** This message is being widely posted** ** Apologies for any duplication ** ** NISO NEEDS YOUR INPUT! ** Technical metadata, which describes various aspects of image characteristics and the capture process, is increasingly being perceived as an essential component of any digitization initiative. This category of metadata is not only required to support image quality assessment and image enhancement and processing, but is also seen as crucial for long-term collection management to ensure the longevity of digital collections. The goal of the NISO Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images Standards initiative is to develop a generalized technical metadata standard applicable to all images regardless of their method of creation. The charge of the Committee is to review and revise the "Data Dictionary for Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images" (http://www.niso.org/pdfs/DataDict.pdf), which presents a comprehensive list of technical data elements required to manage digital image collections. We would like to invite comments from our colleagues involved in various aspects of imaging to ensure that the draft dictionary is comprehensive and inclusive, representing various perspectives. The ultimate goal of the standard is to facilitate the development of applications to validate, process, manage, and migrate images of enduring value. We are particularly interested in getting your feedback on the following issues: a) Does the draft dictionary include all the data fields that are necessary to achieve the goals of technical metadata? - Document image provenance and history - Ensure that image data will be rendered accurately on output (e.g., displayed on screen, printed to paper or film, etc.) - Support the ongoing management of image files (e.g., processing, refreshing, or migration) - Assess the aesthetic value of a given image b) Is it successful in describing quality attributes such as detail, color, tone, and file size? What else would you recommend adding? c) Of the elements present, do you have suggestions for changes within the definitions? Do any definitions need to be expanded? Do you agree with a structure where some elements are "required" and others are "optional" or "recommended"? Should certain elements be repeatable? d) Put yourself in the position of a user of this data dictionary. What would you do to make it more usable for you (or your staff)? e) Does this initiative relate well to other similar ones such as DIG or GDI+? Do you know of other related initiatives? . DIG35: http://www.digitalimaging.org . GDI+: http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/display/GDIplus_Metadata.htm f) Do you have any other comments? Thank you, National Information Standards Organization (NISO) Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images Standards Committee (http://www.niso.org/commitau.html) Co-Chairs: Robin Dale (RLG) <[log in to unmask]> Oya Y. Rieger (Cornell University Library) <[log in to unmask]> _____________________________________________ Robin L. Dale RLG Member Programs & Initiatives 1200 Villa Street Mountain View, CA 94041-1100 Ph: (650) 691-2238 Fax: 650.964.0943 Email: [log in to unmask]