EP Topic News: 19th September 2002EP Topic News: 19th September 2002
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The second concertation meeting of the Interactive Electronic Publishing (IEP) sector will be held in Luxembourg on October 23-24, 2002. The closed concertation meeting for members of IEP projects will take place on the afternoon of October 23. The meeting, open to all members of current IEP projects, will feature presentations from new IEP projects, present administrative issues concerning projects and start discussions concerning the 6th Framework programme (FP6) and the DG INFSO reorganisation.
In parallel to this closed concertation meeting, an information day on FP6 matters will also be running on October 23-24, 2002 in Luxembourg (see item below), to which IEP project members are also welcome to attend.
A full agenda for the concertation meeting has been circulated to project coordinators and is also available from Pascal Jacques, Head of Sector Interactive Electronic Publishing. IEP Projects wishing to make a presentation at the closed concertation meeting should contact Pascal via the contact points below.
Contact: Pascal Jacques, European Commission DG INFSO/D1, Head of Sector Interactive Electronic Publishing, EUFO1195, 10, rue Robert Stumper, L-2557 Luxembourg
Tel : +352 4301 38034
Fax : +352 4301 38069
E-mail: pascal.jacques@cec.eu.int
The European Commission's Information Society Directorate General has announced an "Information Day on the early stages of implementation of the IST programme within FP6" in Luxembourg, 23-24 October 2002.
Discussions regarding the IST successor programme 2002-2006 are approaching completion. The first call for proposals is expected to be launched towards the end of the year. Following the successful FP6 workshop held on 15-16 May 2002, an Information Day is planned for 23-24 October next. The purpose of the Information Day is to provide participants with first-hand information on the likely scope and content of the calls for proposals that will be launched in the first year of operation of the new programme.
The Information Day will consist of two sessions, addressing RTD topics relating to Interface Technologies and Cognitive Systems on day 1, and Knowledge Technologies and Cross-media Digital Content on day 2.
Please note that the above sessions will be open to all interested parties on a 'first-come first-served' basis. This preliminary announcement is being sent to registered participants in the mid-May workshop, to organisations that submitted an expression of interest in response to the call launched in March last, and to coordinators of ongoing IST projects in the above areas.
Please book the above dates in your diary pending the final agenda and invitation, which will be circulated / published on a suitable web site in the second week of September. Early declaration of your intention to participate in this event can be sent to Joseph Kirsch (via the email below) specifying name, affiliation, email address and the Day / RTD topics you are most interested in. The preliminary agenda is as follows:
Interface Technologies and Cognitive Systems - 23 October, 2002
• Welcome and introduction
• IST within FP6, overview and state of play
• New instruments, administrative provisions governing cost-shared projects, call roadmap
• Q&A• Interface Technologies
- Intended scope and focus in 2003
- Partnerships and intended use of new instruments
- Hints and tips for prospective proposers
- Q&A
• Cognitive Systems
- Intended scope and focus in 2003
- Partnerships and intended use of new instruments
- Hints and tips for prospective proposers
- Q&A• Informal discussions
Knowledge Technologies and Cross-media Digital Content - 24 October, 2002
• Welcome and introduction
• IST within FP6, overview and state of play
• New instruments, administrative provisions governing cost-shared projects, call roadmap
• Q&A• Cross-media Digital Content
- Intended scope and focus in 2003
- Partnerships and intended use of new instruments
- Hints and tips for prospective proposers
- Q&A
• Knowledge Technologies
- Intended scope and focus in 2003
- Partnerships and intended use of new instruments
- Hints and tips for prospective proposers
- Q&A
• Informal discussionsEmail: Joseph Kirsch mailto:Joseph.Kirsch@cec.eu.int
A British company has developed a software-only complete encryption solution based on the latest Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for protecting digital information. The new product, CyphaLock (currently in beta), can apparently encrypt data to a 256-bit key size as standard and is being promoted to media companies seeking to protect their digital video and audio assets.
CyphaWare, its developers, claim that the software "can render a complete MPEG 1, 2, 4 or MP3 file secure while retaining the original encoding format". The product can also integrate with Microsoft Media Player 9, giving those people using the Microsoft Digital Rights Management solution 256-bit encryption instead of MP9's standard 40-bit key size, whilst retaining MPEG encoding.
URL: http://www.cyphaware.com
URL: (temporary) http://www.lucana.co.uk/cyphaware/
Stevan Harnad has mailed an announcement concerning new developments in the area of scientometric OAI search engines. Citebase (see 1.) is a prototype OAI service (see 2.) now available free, to give research authors, users, their institutions and their research-funders a foretaste of what is coming and what is possible. The developers are hoping that by demonstrating the remarkable possibilities that a full-text citation-linked open-access corpus opens up, citebase will help to accelerate the rate at which the refereed research literature is made openly accessible online through institutional self-archiving.
For those new to the subject, gain a thorough understanding from: Eprints.org, a site dedicated to opening access to the refereed research literature online through author/institution self-archiving.
URL: 1. Citebase http://citebase.eprints.org/
URL: 2. prototype OAI service http://www.openarchives.org/service/listproviders.html
URL: institutional self-archiving http://www.arl.org/sparc/IR/ir.html
URL: Eprints.org http://www.eprints.org/index.php
URL: see also Harnad, S. (2001) "Research access, impact and assessment", Times Higher
Education Supplement 1487: p. 16. http://cogprints.soton.ac.uk/documents/disk0/00/00/16/83/index.html
For those that are concerned with the development of Internet offers that sound just too good to be true, The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has posted a page called "Consumer Alerts and Factsheets" on which it provides information on important telephone, broadcasting and Internet scams.
The international electronic journal: "Information Research, volume 7 number 4 (July 2002)", is a special issue focusing on the semantic web.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) have independently awarded two new, two year grants totaling almost US$ 3 million to the LOCKSS ("Lots Of Copies Keep Stuff Safe") Program. The LOCKSS program is a joint undertaking of Sun Microsystems Laboratories and Stanford University Libraries to develop a secure, reliable system which safeguards and preserves access to digital publications. A total of 49 libraries, including the Library of Congress are currently running Linux systems with the LOCKSS software as part of a long-term test.
• The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant is intended to support the production, development and implementation of distributed electronic journal archives through LOCKSS.
• The National Science Foundation and Sun Microsystems Laboratories plan to continue funding core technology development, focusing on the peer-to-peer (P2P), fault-tolerant aspects of the system.
The LOCKSS project, initiated in October 1998, is based on Java and Linux technology, with the aim of creating an open-source, easy to use, distributed system, which runs on low-cost computers without central administration. Designed as an Internet appliance, the LOCKSS system preserves access to authoritative versions of web-published materials. The program is currently in a worldwide beta test focused on integrity, usability, and software performance, including impact on network traffic. The beta software has been released as open source, and is available on Sourceforge web site.
URL: beta software http://sourceforge.org/
URL: LOCKSS project http://lockss.stanford.edu/
URL: beta test information http://lockss.stanford.edu/projectstatus.htm
URL: Sun Microsystems http://www.sun.com/
p2pnet is styled as an independent web site which considers the development of P-2-P networking (articulated as both Peer-to-Peer and Person-to-Person), its potential in the growth of the Net, and the implications for media businesses as it develops. Coverage is against the control of the next generation commercial Internet by large-scale, global, media businesses. It does provide useful updates on news in the sector though with a distinct "anti-establishment" bias.
The New York Times has published an interesting story about the development of 24/7 libraries in the US. Registration (free) on The New York Times web site is required to read the article.
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/29/technology/circuits/29LIBR.html
WebX Systems Ltd. is a UK-based company which develops XML-based software solutions for structured document creation, workflow, multi-channel publishing and business-2-business. Its software products include:
• UltraXML is a high-end WYSIWYG XML publishing system with real time ActiveXSL and VisualDTD editing. The current release gives automatic multi-channel output of XML documents including XML, HTML, Postscript and PDF.
• WebX B2B provides the technology for companies to set up and maintain a collection of Business-to-Business web sites.
• the company also provides publishing management consultancy for the design and implementation of bespoke XML-based publishing systems.
A report, entitled "Can We Learn Digitally? Technology to Enhance Teaching" considers how teachers can transform education through the use of digital multimedia video and high-speed Internet access. The report includes a discussion of what ICT can achieve and the actions being taken by governments to help schools implement ICT. It also provides examples of best practice in different school subjects, from lesson preparation through to classroom activities.
These topics are addressed through interviews with practising ICT directors and advisors from different schools. The report was produced by IDG Global Solutions in association with Apple Computer and it is available to download as a .pdf document. (Source: European Schoolnet)
URL: report http://a512.g.akamai.net/7/512/51/1fdb15b68a5920/www.apple.com/uk/education/learn_digitally/pdf/learn_digitally.pdf
URL: European Schoolnet http://www.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/en/_News_search_news/content.cfm?lang=en&ov=16601
David Sorkin, a professor of law at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, is fighting "stupid linking policies" with public ridicule at his dontlink.com site.
The UK Government has announced a software policy entitled: "Open Source Software: Use within UK Government" which outlines its preliminary findings concerning the use of open source software and the potential if offers to: "avoid product 'lock-ins' and lessen reliance on individual IT software suppliers".
URL: news item http://www.shout99.com/contractors/showarticle.pl?id=12017&n=210
URL: UK Government report http://www.ogc.gov.uk/oss/OSS-policy.html
The EMIR emotion system was developed to make it easy for software engineers to build programs that act as if they have human emotions. Applications include computer games, aircraft crew management training systems, the creation of "virtual humans", and online survey systems. (Source: UMBC AgentNews)
URL: EMIR http://www.iaresearch.com/press/index.html
URL: AgentNews http://agents.umbc.edu/
Octaga AS, the Norwegian provider of real-time 3D player and server technologies, is releasing Octagon Player for 3D MPEG-4 and VRML content. The product will be followed by Octagon Server for large model streaming and multi user functionality. Octaga is full member of MP4 Industry Forum. You can download and test Octagon Player v0.6 for a free 21 days period.
URL: Octaga http://www.octaga.com
URL: MP4 Industry Forum http://www.m4if.org
The Dependability Development Support Initiative (DDSI) Final Conference on "Securing the Information Society: A European Policy Agenda", will be held in Brussels on 10 October 2002. Full details of the conference (including the draft agenda and the terms of reference) can be found on the DDSI website under "Events".
This Final Conference of DDSI will bring together European policy-makers at the highest levels to stimulate joint action by European institutions, member states, the private sector and civil society on an effective European strategy for securing Europe’s information infrastructures. The Conference is aimed at policy-makers in business, government and civil society organisations, aiming to raise awareness and contribute to the development of a strategic European approach to network security and information infrastructure dependability. The Conference Report will identify key areas for future work.
URL: DDSI http://www.ddsi.org/
The IEEE Transactions on Image Processing has issued a call for papers (CFP) for its Special Issue on Image Processing for Cultural Heritage and is soliciting contributions on research topics in the following fields:
• image analysis tools for artwork diagnosis;
• image processing as an aid in actual and virtual restoration;
• very high-quality artwork document production and quality evaluation;
• colour and multispectral image processing for the fine arts;
• 3D image processing for representation of artworks in virtual reality;
• compression of artwork images;
• large size image storage and handling for presentation and fruition;
• efficient artwork image indexing and retrieval;
• recognition of features and structures in images and 3D museum objects;
• film restoration and preservation techniques;
• watermarking applications.The manuscript submission deadline is January 15, 2003 - details for which are available from the guest editor, Vito Cappellini.
Email: Vito Cappellini mailto:cappellini@det.unifi.it
The Editor of the O'Reilly Network Newsletter, Derrick Story, has published a Weblog, "Sound Bites on Fair Use and Copyright Law". The log, "a collection of interesting quotes from experts who really understand the issues of copyright law and fair use", is based on issues expressed at the "Digital Rights Management Day" held as part of the Seybold Conference 2002 in San Francisco, USA.
URL: weblog http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/1982
URL: O'Reilly Network Newsletter http://oreillynet.com
According to Microsoft a number of set-top-box chip makers including Equator Technologies, National Semiconductor, Sigma Designs, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments have announced that they will support Windows Media 9 in their next generation of chips. This announcement, follows closely after the launch of the Windows Media 9 Series. Microsoft believe the availability of such chips will lead to manufacturers such as Pace Micro Technology creating set-top boxes capable of handling Windows Media 9 streamed services delivered over IP networks via satellite, DSL and cable modems. In addition Microsoft has announced that a range of companies active in the European broadcasting market, including those offering products and services for content encoding, distribution and playback, have announced "support" for Windows Media 9.
URL: Windows Media http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/
In a related announcement, Moviesystem, a European video-on-demand (VOD) operator, plans to employ Windows Media 9 Series technology in its NetCine service. NetCine provides content from major film producers such as Pathé and Luc Besson's Europa Corp. The latest version of the service will offer a fully redesigned user interface available in all major European languages. The service, believed to be one of the first in Europe to provide streamed video over the Internet using Windows Media 9 Series technology, will be available towards the end of 2002.
URL: Windows Media http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/
URL: Moviesystem http://www.moviesystem.com
The final announcement of EVA 2003 Florence Conference - "Electronic Imaging and the Visual Arts" is now available. Scheduled for Florence on March 24-28, 2003, the event includes a conference, training and workshops. Offers of papers (5 pages draft or 1 page summary), workshops and demonstrations are being requested and should be sent to the Co-Chairman, Vito Cappellini, by 20 October 2002. The event, supported by the European Commission's IST Programme EVA Networking Project (EVAN), covers:
• case studies of leading edge applications: galleries, libraries, education, archaeological sites, museums and historical tours;
• Mediterranean initiatives in technology for cultural heritage and synergy with European & international programmes;
• new technology in conservation and education to global access;
• integrated digital archives for cultural heritage and contemporary art;
• management of museums by using ITC technology - access, guides, documentation and other services;
• the impact of new mobile communications (UMTS) on cultural heritage and modern arts area;
• human - computer interaction for cultural heritage applications;
• copyright protection (watermarking and electronic commerce);
• culture and e-government;
• activities and programmes for e-learning;
• cultural tourism and travel applications.URL: http://www.vasari.co.uk/eva/florence
URL: http://lci.det.unifi.it
Email: Vito Cappellini mailto:cappellini@det.unifi.it
A call for papers for ED-MEDIA 2003 - World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA on June 23-28, 2003 has been issued. ED-MEDIA 2003 is an international conference, sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), serves as a multi-disciplinary forum for the discussion and exchange of information on the research, development, and applications on all topics related to multimedia, hypermedia and telecommunications/distance education. All presentation proposals are peer reviewed and selected by three reviewers on the international Program Committee for inclusion in the conference programme and published proceedings.
The full list of topics covered by the programme is available via the web and alongside the call for papers there is a call for: interactive sessions, a video festival; demonstrations/posters; corporate showcases and demonstrations; tutorials/workshops; roundtables; and SIGs (Special Interest Discussions). Submissions are due by December 19, 2002, visit the conference web site for further information.
URL: ED-MEDIA 2003 http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/
URL: CFP http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/call.htm
The draft agenda for September 2002 meeting of CEN/ISSS Workshop on Metadata for Multimedia Information - Dublin Core (MMI-DC), scheduled for Brussels on September 25, 2002 has been published. The Workshops provide the opportunity for the project teams to present details of developments concerning the agreed work programme. To find out more about the MMI-DC Workshops, or to contribute to their work, contact Leif Andresen, who runs the project secretariat.
URL: MMI-DC homepage http://www.cenorm.be/isss/Workshop/MMI-DC/
Email: Leif Andresen mailto:lea@bs.dk
Singleimage Limited in the UK is running two workshops for potential project proposers, administrators and managers to the 6th Framework Programme (FP6). Scheduled during October, in Cambridge UK, both workshops will include up-to-date information on FP6:
"The IST Programme in Framework 6" on October 25, 2002 will explain the Commission's proposals for new mechanisms of research support which should come into effect towards the end of 2002. Integrated Projects and Networks of Excellence are the new instruments through which the Commission will channel research funding. This workshop will explore how these funding mechanisms will operate in practice. It will consist of lectures, practical exercises and feedback sessions, and provides lots of opportunities for questions and discussion. The workshop is intended for research managers and administrators who already have some knowledge of EU RTD Programmes.
"Co-ordinating EC research projects" on October 28, 2002 will explain the administrative, organisational and contractual aspects of running an EC research project. The workshop will describe how the projects operate from a formal point of view, and compare the requirements of Framework 5 and Framework 6. It will consists of lectures, practical exercises and feedback sessions, and provides lots of opportunities for questions and discussion.
The number of participants for each workshop will be limited to a maximum of 25. Further information and booking forms are available from Sue Greig of Singleimage Limited.
Email: Sue Greig mailto:sue.greig@singleimage.co.uk
URL: http://www.singleimage.co.uk
The Frankfurt Bookfair which runs from October 9-14, 2002 is the world's largest trade fair for books, multimedia and communications. All key players from the industry will be represented, from authors and publishers, booksellers and librarians, art dealers and illustrators, agents and journalists, information brokers and readers. As part of the event dedicated to electronic media, the European Commission's DG Information Society (DG INFSO) will organise and chair a round table and four workshops on "European Research on Technology Enhanced Learning". Each workshop will focus on one of the four sub-themes: learning at school, at university, at work and at home.
The round-table on "Content Development in Research Projects" will bring together publishers currently participating in research projects funded by the European Commission in the area of Technology Enhanced Learning. Chaired by Luis Rodríguez-Roselló (European Commission) and Anton Hilscher (Federation of European Publishers), the focus will be on best practice, standards and copyright/IPR issues in the different fields of learning. The session format is intended to encourage free flowing discussion between participants and will be structured accordingly. The exhibition space will also showcase a selection of 16 IST projects covering various domains.
For further information about the attending the events visit the Frankfurt Bookfair web site.
International Intellectual Property Rights campaigner, Mandy Haberman, has hired The Internet PR Company to set up an online virtual events forum "www.makesparksfly.com" to promote patent protection reform across Europe. An interactive web site is being developed which is "aimed at people with ideas who want to develop them into commercially viable products or services, and wish to interact with policy makers and representatives from commercial organisations, funding bodies, business advisors, intellectual property experts, legal and insurance professionals".
It is hoped that the online community will raise awareness of the issues surrounding intellectual property and will be based on a series of high profile monthly expert debates will cover a wide range of topics and themes. The launch debate on November 5, 2002, will feature a live online opinion leader discussion chaired by Peter Martin of the Sunday Times on the topic: "Are Patents Worthwhile for an Inventor?". The scope of the debate will seek to uncover answers to burning issues such as:
• just how strong should patent protection be?
• has the current patent protection system outlived its current usefulness?
• how can the right mixture of incentive (protection) and costs (licensing and enforcement) be achieved?
• should "non-obviousness" and "novelty" criteria be tightened?
• how can small inventors be assisted in levelling up the litigation process against patent infringers?Interested parties may register participation prior to the event.
URL: register http://www.mandyhaberman.com/index.cfm?pg_area=intprop&pg_par=6&pg_dw=104&templ=104
URL: about Mandy Haberman http://www.mandyhaberman.com
URL: (launches 5 November, 2002) http://www.makesparksfly.com
Papers are invited for a special issue of the "Journal of Digital Information (JoDI)" on the Economics of Digital Libraries, to be edited by Simon Tanner of the Higher Education Digitisation Service (HEDS) at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. The submission deadline is 18 October 2002, with a publication date of February 2003. From the call - "Economic Factors of Managing Digital Content and Establishing Digital Libraries":
"There are several aspects to the effective utilization of resources in relation to digital information. The immediate start-up costs of either creating or purchasing digital content; the further implementation costs for establishing a digital library or even just basic access to bought resources; which are followed by the costs implicit in managing and maintaining a digital resource in the longer term. Hand-in-hand with resource expenditure is the value and benefit derived from the resource itself, and how these are measured and offset against costs".
Papers are invited for this issue of JoDI that can deliver new insights and research findings related to the economic factors of managing digital content and establishing digital libraries. JoDI is an electronic journal published only via the web and is currently free to users thanks to support from the British Computer Society and Oxford University Press.
MailFrontier, has released a beta version of its anti-spam product, Matador. Available as a free downloadable desktop client it is aimed at individual users of Microsoft Outlook (2000 and 2002) running on Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP. According to its developers Matador uses the tried and trusted tools such as blacklists and message filtering, and in addition provides:
• a dynamically devised and maintained set of personalised preferences;
• collaboration with other Matador users to identify spam by hitting a junk button on the Outlook toolbar, this prevents other Matador users from receiving the same junk email;
• sender verification where suspect, unsolicited email is subjected to an extra check and the sender is asked to answer a simple challenge via email. Unauthorised emails are treated as junk after a period of time.
Pascal Jacques, Head of the Interactive Electronic Publishing sector of DG Information Society has forwarded an announcement concerning a special session at the IST 2002 conference entitled: "Next Generation of Business Models for the content industry". Billed as a networking session, the draft agenda will be based on the market monitoring of e-content industry carried-out by the ACTeN Project, with the issue of new business models being discussed on the basis of case study presentations from various European Markets. As explained in the rationale for the workshop on the IST2002 Conference web site:
"The downturn in the telecom and Internet markets and the failure to develop strong pay for content strategies has put the producers and creative community into a tough economic situation. Rapid transformations of markets based on new platforms, software, devices and forms of usage put additional pressure on practitioners to invest and keep up-to-date and come up with the right business strategies. Much of the technological developments can be planned, but the business side and the actual economically successful implementation represent presently the critical challenges. The rationale of the workshop is to provide IST participants with well-structured views from experts".
Peter Bruck of ICCM New Media is acting as the coordinator of the event. Details of how to take part are published on the IST 2002 Conference web site (see link below), though the exact date and location have yet to be published.
The IST 2002: "Partnerships for the Future" Conference aims to to help build the European Research Area for the Information Society within the EU’s 6th Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP6), which is to be launched at the end of 2002. Held at the Bella Center, Copenhagen on 4-6 November, IST 2002 will broaden its scope to everyone with a strategic interest in Information Society research, whether at European, national or regional level - or even entirely within the private sector.
Email: Peter A. Bruck mailto:bruck@iccm.at
URL: Business Models Workshop
URL: IST 2002 conference
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