Fig. 4.5. Operational concept: NAIST University Digital Library.
This section will show how specific examples of digital libraries in Japan align with the design principles and the reference model sketched. It will try to represent each case on its own terms, leaving general comparisons and evaluations until the end of the chapter.
This section begins with the digital library at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST). NAIST's digital library is functional today and exhibits all the characteristics of the generic digital library reference architecture. The presence and management of both data and metadata is especially apparent in the NAIST technical and operational architectures (see Figure 4.5). The reader is directed to the site visit reports (Appendix C) for descriptive information about NAIST.
The acquisition or capture process at NAIST is based on local conversion of print materials to digital form. Semi-automated means are used to prepare journals for scanning. For journals, article-level bibliographic data are produced; the articles are scanned and passed through optical character recognition systems for both English and Japanese texts. NAIST uses external cataloging services from NACSIS, a national service, which provides bibliographic records for many Japanese libraries.
NAIST conceptualizes storage as a multimedia database, but clearly separates the "primary content" from metadata, which, as the NAIST concept of operations diagram (Fig. 4.5) indicates, are a mixture of bibliographic, presentation, inventory, and navigation data.
NAIST does not use technologies beyond user login to protect content. NAIST relies on publisher agreements to manage copyright issues.
Fig. 4.5. Operational concept: NAIST University Digital Library.
The NAIST interface for query and retrieval is mainly Web-based, but there are specialized video presentation and editing workstations.
NAIST's digital library mission subsumes traditional research library missions, and practically all library capabilities are partially or fully realized with digital technologies. NAIST includes all core capabilities of a digital library and was the most complete example of a digital library that we saw.
From an architectural standpoint, NAIST's digital library aligns with the reference model, with emphasis on multimedia as the content rather than an abstract content type such as "library holdings" or "library objects." Implementation is largely through integration of off-the-shelf components running on commercially available systems, servers, and networks.
NAIST's systems include five main subsystems and interconnections to campus and external networks (Figure 4.6):
NAIST adopts mainline technologies and builds most digital library services upon a readily available commercial base. The panel did not find, however, that the NAIST digital library, or any other Japanese example was either built upon or extended the capabilities of conventional, commercial automated library systems. NAIST's operational concept is very advanced. Remarkably, NAIST's system implementation is very conventional.
Fig. 4.6. Systems concept: NAIST University Digital Library.
Nikkei demonstrates how digital library technologies provide support for new and expanded lines of business where information management is central to core business functions. Nikkei's systems illustrate the following principles:
The reader is directed to the site visit report (Appendix C) for further details about the scope of Nikkei's newspaper and information businesses.
The Nikkei concept of operations is shown in Figure 4.7, taken from a 1997 corporate overview. News gathering corresponds to the acquisition function of a digital library, but in the Nikkei situation, one sees that capture technologies, such as scanning, are secondary. Instead, the emphasis is on information gathering by a worldwide staff of reporters. The Nikkei automated systems are sharply focused on converting information into information-intensive products and services that are distributed via print, broadcast, and online media.
Fig. 4.7. Nikkei operational concept.
The operational concept diagram (Figure 4.7) shows Nikkei's fundamental information acquisition resource: a worldwide team of reporters and news-gathering offices (the blocks at the top).
The ovals represent automated information management systems that are very good examples of the application of digital library approaches to a commercial information service. The systems shown are an editorial system, a publishing system, and three network-based businesses that distribute various blends of information, most of which has passed through the editing and production processes.
Nikkei has mastered the problem of building a system for management of digital information that can very easily adapt to new technologies (e.g., Internet). This achievement appears to derive from an operational architecture that is explicitly designed to re-purpose and leverage information that is derived from or complementary to the newspaper production system. But in leveraging its core capabilities, Nikkei is pursuing new lines of business, such as being the Japanese supplier of AOL.
PLES is the PaperLess Editing System that prepares material for publication (Figure 4.8). PLES processes the information produced by the worldwide staff of 1,400 reporters, data gathered from wire services, and other internal archival and current information resources. Interestingly, it uses a text-to-speech system for copyediting. It is believed that multi-modal editing (both listening and reading) is more accurate than simply reading copy. PLES also includes a complete graphics input system, including scanners and digital format conversions. PLES corresponds to the capture and catalog capabilities in the digital library reference architectures discussed at the beginning of this chapter. The PLES subsystem provides inputs to the computer-based newspaper production subsystem, ANNECS, shown in Figure 4.9.
Fig. 4.8. Paperless editing (PLES).
Fig. 4.9. Newspaper production (ANNECS).
ANNECS is the computer-based publishing system. Not only does it perform typesetting and layout, but also routes its data to other Nikkei businesses (Figure 4.9). Nikkei's approach to leveraging and reuse of information works because they have digital information which can inter-operate with a variety of systems, and which can be effectively reused in other lines of business besides publishing. One of the features of the digital library reference models discussed at the beginning of this chapter is data interoperability. Nikkei's approach depends on data interoperability. Accordingly, data that support newspaper production are passed along to subsystems that support online services and broadcast media.
Figure 4.10 shows how capture and production facilities for news gathering and newspaper publishing pay off for Nikkei by supporting additional lines of business.
Fig. 4.10. Wire services and databases (NEWS, NETS and NEEDS).
NEWS is a distribution system (Nikkei Economic Data Wire Service) that feeds broadcast and online services.
NETS is a system to convert information originally in Japanese into English for resale or inclusion in Nikkei English-language products.
NEEDS is a database service and text search and retrieval system.
All of the above services that organize and manage digital information feed additional products and lines of business based on digital content, as shown in Figure 4.11.
Fig. 4.11. New business based on organized digital information.
QUICK is a customizable, personalizable online product that delivers high-end business information to select customers.
NIKKEI NET is an Internet, Web-based news service that charges users.
AOL services in Japan are provided by Nikkei. Nikkei information in Japanese is a value-added product for Japanese AOL customers.
NSN is an all-business television channel that is broadcast using digital satellite technologies.
Nikkei Telecom is another Internet service that features a hyper-linked online newspaper format that offers search and retrieval for specialized business information such as corporate strategies and management news items.
Nikkei illustrates very clearly how interoperability in data and middleware can leverage information assets into many lines of business with different market targets, different selections of information, and different application-level interfaces and capabilities. The architectural and systems approaches seen in Nikkei information systems are the clearest and most advanced examples of digital library approaches to the organization of information for commercial purposes that the panel saw in Japan.
The National Museum of Ethnology is a leader in utilizing technology for many aspects of museum operations, which are detailed in the site report (Appendix C). The museum is a good example of systems and architecture because all technologies at the museum are specifically designed and implemented to automate or enhance internal museum procedures.
The museum utilizes 3D imaging and measurement technologies to partially automate the acquisition process. Figure 4.12 shows one of the scanners and also gives a sense of the exhibition space at the museum. Digital library technologies are extending the capabilities of the museum, and over more than two decades, an elaborate local system to support museum functions has evolved, which features the following:
The museum's current systems design places technologies for individual museum functional capabilities such as video exhibits, kiosks, scholarship, asset management, and Internet on a high performance local network (Figure 4.13). This system is not designed as a single unified or comprehensive museum system. In that sense the design is conservative. However, the scale of the system relative to the museum's overall mission is very impressive, because nearly everything at the museum is strongly supported by technologies that map clearly to the digital library reference models.
Fig. 4.12. National Museum of Ethnology: operational concept.
Fig. 4.13. National Museum of Ethnology: systems concept.
One of the visions of digital library is global virtual collections. Working with the National Ethnographic Museum and the British Museum, IBM's Tokyo Research Laboratory has designed and implemented a global virtual museum focused on problems of K-12 museum education. The virtual museum includes the following characteristics:
One of the problems a virtual collection must address is a data architecture that makes the different legacy systems of the various museums interoperable in the virtual collection space. The Global Museum Project defines data abstractions and user-level operations that allow teachers to create virtual collections for instructional purposes, and students to annotate, select, and present their own personal collections (Figure 4.14).
Fig. 4.14. IBM Tokyo Global Museum: operational concept.
Japan's technology providers are very focused on multimedia systems. Fujitsu's vision represents some of the architectural and systems issues that must be faced in order to build full-service, scaleable multimedia digital libraries, as indicated below:
Figure 4.15 summarizes challenges for digital library technology providers. From the top down, heterogeneous media requires changes in search and storage subsystems. Improvements in database technology for managing metadata must be complemented by advances in multimedia object stores.
Multimedia distribution raises quality of service issues and requires resource management at the systems level.
Finally, many device improvements will drive the multimedia library, especially devices that extend information management to new areas of internetworking, consumer electronics, home devices, and collaborative workspaces.
In Japan, a second national digital library project is underway, funded by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), and conducted by the Information Technology Promotion Agency (IPA) and Japan Information Processing Development Center (JIPDEC).
Fig. 4.15. Fujitsu: concept.
The purpose is to develop a reference architecture that will drive development and utilization of advanced technologies for information management. Only an overview of a preliminary version of the next generation architecture is considered here. The following bullets highlight main themes of the project:
The reference model reflects modern multi-tier distributed systems architectures (Figure 4.16). It features messaging middleware, agent technology, multimedia databases, mobile agents, and CORBA distributed object management. The project is practical, and the plan calls for a prototype system in the next two years.
Fig. 4.16. Reference model for basic architecture (Japanese DLII
initiative).
Up-to-date information may be found at the Next Generation Digital Library Web site, http://www.dlib.jipdec.or.jp.
Figure 4.17 is representative of the project's approach, indicating utilization of the three-tier model, CORBA, and Internet standards.
Fig. 4.17. Structure of messaging platform (Japanese DLII project).
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