Description-driven Adaptation of Media Resources

The current multimedia landscape is characterized by a significant diversity in terms of available media formats, network technologies, and device properties. This heterogeneity has resulted in a number of new challenges, such as providing universal access to multimedia content. A solution for this diversity is the use of scalable bit streams, as well as the deployment of a complementary system that is capable of adapting scalable bit streams to the constraints imposed by a particular usage environment (e.g., the limited screen resolution of a mobile device). This dissertation investigates the use of an XML-driven (Extensible Markup Language) framework for the format-independent adaptation of scalable bit streams. Using this approach, the structure of a bit stream is first translated into an XML description. In a next step, the resulting XML description is transformed to reflect a desired adaptation of the bit stream. Finally, the transformed XML description is used to create an adapted bit stream that is suited for playback in the targeted usage environment. The main contribution of this dissertation is BFlavor, a new tool for exposing the syntax of binary media resources as an XML description. Its development was inspired by two other technologies, i.e. MPEG-21 BSDL (Bitstream Syntax Description Language) and XFlavor (Formal Language for Audio-Visual Object Representation, extended with XML features). Although created from a different point of view, both languages offer solutions for translating the syntax of a media resource into an XML representation for further processing. BFlavor (BSDL+XFlavor) harmonizes the two technologies by combining their strengths and eliminating their weaknesses. The expressive power and performance of a BFlavor-based content adaptation chain, compared to tool chains entirely based on either BSDL or XFlavor, were investigated by several experiments. One series of experiments targeted the exploitation of multi-layered temporal scalability in H.264/AVC, paying particular attention to the use of sub-sequences and hierarchical coding patterns, as well as to the use of metadata messages to communicate the bit stream structure to the adaptation logic. BFlavor was the only tool to offer an elegant and practical solution for XML-driven adaptation of H.264/AVC bit streams in the temporal domain

Interoperabilnost uslužnog računarstva pomoću aplikacijskih programskih sučelja

Cloud computing paradigm is accepted by an increasing number of organizations due to significant financial savings. On the other hand, there are some issues that hinder cloud adoption. One of the most important problems is the vendor lock-in and lack of interoperability as its outcome. The ability to move data and application from one cloud offer to another and to use resources of multiple clouds is very important for cloud consumers.The focus of this dissertation is on the interoperability of commercial providers of platform as a service. This cloud model was chosen due to many incompatibilities among vendors and lack of the existing solutions. The main aim of the dissertation is to identify and address interoperability issues of platform as a service. Automated data migration between different providers of platform as a service is also an objective of this study.The dissertation has the following main contributions: first, the detailed ontology of resources and remote API operations of providers of platform as a service was developed. This ontology was used to semantically annotate web services that connect to providers remote APIs and define mappings between PaaS providers. A tool that uses defined semantic web services and AI planning technique to detect and try to resolve found interoperability problems was developed. The automated migration of data between providers of platform as a service is presented. Finally, a methodology for the detection of platform interoperability problems was proposed and evaluated in use cases.Zbog mogućnosti financijskih ušteda, sve veći broj poslovnih organizacija razmatra korištenje ili već koristi uslužno računarstvo. Međutim, postoje i problemi koji otežavaju primjenu ove nove paradigme. Jedan od najznačajnih problema je zaključavanje korisnika od strane pružatelja usluge i nedostatak interoperabilnosti. Za korisnike je jako važna mogućnost migracije podataka i aplikacija s jednog oblaka na drugi, te korištenje resursa od više pružatelja usluga.Fokus ove disertacije je interoperabilnost komercijalnih pružatelja platforme kao usluge. Ovaj model uslužnog računarstva je odabran zbog nekompatibilnosti različitih pružatelja usluge i nepostojanja postojećih rješenja. Glavni cilj disertacije je identifikacija i rješavanje problema interoperabilnosti platforme kao usluge. Automatizirana migracija podataka između različitih pružatelja platforme kao usluge je također jedan od ciljeva ovog istraživanja.Znanstveni doprinos ove disertacije je sljedeći: Najprije je razvijena detaljna ontologija resursa i operacija iz aplikacijskih programskih sučelja pružatelja platforme kao usluge. Spomenuta ontologija se koristi za semantičko označavanje web servisa koji pozivaju udaljene operacije aplikacijskih programskih sučelja pružatelja usluga, a sama ontologija definira i mapiranja između pružatelja platforme kao usluge. Također je razvijen alat koji otkriva i pokušava riješiti probleme interoperabilnosti korištenjem semantičkih web servisa i tehnika AI planiranja. Prikazana je i arhitektura za automatiziranu migraciju podataka između različitih pružatelja platforme kao usluge. Na kraju je predložena metodologija za otkrivanje problema interoperabilnosti koja je evaluirana pomoću slučajeva korištenja

Interoperabilnost uslužnog računarstva pomoću aplikacijskih programskih sučelja

Cloud computing paradigm is accepted by an increasing number of organizations due to significant financial savings. On the other hand, there are some issues that hinder cloud adoption. One of the most important problems is the vendor lock-in and lack of interoperability as its outcome. The ability to move data and application from one cloud offer to another and to use resources of multiple clouds is very important for cloud consumers.The focus of this dissertation is on the interoperability of commercial providers of platform as a service. This cloud model was chosen due to many incompatibilities among vendors and lack of the existing solutions. The main aim of the dissertation is to identify and address interoperability issues of platform as a service. Automated data migration between different providers of platform as a service is also an objective of this study.The dissertation has the following main contributions: first, the detailed ontology of resources and remote API operations of providers of platform as a service was developed. This ontology was used to semantically annotate web services that connect to providers remote APIs and define mappings between PaaS providers. A tool that uses defined semantic web services and AI planning technique to detect and try to resolve found interoperability problems was developed. The automated migration of data between providers of platform as a service is presented. Finally, a methodology for the detection of platform interoperability problems was proposed and evaluated in use cases.Zbog mogućnosti financijskih ušteda, sve veći broj poslovnih organizacija razmatra korištenje ili već koristi uslužno računarstvo. Međutim, postoje i problemi koji otežavaju primjenu ove nove paradigme. Jedan od najznačajnih problema je zaključavanje korisnika od strane pružatelja usluge i nedostatak interoperabilnosti. Za korisnike je jako važna mogućnost migracije podataka i aplikacija s jednog oblaka na drugi, te korištenje resursa od više pružatelja usluga.Fokus ove disertacije je interoperabilnost komercijalnih pružatelja platforme kao usluge. Ovaj model uslužnog računarstva je odabran zbog nekompatibilnosti različitih pružatelja usluge i nepostojanja postojećih rješenja. Glavni cilj disertacije je identifikacija i rješavanje problema interoperabilnosti platforme kao usluge. Automatizirana migracija podataka između različitih pružatelja platforme kao usluge je također jedan od ciljeva ovog istraživanja.Znanstveni doprinos ove disertacije je sljedeći: Najprije je razvijena detaljna ontologija resursa i operacija iz aplikacijskih programskih sučelja pružatelja platforme kao usluge. Spomenuta ontologija se koristi za semantičko označavanje web servisa koji pozivaju udaljene operacije aplikacijskih programskih sučelja pružatelja usluga, a sama ontologija definira i mapiranja između pružatelja platforme kao usluge. Također je razvijen alat koji otkriva i pokušava riješiti probleme interoperabilnosti korištenjem semantičkih web servisa i tehnika AI planiranja. Prikazana je i arhitektura za automatiziranu migraciju podataka između različitih pružatelja platforme kao usluge. Na kraju je predložena metodologija za otkrivanje problema interoperabilnosti koja je evaluirana pomoću slučajeva korištenja

Development of a conceptual graphical user interface framework for the creation of XML metadata for digital archives

This dissertation is motivated by the DFG sponsored Jonas Cohn Archive digitization project at Steinheim-Institut whose aim was to preserve and provide digital access to structured handwritten historical archive material highlighting New Kantian philosophy scattered in the correspondence, diaries and private journals kept by and written to and by Jonas Cohn. The dissertation describes a framework for processing and presenting multi-standard digital archive material. A set of standard markup schema and semantic bibliographic descriptions have been chosen to illustrate the multiple standard and hence semantic heterogeneous digital archiving process. The standards include Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) and Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS). The chosen standards best illustrate the structural contrast between the systematic archive, digitized archive and digitized text standards. Furthermore, combined digital preservation and presentation approaches offer not only the digitized texts but also metadata structured variably sized images of the archive documents enabling virtual visualization. State of the art applications focus solely on either one of the structural areas neglecting the compound idea of a virtual digital archive. The content of this work describes the requirements analysis for managing multi-structured and therefore multi-standard digital archival artefacts in textual and image form. In addition to the architecture and design, an infrastructure suitable for processing, managing and presenting such scholarly archives is sought for recognition as a digital framework useful for the preservation and access to digitized cultural resources. The proposed solution therefore includes the instrumentation of a conglomerate of existing and novel XML technology for transformations based in a centralized application. The archive can then be managed via a client-server application thereby focusing archival activities on structured data collection and information preservation illustrated in the dissertation process by the: • Development of a prototype data model allowing the integration of the relevant markup schema • Implementation of a prototype client server application handling archive processing, management and presentation and based on the data model already mentioned • Development and implementation of a role archive access user interface Furthermore as an infrastructural development serving expert archivists from the humanities, the dissertation explores methods of binding the existing XML metadata creation process to other programming languages. In doing so, one opens further for channels simplifying the metadata creation process by integrating the use of graphical user interfaces. To this end the java programming language, its swing and AWT graphical user interface libraries, associated relational persistency and enterprise client server architecture resemble a suitable environment for integrating XML metadata into main stream computing. Hence the implementation of Java XML Data Binding as part of the metadata creation framework is part and parcel of the proposed solution.Diese Arbeit geht hervor aus dem von der DFG geförderten Projekt zu Digitalisierung des Jonas Cohn Archivs im Steinheim-Institut, dessen Ziel es ist, eine strukturierte Auswahl von Handschriften des Philosophen Jonas Cohns in digitaler Form zu bewahren und den Zugang zu ihnen zu erleichtern. Die Dissertation beschreibt ein Rahmenwerk für die digitale Verarbeitung und Präsentation digitalisierter Archivinhalte und ihrer Metadaten, strukturiert anhand von mehr als einem Beschreibungsstandard. Eine Auswahl von Standard Markup Schemata und bibliographisch semantischen Beschreibungen wurde getroffen, um die Problematik darzustellen, die aus der Berücksichtigung mehrerer Standards und damit aus semantischer Heterogenität des Digitalisierungsprozesses entsteht. Diese Auswahl umfasst unter anderem die Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), Metadata Encoding and Transmission Schema (METS) und Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) als Beispiele für Beschreibungsstandards. Diese Standards sind am besten geeignet, die strukturellen und semantischen Unterschiede zwischen den Standards eines systematisch und semantisch zu digitalisierenden Archivs darzustellen. Zusätzlich verbindet der Ansatz die digitale Bewahrung und Präsentation von digitalisierten Texten und von Metadaten strukturierter Bilder der Archivinhalte. Dies ermöglicht eine virtuelle Präsentation des digitalen Archivs. Eine große Zahl bekannter Digitalisierungsanwendungen folgt nur einer der beiden Strukturierungsziele Bewahrung und Präsentation, wodurch der Ansatz eines vollständig virtuellen digitalen Archivs vernachlässigt wird. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist die Beschreibung einer Managementinfrastruktur für die Erfassung und Auszeichnung von Multi-Standard Metadaten für digitale Handschriftensammlungen. Zusätzlich zu der Architektur und dem Design wird nach einer geeigneten Infrastruktur gesucht für die Erfassung, Verarbeitung und die Präsentation wissenschaftlicher Archive als digitales Rahmenwerk für den Zugang zu und die Bewahrung von Kulturbesitz. Die hier vorgeschlagene Lösung sieht deshalb die Nutzung bestehender und neuer XML Technologien vor, verknüpft in einer zentralen Anwendung. So wird im Rahmen der Dissertation die Strukturierung des Archivs mittels einer Client-Server-Anwendung betrieben und die Bewahrungsmaßnahmen als Prozess herausgearbeitet. Die Arbeit verfolgt mehrere Zielsetzungen: • Die Entwicklung eines prototypischen Datenmodells mit der Einbindung relevanter Markup Schemata • Die Implementierung einer prototypischen Client Server Anwendung für die Bearbeitung, Erfassung und Präsentation der Archive anhand des beschriebenen Datenmodells • Die Entwicklung, Implementierung und Bewertung einer Benutzerschnittstelle für die Interaktion mit dem Rahmenwerk anhand einer Expertenevaluation