DAMS: Harnessing the power of rich media

Updated 11:00 AM November 10, 2003

DAMS: Harnessing the power of rich media

By Nancy Connell
News Service

The classroom of the near future: Faculty and students find and use audio, video, animation and other rich media as easily as they draw on text materials.

To pursue that vision, the University has begun a joint project with IBM on a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS). Using DAMS, a student would be able to search through a video looking for the mention of specific words, or when a particular face appears. The system integrates ingestion of data, assignment of metadata (similar to keywords), storage, retrieval and manipulation, in a way that would make media assets available to users across campus.

"We believe that the University endeavor of teaching, learning and research must embrace video, audio, simulations and other rich digital media in the same way that it has historically utilized text and still images," says James Hilton, associate provost for academic, information and instructional technology affairs. Hilton says DAMS could produce far more life-like tools to study anatomy, better pictures of earthquake dynamics and more facile tools for teaching theater expression.

"While DAM systems exist in corporate settings, the academic enterprise presents an environment that is far more complex in terms of the range of assets, the diversity of users and intellectual property rights," Hilton says. "The project is designed to examine solutions for issues particular to academe and serve as a model for higher education institutions worldwide."

The DAMS project is housed in a so-called Living Laboratory in the Media Union. Eight campus units are participating in the development, and several projects already are underway. For example, the School of Dentistry will make video demonstrations of dental procedures available online. Instead of viewing a video in one room, and then practicing in another, dental students could watch a procedure such as teeth cleaning being performed instantly and repeatedly, as they practice in the school's simulation laboratory now under construction.

The Business School is creating online video modules of senior faculty delivering lectures on specific core concepts. Students will view the lectures, as needed, to prepare for classes, thus preserving precious class time for more advanced activities.

LSA will help faculty work with images of paintings from its extensive collection—images that currently are stored as slides.

DAMS utilizes IBM's content management and other software for access, manipulation and control of video, audio, images and other digital content in a learning environment. Users will be able to ingest digital assets (image, audio, video, metadata), perform searches, preview assets and retrieve them.

Tools include rich media creation tools, categorization tools and edit tools. Storage management will ensure that assets are stored on the lowest-cost medium and according to University storage policy and procedures.

The University also is exploring the possibility of joint research with IBM to develop digital rights management technology to address the unique requirements of academe.

DAMS: Harnessing the power of rich media

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