News
02/14/07
Public Broadcasting Metadata Description (PBCORE) Updates
"Metadata" is the information, or data, that accompanies a piece of digitized content, such as a video or audio clip, graphic, or script. Examples of metadata include title, description, subject heading, file format, author/producer, rights holder, etc. When these fields of information use standardized vocabularies and have defined relationships, this constitutes a metadata model or dictionary, and the content can be more easily indexed, catalogued, searched, and retrieved.
Within public broadcasting, the application of a shared metadata dictionary is helping to facilitate the exchange and delivery of content and data (including both program elements and completed programs) throughout multi-platform production teams, the system of interconnected licensees and out to public broadcast and Internet constituents. The PRSS ContentDepot and other public broadcasting systems are based on the standards established for public broadcasting, known as PBCore.
Recently, several exciting developments have occurred to extend the usefulness of the PBCore standard and are summarized below.
PBCore V1.1 XSD Published
The PBCore v1.1 XML Schema Definition (XSD) has been published. For a complete discussion on what this means for the advancement of PBCore, please see http://www.pbcore.org/PBCore/PBCoreXMLSchema.html.
This XSD is the main framework upon which all the PBCore elements, their relationships, vocabulary picklists, and data types are organized and defined. The purpose of building an accurate and meticulous XSD is to ensure that when PBCore compliant metadata descriptions are shared between data systems, the contributing system and the receiving system are both able to "machine read" and faultlessly interpret and display the descriptions.
Updates for PBCore V1.1
Since the initial publication (April 2005) of the Public Broadcasting Metadata Dictionary—PBCore v1.0, many stations, organizations and information systems have used its 48 elements to describe the intellectual content, property rights, and instantiations/formats of their media items and intellectual properties.
In the process of creating the PBCore XSD, it was determined that enhancements to the underlying structure of PBCore were necessary, resulting in PBCore v1.1. For the most part, these enhancements are related to binding together related metadata elements (such as Title and TitleType) into new "Element Containers."
PBCore Training Available
If you are wondering how to actually use PBCore, please join the PBCore team for the second in a series of four live Webinars on using PBCore. This session is "PBCore 102: The PBCore Elements."
"PBCore 102: The PBCore Elements" will describe the element dictionary, show the creation of an actual PBCore record and detail the resources available to help you learn more about the rules of the PBCore dictionary. This presentation will be held on Wednesday, February 28, at 2:00pm Eastern time, and repeated on Thursday, March 1, at 2:00pm Eastern time. Hosted by the PBCore Project at WGBH/NCAM, both sessions will be conducted via WebEx, and there is no charge to attend. All you need is a phone, a Web browser and an Internet connection. (The complete PowerPoint presentation and a PDF version of the slides will be available for download before, during and after the sessions.)
To sign up for this training presentation, please go to http://pbcore.webex.com, click on the "Upcoming" tab and register for the session you want to attend. Note that you will be prompted to install the WebEx client once you have completed the registration form. You may install the client at any time prior to the session. Please contact Geoff Freed at geoff_freed@wgbh.org if you have questions about registration or the presentation itself. If you recently had difficulty using WebEx with your Intel Macintosh computer, this problem has been resolved by WebEx. All participants will be prompted to download the new WebEx client, regardless of OS.
"The PBCore Elements" is the second training presentation in a series being developed by the PBCore Project. Here is the complete schedule:
Session 1. PBCore 101: Introduction to PBCore (held January 31 and February 1) An introduction to the nature of metadata and the PBCore.
Session 2. PBCore 102: The PBCore Elements (February 28 and March 1) A more detailed look at the structure of PBCore, what the elements are and how to use them to describe media objects.
Session 3. The PBCore XML Schema: What It Is and How It Works (dates TBA) A general discussion of what an XML Schema is, and a look at how the PBCore XML Schema can be used to implement the PBCore metadata dictionary within information and cataloging systems. Also explains how important the XML Schema is for sharing metadata and interoperability.
Session 4. Cataloging Tools for PBCore: What's Available and How They Work (dates TBA) A detailed discussion of tools that use PBCore. The tools facilitate the markup of descriptions for media objects and have data-export capabilities for sharing and interoperability.
For a complete review of PBCore training materials, visit the PBCore web page http://www.pbcore.org/PBCore/PBCore_TrainingMaterials.html.
The PBCore Project is administered by the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH (NCAM). Initial PBCore development, advocacy and training is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
IF YOU WISH TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PBCORE INFORMATION LIST: Please send a message to requests@mail4.wgbh.org with a subject of "subscribe PBCore" (no quotes).