MEDIA (Metadata Encapsulation for Digital Information and Assets)

The MEDIA project is designed to provide an organisation with a flexible set of tools to control and manage a variety of digital assets once they have left the repository. There exists many repositories and databases with poor access controls and limited means by which content can be exploited. Meta data inconsistencies and poor value alignment offers considerable scope for increasing revenue by maxmising access.
An innovative new system will be trialled by consortium members who have a significant investment in a wide variety of digital assets. The result will enable owners of content repositories and archives (e.g. libraries, museums, corporate enterprises) to maximise the value of their information, by monetising access to digital content/assets.
The objective is to generate new income and knowledge streams from assets that would otherwise be restricted or inaccessible.
The project addresses two major problems that exist for many digital repositories:
(a) Poor access control to content and digital assets; in part due to incomplete metadata and in part to inability to easily downloaded and share
(b) Widespread unauthorised dissipation of content post access
MEDIA will overcome these problems through a combination of Cloud Computing services; encapsulation technologies using metadata and finding new ways to present and disctribute data with audit and payment recovery processes.
The key to this approach is the encapsulation of metadata and use of advanced presentation methodologies for content and tracking of usage. This requires a novel combination of digital encoding technologies and presentational technologies to create a new solution of high value to owners of content.
Meta data content flexibility and ease of publishing within an electronic charging system based on user usage and profiling is not currently available as an off the shelf application. If an organisation today wishes to publish content it will create its own web site operations or place its content with a major online publisher who prices products in a conventional way. There is no matching of the user in relation to value or tracking potential secondary use. MEDIA seeks to enable
a) mechanisms to integrate and connect repositories
b)simple placing of content with users to recover income
c) assist in control of additional income streams; and
d) the provision of a secure environment where content is not dissipated.
The MEDIA architecture builds on the knowledge and background IP (with particular reference to search and retrieval applications) of Soutron that will complement traditional ‘membership’ charging mechanisms that have remained relatively unchanged for 20 years. The creation of a service that publishers of content can subscribe to or integrate with as a way of protecting their content and derive income from is our goal.
Three key deliverables are expected:
a) Interoperability across devices, so a user can combine use on a smartphone or tablet and the asset to be recognised across those devices and
b) Performance – to ensure that the size of assets are transferred to and between users without performance degradation or user intolerance of the network speed or rendering on the user device itself.
c) Pricing flexibility – to allow greater control over prices based on user access and history and collection via eCommerce applications.
The functionality includes:
• Asset Registration and Identification
• User Registration and Security Grouping
• Asset Pricing and Updating
• Import Connectors to ingest materials and connect to third party repositories
• Search and Presentation of content across multiple devices in a common format
• Asset Tracking and Usage History
• Income Collection via Paypal
The solution is conceived as a complete service within a Cloud environment.
This reduces time to market, simplifies deployment and provides access to content without compromising corporate IT security. The resources needed to maintain performance can be more easily tuned to fluctuating demands. Cloud computing resources provide cross platform independence which increases the potential for content to be shared and made accessible whilst using secure payment procedures to collect income based on usage.