. One is the ability to search for digital objects and the second is the ability to purchase them.

The key functions include:

• The search engine for digital objects is separate and independent of the database.

• When customers find a digital object to purchase, they are seamlessly transferred to the database, where the object details are mapped to one inside the e-commerce engine, which has information about all the metadata of the digital object.

• A pricing calculator is used to determine costs. This requires metadata to work out information about the digital object.

• The database communicates directly with the bank to verify all credit card transactions.

  

• As not all digital objects have been digitized, a sophisticated workflow is employed to handle the post processing of the object. This includes check in and out facilities, tracking, scanning, printing,. and customer delivery.

Department B

A government department has a number of existing applications with minimal support for the storage of digital objects. As the same objects can be found across these internal systems, the idea is to set up a central image bank. All systems access the image bank to retrieve the digital objects.

The key functions include:

• Metadata is also loaded into the database. It contains information about the digital object physical attributes but not the metadata. This is to facilitate searching.

• A search engine sits over the image bank enabling external users access to the image bank to perform searches.

• HTML pages rendered by the department for the public use URLs that reference the digital objects stored in the image bank.

• Both internal and external users access the same core set of digital objects.

• The internal systems use a many-to-many mapping table to co-ordinate which rows of data in their systems map to which digital objects in the image bank.

Museum C

This museum has an existing collection management system without digital asset management capabilities. The digital objects reside on an external disk system and are loaded into the database. Data from the collection management system is extracted to an XML file, where it is loaded into the database and matched against the digital objects already there. In not all cases will a match occur.

The key functions include:

• A workflow system is implemented for adding new digital objects to the database. This involves identifying a digital object that needs to be digitized and loaded in. A request is then put forward, a photographer is assigned, and copyright rules are attached to the loaded digital image. The digital image is verified before being made public.

• A PHP frontend uses a web service to provide a functional GUI for the general public to use for digital object searching and access.

• Only digital objects marked for public access can be viewed.

• Both the public and internal users access the one multimedia database.

Museum D

This museum has three separate environments. There is a public server on which copies of the digital objects are stored. A subset of metadata is included with these public images. Some of the public images are watermarked, and most are transformed and cropped into a postcard format to make them easier to view by the general public.

The key functions include:

• Metadata is loaded into the internal server from a collection management system residing on a separate system. An ODBC based database link is used to transfer the metadata over.

  

• Digital objects that reside on a SAN are loaded in and where possible matched to the loaded metadata. Multiple versions of the same digital object are merged together and then one is marked as the master.

• A weekly job pushes selected digital objects to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) site for public access. The firewall is one-way enabling the internal server to push data to the DMZ. The DMZ site cannot access the internal server.

• Internal users can use a number of web-based interfaces for querying the digital objects, as well as editing metadata values.

• Public users have a JavaScript GUI frontend, which uses web services to access and display the digital objects from the DMZ frontend.

• The public database has been tuned and configured for read-only that is of high speed.

• A separate server running inside the museum contains a tighter subset of digital objects along with a subset of metadata. This server is designed for customer usage within the museum and is used within the exhibitions themselves to compliment the displays of the digital objects.

• Data on this public internal server is pulled, rather than pushed. Database links are used to retrieve all metadata and digital objects from the internal server.

• All access to the digital objects and associated metadata is done via web services.

Whole of government E

This government organization has 20 departments within it. Each has a requirement for the management of digital assets and their controlled distribution. This includes releasing digital objects to the press, for use in marketing or for publication in brochures.

The general public does not access the digital objects, rather they are used internally. Tight control is maintained over them to ensure their correct usage. Each digital object is assigned an owner, who controls and determines whether it can be released to another person in the government department based on the reasons they specify.

The key functions include:

• Each department is responsible for loading in their own digital objects. Each has an exclusive access to their digital objects and the metadata on them.

• Read-only access can be given to the digital object, which if given (using roles) means other government users can search on and then request access to that digital object.

• Once requested, an e-mail is sent to the owner of it, who then determines if it can be released. If permission is given, an e-mail is then sent to the user indicating permission has been granted. They can then download the digital object.

Department F

The role of the multimedia database is to provide a repository for the storage of all information regarding particular incidents. The role of the department is to monitor and review these incidents and determine if legal action is required. Access to the digital objects is tightly controlled and there is no public access.

The key functions include:

• A photographer is assigned to take the photos of the incident. These are then securely sent to the server.

• A government employee then loads these digital images into the database and attaches metadata to them. They are then reviewed and secured.

• Users with the correct authority can then retrieve and use these digital images. They can also be embedded in documents, as required in any legal cases.

Museum H

This is a conglomeration of a number of museums. Each museum is separate and has its own collection management system.

Key functions include:

• Each museum is responsible for loading in their own digital objects. Each has exclusive access to their digital objects and the metadata on them. Each has their own distinctive metadata.

• Once loaded in, digital objects are marked to be pushed to the shared common environment. This is done using lightboxes. The lightbox architecture enables category structures to be maintained.

• A job pulls all the digital objects into the shared commons. Metadata is automatically translated into a universal standard. Digital images are recreated for public viewing.

• A PHP frontend using web services then enables the general public GUI access to the shared common multimedia database.

Photo laboratory G

This photo laboratory provides a database for the distribution and selling of digital images. An e-commerce frontend is used to sell those digital images. A user search and retrieve environment is available for customers of the photographers to log in and look at the digital objects related to their event.

The key functions include:

• Each photographer is responsible for their own digital images. They transfer them to an FTP server, where they are loaded into the database into a collection that they own.

• Once a collection is set up, the photographer is responsible for marketing it and letting those at the event know how to access the website.

• The photographer can choose to enable the digital objects to be made freely available for download or the customer can choose to purchase digital versions of them as well as getting them printed at the photo laboratory.

• Each photographer can choose the best business model for selling those images.