Metadata Support Research Articles

Metadata support to retrieve and revise solutions in case-based reasoning

Case Based Reasoning (CBR) is a knowledge management approach that consists of the development of decision-support systems where problems are solved by analogy with similar problems solved in the past. In this way, the system supports users in finding solutions without starting from scratch. CBR has become a very important research topic in artificial intelligence, with the definition of methodologies and architectural patterns for supporting developers in the design and implementation of case-based systems. This paper presents one of these frameworks, namely CRePERIE, an on-going research project based on the integration between CBR paradigm and metadata approach to obtain domain-independent case structure and retrieval algorithm definition. The paper focuses on how the developed retrieval strategy can be profitably exploited for the CBR revision step too, according to a substitutional approach.

Cooperative Cataloging in a Post-OPAC World

The identity of individual libraries has traditionally been based on locally defined, but highly duplicative, collections. The need to build equally duplicative catalogs has provided incentive for cooperative cataloging. In the future, the collections of libraries will be not so much duplicated as shared, and separate libraries may not have separate public catalogs. Is there a place for cooperative cataloging in such a future? Yes, but future cooperative cataloging efforts will need to focus on important post–online public access catalog (OPAC) world challenges, including the development of “virtual” worldwide library collections and the provision of metadata support for new information resources and systems.

JPEG 2000: A Potential Solution for Archiving HDTV Content

Selecting an adequate file format for archiving has always been a complex issue. Several formats are available from a variety of vendors but in addition to the issue of storage media deterioration there is always the serious threat of technology becoming obsolete or no longer being supported by the vendor. Consequently, users experience interoperability during content exchange. Furthermore, with the introduction of HDTV in broadcasting and multiple distribution platforms (Mobile TV, T-DMB, DVB-H, IPTV) and image formats (720p/50, 1080p/50, etc.) compression scalability is now more of a requirement than before. Together with a need for higher quality preservation capability, metadata preservation is also a strong requirement for today's archive formats. JPEG 2000 is a fairly recent ISO open standard, based on wavelet technology. It provides a set of features such as spatial, temporal, and SNR scalability; lossless and lossy compression; and a large support for metadata, all of which are highly valuable for archiving HDTV content. The EBU Technical department has been investigating the JPEG 2000 compression system and, in particular, the best parameters for visually lossless preservation of HDTV content, depending on the format. The subjective quality was assessed at expert viewing sessions using a split screen for quality comparisons. This paper describes features of the JPEG 2000 standard, as well as its advantages and disadvantages in an archival environment. A performance evaluation of JPEG 2000 and recommendation on the JPEG 2000 settings suitable for HDTV archival is given.

The RLG Partnership

ABSTRACT Created in 2006 with the coming together of RLG and OCLC, the RLG Partnership is a transnational research venue for libraries, archives and museums. In concert with OCLC Research, the RLG Partnership focuses on a work agenda that includes system-wide organization and interactions of libraries, archives and museums; research information management; mobilizing unique materials in collections; metadata support and management; and infrastructure to support metadata flow in the Web environment.

Prototype Preservation Environments

The Persistent Archive Testbed and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) research prototype persistent archive are examples of preservation environments. Both projects are using data grids to implement data management infrastructure that can manage technology evolution. Data grids are software systems that provide persistent names to digital entities, manage data that are distributed across multiple types of storage systems, and provide support for preservation metadata. A persistent archive federates multiple data grids to provide the fault tolerance and disaster recovery mechanisms essential for long-term preservation. The capabilities of the prototype persistent archives will be presented, along with examples of how the capabilities are used to support the preservation of email, Web crawls, office products, image collections, and electronic records.

Managing structural genomic workflows using Web services

In silico scientific experiments encompass multiple combinations of program and data resources. Each resource combination in an execution flow is called a scientific workflow. In bioinformatics environments, program composition is a frequent operation, requiring complex management. A scientist faces many challenges when building an experiment: finding the right program to use, the adequate parameters to tune, managing input/output data, building and reusing workflows. Typically, these workflows are implemented using script languages because of their simplicity, despite their specificity and difficulty of reuse. In contrast, Web service technology was specially conceived to encapsulate and combine programs and data, providing interoperation between applications from different platforms. The Web services approach is superior to scripts with regard to interoperability, scalability and flexibility issues. We have combined metadata support with Web services within a framework that supports scientific workflows. While most works are focused on metadata issues to manage and integrate heterogeneous scientific data sources, in this work we concentrate on metadata support to program management within workflows. We have used this framework with a real structural genomic workflow, showing its viability and evidencing its advantages.

Managing structural genomic workflows using Web services

In silico scientific experiments encompass multiple combinations of program and data resources. Each resource combination in an execution flow is called a scientific workflow. In bioinformatics environments, program composition is a frequent operation, requiring complex management. A scientist faces many challenges when building an experiment: finding the right program to use, the adequate parameters to tune, managing input/output data, building and reusing workflows. Typically, these workflows are implemented using script languages because of their simplicity, despite their specificity and difficulty of reuse. In contrast, Web service technology was specially conceived to encapsulate and combine programs and data, providing interoperation between applications from different platforms. The Web services approach is superior to scripts with regard to interoperability, scalability and flexibility issues. We have combined metadata support with Web services within a framework that supports scientific workflows. While most works are focused on metadata issues to manage and integrate heterogeneous scientific data sources, in this work we concentrate on metadata support to program management within workflows. We have used this framework with a real structural genomic workflow, showing its viability and evidencing its advantages.

Enhancing SCORM metadata for assessment authoring in e‐Learning

Abstract With the rapid development of distance learning and the XML technology, metadata play an important role in e‐Learning. Nowadays, many distance learning standards, such as SCORM, AICC CMI, IEEE LTSC LOM and IMS, use metadata to tag learning materials. However, most metadata models are used to define learning materials and test problems. Few metadata models are dedicated to assessment. In this paper, the authors propose an assessment metadata model for e‐Learning operations. With support from assessment metadata, we can incorporate measured aspects of the following list into the metadata description at the question cognition level, the item difficulty index, the item discrimination index, the questionnaire style and the question style. The assessment analysis model provides analytical suggestions for individual questions, summary of test results and cognition analysis. Analytical suggestions provide teachers information about why a question is not appropriate. Summary of test results improves the teacher's view of student learning status immediately. Items missing from the teaching materials can be identified by cognition analysis. In this research, the authors propose an enhanced metadata model and an implemented system based on our model. With metadata support, metadata can help teachers in authoring examination.

The globalization of crystallographic knowledge.

The rapid growth of the World Wide Web provides major new opportunities for distributed databases, especially in macromolecular science. A new generation of technology, based on structured documents (SD), is being developed which will integrate documents and data in a seamless manner. This offers experimentalists the chance to publish and archive high-quality data from any discipline. Data and documents from different disciplines can be combined and searched using technology such as eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and its associated support for hypermedia (XLL), metadata (RDF) and stylesheets (XSL). Opportunities in crystallography and related disciplines are described.