Showing papers on "Meta Data Services published in 2000"

System and method of managing metadata data

Abstract: A system and method of the present invention allow users to access, manage, and edit information about content data, often referred to as metadata. Metadata is collected from various sources, added, and maintained in a metadata database. In addition, metadata is dynamically read from the metadata database and dynamically displayed in a graphical user interface in an organized manner, such as a hierarchical tree. In the graphical user interface, a user may add, delete, and/or modify the metadata. As the user changes the metadata, the metadata database is updated and the user's changes are propagated throughout the graphical user interface such that the hierarchical tree is displays the changed metadata.

Infrastructure and method for supporting generic multimedia metadata

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing access by applications/utilities/tools to multimedia file metadata originally provided in any of a set of supported formats. A metadata abstraction interface is interposed between multimedia files and applications that seek to read and/or modify metadata associated with the multimedia files. The metadata abstraction interface supports program access to multimedia file metadata provided in a variety of formats and comprises a multimedia application program interface corresponding to a set of core multimedia file metadata management functions accessible by multimedia applications. The metadata abstraction interface includes an extensible set of file type-specific metadata decoders. Each decoder includes a metadata converter for parsing a metadata portion of a multimedia file stored in a particular native format (e.g., .bmp). The decoders render metadata in a generic format from the parsed metadata.

System and method for cataloguing digital information for searching and retrieval

Abstract: The system and method for searching and retrieving information stored in heterogeneous information repositories. A portal server retrieves user requests through a computer network and looks up information stored in a metadata databases. For example, the metadata may be encoded in an XML/RDF format and stored in a directory server to facilitate effective searching and retrieval of information from an information repository. Metadata includes information including a classmark definition for each document. The classmark is determined through an automated cataloguing process.

Automated software code generation from a metadata-based repository

Abstract: Software code for execution in an EDM application in presenting data from one or more data sources to an EDM application user, is generated from the source metadata obtained by analysis of the data sources in accordance with the structural entities of a generic data repository.

Building and Managing the Meta Data Repository: A Full Lifecycle Guide

Abstract: From the Publisher: "This is the first book to tackle the subject of meta data in data warehousing, and the results are spectacular . . . David Marco has written about the subject in a way that is approachable, practical, and immediately useful. Building and Managing the Meta Data Repository: A Full Lifecycle Guide is an excellent resource for any IT professional." -Steve Murchie Group Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation. Meta data repositories can provide your company with tremendous value if they are used properly and if you understand what they can, and can't, do. Written by David Marco, the industry's leading authority on meta data and well-known columnist for DM Review, this book offers all the guidance you'll need for developing, deploying, and managing a meta data repository to gain a competitive advantage. After illustrating the fundamental concepts, Marco shows you how to use meta data to increase your company's revenue and decrease expenses. You'll find a comprehensive look at the major trends affecting the meta data industry, as well as steps on how to build a repository that is flexible enough to adapt to future changes. This vendor-neutral guide alsoincludes complete coverage of meta data sources, standards, and architecture, and it explores the full gamut of practical implementation issues.Taking you step-by-step through the process of implementing a meta data repository, Marco shows you how to: *Evaluate meta data tools *Build the meta data project plan *Design a custom meta data architecture *Staff a repository team *Implement data quality through meta data *Create a physical meta data model *Evaluate meta data delivery requirements TheCD-ROMincludes: *A sample implementation project plan *A function and feature checklist of meta data tool requirements *Several physical meta datamodels to support specific business functions

Genre-based metadata for enterprise document management

Abstract: Contemporary challenges for enterprise document management (EDM) include managing a mixture of technologies, recognizing the needs of several user roles and groups, and pursuing effective processes utilizing documents in a digital form. Responding to these challenges means gathering and scrutinizing organizational metadata describing the organization's information resources. Despite the volume of metadata research in general, there continues to be a dearth of studies on metadata in the field of digital documents in the organizational context. We suggest that an analysis of organizational metadata for EDM can be based on scrutinizing genres of organizational communication. The paper reports an action research project, in which this approach has its origin. Many of the genres that were identified in the target organization were implicit and implemented by heterogeneous means, i.e. "soft". In general, an organization should be aware of the continuous evolution of its document genres and should not allow an EDM system to freeze future evolution. An explicit organizational genre repertoire including metadata about the genres, is a solid basis for the design of an EDM system. As such, the action research cycle reported here represents the first attempt towards a practice-oriented method for gathering and scrutinizing genre based metadata for EDM development.

Component Metadata for Software Engineering Tasks

Abstract: This paper presents a framework that lets a component developer provide a component user with different kinds of information, depending on the specific context and needs. The framework is based on presenting this information in the form of metadata. Metadata describe static and dynamic aspects of the component, can be accessed by the user, and can be used for different tasks throughout the software engineering lifecycle. The framework is defined in a general way, so that the metadata can be easily extended if new types of data have to be provided. In our approach, we define a unique format and a unique tag for each kind of metadata provided. The tag lets the user of the component both treat the information provided as metadata in the correct way and query for a specific piece of information. We motivate the untapped potential of component metadata by showing the need for metadata in the context of testing and analysis of distributed component-based systems, and introduce our framework with the help of an example. We sketch a possible scenario consisting of an application developer who wants to perform two different software engineering tasks on her application: generating self-checking code and program slicing.

Metadata standards for data warehousing: open information model vs. common warehouse metadata

Abstract: Metadata has been identified as a key success factor in data warehouse projects. It captures all kinds of information necessary to analyse, design, build, use, and interpret the data warehouse contents. In order to spread the use of metadata, enable the interoperability between repositories, and tool integration within data warehousing architectures, a standard for metadata representation and exchange is needed. This paper considers two standards and compares them according to specific areas of interest within data warehousing. Despite their incontestable similarities, there are significant differences between the two standards which would make their unification difficult.

A universal framework for managing metadata in the distributed Dragon Slayer system

Abstract: In the multimedia field, metadata are becoming increasingly important for efficiently cataloguing the abundant flood of information. (Metadata are data on information structures.) The number of electronic data files made accessible by metadata increases rapidly, however at the present retrieving textual, audio, video and/or mixed data files through metadata is definitely restricted. In particular, there is only a limited number of metadata formats at hand. Nevertheless, within the framework of testbeds, some efforts have been made not only to develop retrieval systems adjusted to the respective field of application, but also to unite several metadata formats into one system in order to obtain better search results. This paper describes specifications for developing an attribute service which, as part of the "Dragon Slayer" distributed file system, is intended to offer a uniform platform for different metadata formats, and to offer efficient information metadata retrieval. Via the interface provided by the Dragon Slayer file system, the user can assign metadata to files and reference them via these metadata. For each metadata format used, an external meta module is incorporated into the file system which, depending on its format, manages and searches for metadata in a database, according to their format.

On Metadata Interoperability in Data Warehouses

Abstract: In current data warehouse environments there is either no or only insufficient support for a consistent and comprehensive metadata management. Typically, a multitude of largely autonomous and heterogeneously organized repositories coexist. We categorize the major metadata types and their interdependencies within a three-dimensional classification approach. We then investigate how interoperability and integration of metadata can be achieved based on a federated metadata architecture and standardization efforts such as OIM and CWM. In particular, we examine synchronization alternatives to keep replicated metadata consistent. We also give an overview of currently available commercial repositories and discuss interoperability issues to couple data warehouses with information portals.

Meta data

Abstract: Meta data provides an architecture or framework describing the user's data within a data environment. This architecture should provide a precise, coherent and logical structure that "paints a picture" of the data. It also should describe how the data internal to the data environment is interfaced to the external world. Satisfying the different needs of users and implementers, obtaining all the desirable qualities of meta data, while interfacing with various data systems is certainly a Herculean task for meta data. Basically, there seem to be three approaches to managing meta data: meta data bridges; meta data repositories; and intelligent software agents. One meta data repository trying to catch on is Microsoft's Repository (MDC-OIM). It uses the Open Information Model (OIM) as its base. The Meta Data Coalition (MDC) and the Object Management Group (OMG) have refined this OIM model. Both groups have also proposed it as the common standard for meta data exchange. The goal of the MDC-OIM repository is to allow creation, reuse and exchange of meta data across multiple hardware and software platforms. This includes the meta data integration of all tools, applications and databases for each individual platform.

Metadata and authority control

Abstract: A variety of information communities have developed metadata schemes to meet the needs of their own users. The ability of libraries to incorporate and use multiple metadata schemes in current library systems will depend on the compatibility of imported data with existing catalog data. Authority control will play an important role in metadata interoperability. In this article, I discuss factors for successful authority control in current library catalogs, which include operation in a well-defined and bounded universe, application of principles and standard practices to access point creation, reference to authoritative lists, and bibliographic record creation by highly trained individuals. Metadata characteristics and environmental models are examined and the likelihood of successful authority control is explored for a variety of metadata environments.

Apparatus and method for providing metadata for the creation of semi-deployed enterprise java beans

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system for generating semi-deployed enterprise java beans is provided. The apparatus, method and system make use of metadata to identify an intended deployment of an undeployed enterprise java bean. The metadata may be packaged with the undeployed enterprise java bean into a java archive file which is provided to a deployment tool either on the same computing device or a different computing device. The deployment tool may make use of the metadata when generating deployment classes for the undeployed enterprise java bean. However, if the deployment tool is unable to recognize the metadata or the use of the metadata is not wanted, the deployment tool may also deploy the undeployed enterprise java bean in a conventional manner.

Ecient and Flexible Search Using Text and Metadata CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences Technical Report 2000/83

Abstract: Digital libraries and intranets often include a wide mix of document types, ranging from catalog entries consisting entirely of metadata, to documents with both substantial text content and thorough metadata tagging, to documents with hardly any metadata at all. This paper describes a retrieval model for use in such environments which can accommodate searches in a variety of metadata schemata. It uses both content search and three-valued satisfaction of metadata constraints (yes, no and maybe). In this model queries may include explicit metadata constraints as well as free text terms. The latter may impose additional implicit constraints as well as contributing to content relevance scores. Result lists are presented in tiers, in which the top tier corresponds to full satisfaction of all constraints and subsequent tiers are derived by progressive relaxation of constraints. An ecient and scalable implementation of the model has been developed and has been in production use on the Australian National University intranet since July 1999. Details of the implementation are given and performance results are presented.

Metadata for smart multimedia learning objects

Abstract: The application of educational metadata is nowadays often limited to the description of static resources (text or image) in order to support the retrieval process. The usage of metadata is done in a static way with respect to the (static) content and cannot influence multimedia content itself. An adequate description of dynamic multimedia content, for example animations, is also difficult.In this paper we propose dynamic educational metadata as an extension of IEEE's Learning Objects Metadata (LOM) to describe multimedia content. These metadata can be used to customize the behavior of the multimedia object according to the user's needs. The term customization is normally used in the context of component software technology and applied in our context to denote changes and/or modifications to a multimedia learning object. These changes are necessary to match the learning goals of a user and to reuse dynamic multimedia content in a different context.

Information retrieval apparatus

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent obsolescence of metadata and maintain high retrieval accuracy in an information retrieval apparatus using metadata as a sub-retrieval key. SOLUTION: The information retrieval apparatus comprises: an information retrieval interface 103 to use the metadata of which structure is variable as the sub-retrieval key; a plurality of document management devices 105A, 105B, for managing a document group composing database of a retrieval object; an information intermediary device 104 for accepting a retrieval request from an information retrieval interface and retrieving the document group managed by the plurality of document management devices 105A, 105B; an ontology generation device 203 for generating an ontology with regard to the metadata to send it to the information intermediary device 104; a metadata structure recommendation device 202 for recommending the update of metadata structure periodically or by request; and a metadata distribution device 201 for distributing the structure of the updated metadata to the information retrieval interface 203, the document management devices 105A, 105B, the information intermediary device 104 and ontology generation device 203.

Structured Metadata Spaces

Abstract: SUMMARY This paper presents the concepts of a metadata space as it relates to cataloging and discovery. A space has multiple dimensions; in the case of resource metadata, these are descriptive dimensions. We explain the needs for orthogonal descriptive dimensions, and present a method for achieving maximally efficient, independent dimensions using semantic structures realized in structured metadata. A specific example of this system as developed in the IEEELearning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC P1484) Learning Object Metadata (LOM) is presented. The LOMis the collaborative work of many organizations including ADL, AJCC, ARIADNE, GESTALT, and IMS(see acronym list at the end of the article, following references). The scope of the concepts presented in this paper encompasses general concepts of metadata systems.

Metadata Based Web Mining for Topic-Specific Information Gathering

Abstract: As the World-Wide-Web grows at an exponential rate, we are faced with the issue of rating pages in terms of quality and trust. In this siutation, with significant linkage among web pages, what other pages say about a web page can be as important as and more objective than what the page says about itself. The cumulative knowledge of such recommendations (or lack of them) can help a system to decide whether to pursue a page or not. This metadata information can also be used by a web robot program, for example, to derive summary information about web documents written in a foreign language. In this paper, we describe how we exploit this type of metadata to drive a web information gathering system, which forms the backend of a topic-specific search engine. The system uses metadata from hyperlinks to guide itself to crawl the web staying focused on a target topic. The crawler follows links that point to information related to the topic and avoids following links to irrelevant pages. Moreover, the system uses the metadata to improve its definition of the target topic through association mining. Ultimately, the guided crawling system builds a rich repository of metadata information, which is used to serve the search engine.

Using Metadata to Enhance Web Information Gathering

Abstract: With the web at close to a billion pages and growing at an exponential rate, we are faced with the issue of rating pages in terms of quality and trust. In this situation, what other pages say about a web page can be as important as what the page says about itself. The cumulative knowledge of these types of recommendations (or the lack thereof) can be objective enough to help a user or robot program to decide whether or not to pursue a web document. In addition, these annotations or metadata can be used by a web robot program to derive summary information about web documents that are written in a language that the robot does not understand. We use this idea to drive a web information gathering system that forms the core of a topic-specific search engine.

CORBA metadata gateway to telecommunications management network

Abstract: A system and method for managing network devices using a metadata gateway. The metadata gateway provides translation of metadata to and from a database format and Interface Definition Language (IDL), which is operable across a plurality of platforms and across a plurality of programming languages. Metadata may be retrieved through the metadata gateway by a client manager application sending a request for type information for a managed object attribute or event in IDL through a CORBA Object Request Broker (ORB) to the metadata gateway, which then reads the type information from a metadata repository, where the type information is stored in a database format. The metadata gateway then translates the retrieved type information from the database format to IDL and sends the translated type information to the ORB, which sends the translated type information for the attribute or event to the client manager application. Metadata may be encoded through the metadata gateway by sending the metadata in IDL to the metadata gateway, which translates the type information from IDL to a database format and stores the type information in the metadata repository.

The SMPTE Data Coding Protocol and Dictionaries

Abstract: This report is a review of the work of the SMPTE to standardize the use of metadata in broadcast and related industries. It will explain key aspects about the SMPTE metadata work including the use of the Key-Length-Value (K-L-V) data coding protocol and the metadata dictionary. Much of the SMPTE work is coordinated with other ongoing metadata work in such fora as the EBU, IFTA and MPEG-7 as all sections of the content production industry recognize that coordination of metadata activities is vital for its future cooperative development. he metadata work started in late 1997 within the T EBUBMPTE Task Force which had a mandate to recommend the future directions of the broadcast industry based on the clear trends towards digital equipment and the storage and transmission of digital television. This was not focused on emission where there were other standards bodies, but on program production and cataloging. The Task Force published its final report in September 1998’ and this work has laid the foundations of the metadata standardization activities within SMPTE which are the subject of this overview report. Metadata has been used for many years in all forms of transmission and storage. In broadcast operations, clapperboards and tape labels provided the core metadata describing such key metadata types as ‘program name,’ ‘episode,’ ‘recording time,’ and other similarly important labeling information. More recently, tapes have been bar-coded and the bar-code linked to a computer database for use in tape library systems. But much of this work has been limited to localized operations and not easily transferable between organizations. With increasing digitalization of whole systems based on compressed video and audio, there has been a trend towards the use of networking technologies through the use of ethernet, fibre-channel, and ATM connections. This, and other trends, suggests that broadcast and similar operations will make significant moves into remote file and ‘web’ style access to program material through networked connections to libraries and on-line servers. For such a vision to materialize, users recognized that a common method of defining metadata structures and types was required and the result of this is the ongoing SMPTE work to standardize both the metadata items and the methods of transferring the metadata over connections between various equipment.

Apparatus and method for delivery of metadata on ATVEF transport B enabled platform

Abstract: A method and associated apparatus for announcing and identifying metadata relating to available video programs and/or enhancements in an enhanced television communications system compliant with the standard set forth by the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF). In particular, the method provides for a new attribute to the existing Session Description Protocol (SDP) announcement specified by the ATVEF standard which is used by client receivers to access metadata. Metadata is data that describes other data, in particular, that describe available video programs and/or enhancements transmitted by a content creator and/or transport operator. The new SDP announcement provides a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) to allow client receivers to identify the incoming metadata. Additionally, the new SDP announcement further can provides the address and/or port if the metadata is located on a network database. After receiving this new SDP announcement, a client receiver can retrieve the metadata and store it in its local memory. The client receiver may present the metadata to the user to allow the user to select which one or more television programs and/or enhancements to download and view or merely to store for later use. Or, the client receiver may be automatically programmed to receive the television program and/or enhancement based on a specified criteria and information provided in the metadata.

Metadata and the Future of Cataloging.

Abstract: This article is a survey of representative metadata efforts comparing them to MARC 21 metadata in order to determine if new electronic formats require the development of a new set of standards. This study surveys the ongoing metadata projects in order to identify what types of metadata exist and how they are used and also compares and analyzes selected metadata elements in an attempt to illustrate how they are related to MARC 21 metadata format elements.

Model metadata and its management for resources and environment information system

Abstract: This paper sets forth that method metadata is necessary for resource and environment information system. It provides a frame and a management model of method metadata. Model management is discussed based on method metadata. It is held that model metadata should consist of an identifier, problem fields, model parameters, run conditions, model performances, model principles, implementation details, and management information. The first four items and the eighth item are the contents of basic set which are indispensable. The fifth, sixth and seventh items are the contents of extended set which are optional. The sum of a basic set and the extended set is the method metadata superset. Three types of data model of method metadata are identified as relation model, extended relation model and oriented objectives model. A model includes its method metadata and its executable program. Three types of storage mode of method metadata are also identified as basic text file system, extended relation database system, and oriented objective database system. The executable program can be an *.exe program, a DLL file, a COM/ActiveX or COBRA/Java component. The method metadata management system makes up of method metadata browsers, method metadata servers and method metadata editors. We can manage models by a model builder and a model interpreting executor in virtue of method metadata.

Metadata model, resource discovery, and querying on large scale multidimensional datasets. The GEREQ project

Abstract: At present, geographic image databases make very limited use of metadata. There is a need to somehow manage a meta-level system on top of such a kind of information systems. Issues in this field include a representation model for geographic data, the relationship between metadata and resource discovery on geographic data, and efficient query processing in a distributed environment. In such a background, the GEREQ project is targeted to address three critical aspects: (1) clustering approaches that can detect clusters of arbitrary shape of multidimensional data, which are generated from geographic images; (2) metadata model that formulates the metadata for the integrated system to direct a query to relevant databases; (3) development of theoretical foundation of database selection approaches based on the metadata; and (4) query processing approaches that integrate heterogeneous queries extracted from the content of image data. Furthermore, fundamental understanding of relationships between metadata and resource discovery on multidimensional data will be tackled. Results obtained from this research are critical to retrieval on large volumes of multidimensional data distributed over the Internet and will find broad applications as a template for the development of systems which manage multidimensional data. Experimental results will enable the establishment of effective benchmarks for assessing the performance of distributed geography image data retrieval systems.

Metadata for Data Warehouse

Abstract: Metadata is the foundation for success of Data warehouse. Metadata is central piece of the whole Data Warehousing Concepts. Metadata allows the end user to be pro-active in the use of the warehouse. It is the Information Directory containing Yellow Pages, Road Map and ‘Places of Interest’ for navigating the warehouse.

Managing long-term access to digital data objects: a metadata approach

Abstract: As society becomes increasingly reliant on information technology for data exchange and long-term data storage the need for a system of data management to document and provide access to the 'societal memory' is becoming imperative. An examination of both the literature and current 'best Practice' underlines the absence to date of a proven universal conceptual basis to digital data preservation. The examination of differences in nature and sources of origin, between traditional 'print-based' and digital objects leads to a re-appraisal of current practices of data selection and preservation. The need to embrace past, present and future metadata developments in a rapidly changing environment is considered. Various hypotheses were formulated and supported regarding; the similarities and differences required in selection criteria for different types of Digital Data Objects (DDOs), the ability to define universal threshold standards for a framework of metadata for digital data preservation, and the role of selection criteria in such a framework. The research uses Soft Systems Methodology to investigate the potential of the metadata concept as the key to universal data management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the attitudes of information professionals in the United Kingdom towards the challenges facing information-dependent organisations attempting to preserve digital data over the long-term. In particular, the nature of DDOs being encountered by stakeholders, the reasons, policies, and procedures for preserving them, together with a range of specific issues such as; the role of metadata, access to, and rights management of DDOs. The societal need for selection to ensure efficient long-term access is considered. Drawing on - SSM modelling, this research develops a flexible, long-term management framework for digital data at a level higher than metadata, with selection as an essential component. The framework's conceptual feasibility has been examined from both financial and societal benefit perspectives, together with the recognition of constraints. The super-metadata framework provides a possible systematic approach to managing a wide range of digital data in a variety of formats, created/owned by a spectrum of information-dependent organisations.