Electronic publishing and the multimedia content industry
A series of publications on electronic publishing and information engineering have recently been published by the European Commission, DG XIII. These discuss various activities carried out within the framework of the information engineering sector of the EU's Telematics Applications research programme. Research in this area focuses on three main aspects: electronic publishing, information dissemination and information retrieval. The publications relate to the most recent developments in the field of information engineering and discuss a wide range of issues from the challenges posed by new definitions of multimedia content and the new content industries to new skills in information engineering and the emergence of the digital services industry. The reports are as follows: - The future of content - discussing the future of the multimedia content industry to provide input into planning research in relation to the upcoming Fifth RTD Framework Programme; - The content challenge - addressed to researchers and developers working in information engineering and discussing the eventual expansion of content to include interactive, customised services; - Electronic publishing in Europe - giving a overview of the sector in Europe and focusing on issues of competitiveness, employment and skills; - Interactive digital media - assessing the potential impact of technology on the development of interactive digital media and analysing technology gaps to identify crucial areas for future research; - Information engineering: activities, priorities and perspectives - focusing on the case study of Germany but bringing other countries in the European Economic Area into the discussion. In addition, a special issue entitled "Advanced Electronic Publishing" of the Elsevier Journal "Computer Networks and ISDN Systems" is also available.