Browsing multimedia content in digital collections
With the explosion in the volume of digital content being generated, there is a pressing need for highly customisable interfaces. To prove useful, they need to be tailored according to both user profiles and specific types of searches. With this goal in mind, the EU-funded 'Immersive multimedia interfaces' (IM3I) project was set up. The project addressed the needs of the media and communication industry, both of which are faced not only with changing technologies but also the radical change in media consumption behaviour. The new software platform was designed and developed based on the indications derived from the user requirements logged during the first project phase. IM3I's platform uses an open and flexible service-oriented architecture (SOA). Infrastructure developed within the project comprises an analysis layer containing several pipelines for the different media types: video, audio, image and text-based files. The function of these pipelines is to extract meaningful information from the raw files and to provide search-and-retrieval mechanisms. As such, the now complete IM3I project provided innovative means of accessing and presenting media content to users, and new ways for users to interact with services. However, above all, the new platform defines an enabling technology capable of integrating with existing networks, which will support organisations and users in developing their content-related services. In order to reach the full potential of the new IM3I platform in the business-to-consumer (B2C) market, further development will be required. However, this will not affect professional creative organisations, the business-to-business (B2B) customers who remain the project's main target group in the first year of exploitation activities.
