Geoscience after IT: Part L. Adjusting the emerging information system to new technology

Coherent development depends on following widely used standards that respect our vast legacy of existing entries in the geoscience record. Middleware ensures that we see a coherent view from our desktops of diverse sources of information. Developments specific to managing the written word, map content, and structured data come together in shared metadata linking topics and information types

Ariadne's Thread - Interactive Navigation in a World of Networked Information

This work-in-progress paper introduces an interface for the interactive visual exploration of the context of queries using the ArticleFirst database, a product of OCLC. We describe a workflow which allows the user to browse live entities associated with 65 million articles. In the on-line interface, each query leads to a specific network representation of the most prevailing entities: topics (words), authors, journals and Dewey decimal classes linked to the set of terms in the query. This network represents the context of a query. Each of the network nodes is clickable: by clicking through, a user traverses a large space of articles along dimensions of authors, journals, Dewey classes and words simultaneously. We present different use cases of such an interface. This paper provides a link between the quest for maps of science and on-going debates in HCI about the use of interactive information visualisation to empower users in their search.Comment: CHI'15 Extended Abstracts, April 18-23, 2015, Seoul, Republic of Korea. ACM 978-1-4503-3146-3/15/0

eCHASE: Exploiting Cultural Heritage using the Semantic Web

The eCHASE project is using semantic web technologies to demonstrate sustainable business models based on access and exploitation of digital cultural heritage content at a European level. In this paper we describe the eCHASE project and outline the system architecture

Interoperability between Multimedia Collections for Content and Metadata-Based Searching

Artiste is a European project developing a cross-collection search system for art galleries and museums. It combines image content retrieval with text based retrieval and uses RDF mappings in order to integrate diverse databases. The test sites of the Louvre, Victoria and Albert Museum, Uffizi Gallery and National Gallery London provide their own database schema for existing metadata, avoiding the need for migration to a common schema. The system will accept a query based on one museum’s fields and convert them, through an RDF mapping into a form suitable for querying the other collections. The nature of some of the image processing algorithms means that the system can be slow for some computations, so the system is session-based to allow the user to return to the results later. The system has been built within a J2EE/EJB framework, using the Jboss Enterprise Application Server

The (unknown) role of map librarian and the challenge of satisfying the cartographic user needs

The (unknown) role of map librarian and the challenge of satisfying the cartographic user needs The profession of librarianship is developed and is being recognized in Sri Lanka. But we have neither heard of a map library nor a map librarian in our local environment. In Europe and USA map libraries are well known and map librarians are recognized Librarians who deal with maps come under the special library group and have to manage the map collection in a special manner. It needs specialized knowledge in managing map collection. Reading of maps needs technical equipments and storage and preservation too is different from books. Hence the librarian who deals with maps should undergo training to familiarize himself/herself with the technical methods of storage, search co ordination and manage archives and enhance access of cartographic materials. After world War 11 traditional map depositories are converted into cartographic centres and new technology is heavily used in map production, storage and usage. This paper highlights the role to be played by map librarians in a modern library using new technologies. Map users are very much advanced in using different type of technologies in reading, creating, copying etc.maps. This technological advancement has not caused much change in map collection in the developing countries. Even in the 21st century we see the traditional collection of maps in Sri Lanka. . While studying the situation (advance collection and advance users) in other countries, a sample study was carried out with reference to the local environment by selecting academic and special library groups. This paper elucidates the role played by a librarian who handle maps, who is not recognized as a map librarian It also discuses the attitudes of the cartographic users towards map libraries in our country the institutions where map collections are available, the barriers experienced by the users in accessing the collections, important issues neglected by the higher authorities and lack of a national body to authorize map production in the country. The role that could be played by the national body or a regulatory body such as management of collection and databases, setting of standards, copyright law and implementing a national policy in map production and the problems faced in producing maps are discussed. The study reveals that the gap between the traditional map libraries (collection) and the users of cartographic material is widening. The author suggests that the librarians could overcome this problem by undergoing professional training. This will change the attitude of the users towards the map librarians and map libraries. This will give recognition to the professionals who work as map librarians