Taking art to the masses
The Internet has achieved several quality of life improvements for its millions of users worldwide. Such achievements can be summarised through the linking of computers across the globe to make all kinds of information and services available that would otherwise not be possible. Internet surfers can also learn about foreign countries and cultures without leaving their home. Collections of fine art in museums around the world are one rich cultural heritage that can be shared in this way. Most people will never be able to visit the Louvre in Paris, the National Gallery in London or the Uffizi in Florence in person. Yet the treasures of art held in these museums can be exhibited in a dynamic way on the Internet. The Information Society Technologies Programme funded a research project to accomplish just that. The project brought together organisations proficient in software development as well as some of the most famous art museums in the world. The challenge was to link together the content of the various museums. The solution required the development of new techniques in order to provide access to art professionals and citizens alike. Due to the large number of electronic images involved, an object relational database management system (ORDBMS) was implemented. A distributed query layer overcame the obstacle of linking several different sources (i.e. museums) spread over a large geographic region. An innovative feature of the query layer is its ability to search and navigate based on either image- or metadata-based queries. Another important attribute is that of dynamic linking layers, which allows for each museum to remain sole owner of its content. This also enables the personalisation of the navigation environment based on the user profile. An academic searching on a given artist will view a different list of links than, for instance, an art dealer, each suited to their particular aims. This aspect also makes the management of links much simpler and permits multiple links for a single keyword. The system is based on internationally accepted standards, such as OAI and ZING SRW and this interoperability will make it easy to add new museums to the system. The prototype has already been successfully tested with several prominent art museums within Europe. The system's creators are looking to expand upon these initial results.
