Image Library Systems
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Your requirements
The increasing capability of information systems and global communications offers many opportunities whether you are a commercial image library selling stock images, or current or historical photo journalism to publishers, advertisers or media production companies, or whether you are the owner or curator of an archive or contemporary collection wanting to improve public access or to deliver selected materials into the education sector. We provide software and services to develop your requirements for Image Library Catalogues, Digital Image Archives, Web and Network Systems, eCommerce systems, and output to print and CD-ROM catalogues.
Consultancy Services - your requirements
We can work closely with you to specify your needs and turn these into a requirement for a system that fits your purpose, your budget and your schedule. On the software side this can include advice on data structures, functionality and user interaction design for the image database and user access services. We can explore your requirements using fast prototypes and simulations as appropriate.
Through your chosen supplier we can advise on the selection, installation and running of the hardware and network required to run your system and to ensure it can grow as your requirements grow.
We can advise you on how to set up an image digitising studio internally, or agree an outsourcing route for digitising your images.
Image databases - the digital resource
You will need a comprehensive image database and data entry system to capture the images and catalogue them in line with emerging international standards. The catalogue record for each image may include any number of structured fields, with indexes and controlled term lists including hierarchical thesauri as required. Fields such as object, place, people, date, event, colours, concepts, style, photographer/artist, copyright/permission/licence status, etc. and a free text caption that can be as short or as long as you choose enable free text, index or field specific searches. Multi lingual indexing and searching can be included.
Our experience has shown that each Image Library or Archive needs a system that can be readily adapted to its specific needs rather than a system which forces a change in working practices. We can tailor a system to suit your specific requirements rapidly and economically.
Picture Research - finding and choosing the right image
You will need one or more user interfaces (known as clients) designed for fast search and retrieval and for ease of use by their target audience. The designs may include multiple views of search results, zooming and cropping of images, simulated lightboxes or folders, digital watermarking, and other functions relevant to image library use. These clients may be on stand-alone workstations, on a secure company intranet or available over the Web with free or commercial access - your choice. They may be designed for any or all of the following audiences:
commercial users: professional picture researchers, design directors/editors of magazines, journals, books etc. designers in advertising and PR, media producers in TV, film or new-media companies;
educational users: publishers and producers of educational materials, schools, students etc;
library users: higher education, researchers and librarians.
back to topYour markets
eCommerce - doing the business
An image database accessible over the Web can provide the speed and convenience required by todays busy design executives - your customers. Choosing the right picture fast to meet the pressure of a tight deadline poses a real challenge in competitive environments. First line searches, either by your customer or by the picture researcher working directly for your customer, give instant access to the complete catalogue of thousands or hundreds of thousands of images using free text, keywords or indexed terms.
Lightbox simulators with zoom and cropping facilities allow the customer to try out the image and mock up a number of compositions before final selection. Whether creating adverts, commercials, reports, finding illustrations for publishing projects, billboards and presentations, or selecting images for interactive products such as CDROMs and kiosks, the Web catalogue provides an outstanding visual resource for all its users. By delivering medium resolution images with digital watermarking for trial purposes prior to final selection, the security of the high resolution production quality images is ensured.
Fast selection coupled with clearance services (model releases and resale licences) and delivery of the high resolution production quality images on digital or photographic media, as required, provide the complete service. The business can be concluded using electronic shopping baskets with secure credit card transactions or fax back orders as required.
Print and CD-ROM catalogues
Selections from the image database can be output to regular or one-off print, CD-ROM or CD-ROM/Web hybrid catalogues. Selections can be thematic eg Safari Animals, 1930s Berlin, Water Sports etc. or based on rights available in a certain territory eg UK, Europe, USA. The CD-ROM, for Windows PC or Power Macintosh, can be powered by the same Index+ software that runs the image database.
Education and Library services
Museums, Galleries, Archives, and Collections may want to make their image resources available either free or commercially to the education and library sector. These can be developed with carefully designed user interfaces suitable for their audiences.
The technology
Index+
Our systems are built using Index+ software developed by System Simulation Ltd. We offer our clients the benefit of our experience in developing systems and services for this sector and our consequent understanding of their specific needs. The software has proven to be robust and stable in a range of demanding applications. The Index+ approach enables you to achieve your objectives to a schedule that suits your priorities and resources.
Index+ is to a large extent independent of the computing infrastructure and can adapt to most computing and network environments. Index+ is based on open system standards enabling the content held in the database to be exported to other systems as required. The Index+ Open Access module provides open access to Index+ systems via Internet or Intranet - it supports the Web (HTTP) and Z39.50 protocols.
The Index+ Image Library database can be configured to your specific requirements:
Screen layout
Field and record structures
Accession numbering and other unique identifiers
Terminology and authorities
Image library acquisition and metadata
Procedures Access permissions
Reports
Index+ - three layers of architecture
The repository - based on powerful indexing and retrieval algorithms, this provides the full range of search facilities; word, phrase and numeric indexing; thesaurus, dictionary and other authority support facilities. Database records can have few or many fields, fields can be large or small, and record structures can be changed on the fly. Specialist thesauri can be loaded through structures provided. Terminology can be controlled by developing and managing hierarchical and flat authority files. Access control and security facilities are available.
The application layer - a range of application building and support utilities is available for Windows, Unix and mixed network environments.
The interaction layer - support tools are provided for creating the required interaction design. Different levels of interface design sophistication are required for different purposes, curators needs are different from public access and Web browsing needs.
Index+ British Computer Society Medal 1996
Image Library applications
The Wellcome Trust - Medical Photographic Library Online
Broadening access to the 150,000 strong collection of images held by
the Medical Photographic Library (MPL) is a core aim of the Wellcome Library.
SSL has provided a complete, integrated system based on its Index+ database
software for cataloguing and digitising the entire collection and providing
picture library management and image delivery. Remote searching and browsing,
image retrieval and delivery via the Internet provides a fast and powerful
service to MPL's users. Cross searching capabilities are provided through
the use of common standards (typically Z39.50) to interrogate multiple data
sources.
http://medphoto.wellcome.ac.uk
The Hulton Getty Collection
The Hulton Getty photograph collection is one of the largest in the World
containing some 14 million pictures. SSL provided photo Index+ Image Library
management software for the Collection's electronic image library development
programme. This supports a programme digitising and making available 100,000
new digital images a year. A multi-lingual thesaurus search tool enables
picture researchers in HG international offices to search and retrieve
images using their local language.
www.hultonarchive.com
Getty Online
Getty Online provides instant access to hundreds of thousands of
pictures from its image libraries, Hulton-Getty and Tony Stone Images.
Getty Images uses the Index+ Web Gateway to provide enhanced searching
capability to Getty Online - a primary source of images for the media
industry globally. Images are viewed at medium resolution and are
downloaded for use in layouts and presentations. High resolution images
can be ordered online. Ongoing support and maintenance ensures that new
collections can be added to the web database as fast as they are acquired.
www.gettyimages.com
V&A Picture Library - Victoria & Albert Museum
SSL supplied the Index+ Image Library to the V&A to catalogue its collections of photographs.
SSL continues to work closely with the V&A and we have integrated the
Picture Library (V&A Pic Lib) and Collections Information System (CIS) supplied
by us. A key objective, now complete, was the preparation of an online
access infrastructure with an initial total of 10,000 images with
appropriate search and retrieval facilities to enable the V&A to provide
access to images via its website. The infrastructure allows for new images
and new content to be added at any time. Newly created catalogue records and
images, once registered in the CIS/Pic Lib system and stored in the ‘Image
Arena’, can be approved, and submitted to the online 'Access to Images'
website without the need for further technical manipulation or processing.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/resources/buying/
LTM Picture Library - London’s Transport Museum
SSL has provided an Index+ Image Library system for London’s T
ransport Museum. LTM was a pioneer in the use of computer systems for
managing the photograph library catalogue. Comprehensive descriptions
of over 150,000 black and white photographs, 20,000 colour photographs
and 7000 posters are being entered and an ongoing programme of image
digitisation is under way as part of the LTM Total Access Project. Public
access to the materials in the database are available in the Learning
Centre at the Museum and will be available soon over the web.
www.ltmuseum.co.uk
British Film Institute - Stills Image Library
SSL has developed the British Film Institute’s Stills Image Management
System based on Index+ image library software. The system has terminology
controls for accurate cataloguing, powerful search facilities and automated
order fulfilment functionality. An Index+ image acquisition pipeline automates
image processing and the capture of technical data.
Radio Telefís Éireann
SSL is currently developing an Index+ Image Library system for Radio
Telefís Éireann (RTE). The system will include specially configured data export
facilities, an image acquisition pipeline for automated image loading and a
configurable web interface designed for integration into existing internet and
intranet systems. This is work in progress.
RARI - Rock Art Research Institute, University of Witwatersrand, SA
SSL has developed an Index+ Image Library system to support the mission of the Rock Art Research Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. The software includes an image processing subsystem and intranet website integration.
