An Introduction to Metadata in DAM Systems

8/7/2019 An Introduction to Metadata in DAM Systems

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1Copyright 2011 Widen Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

Best Practices for Metadata in DAM Systems


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DAM systems can overcome these problems by automating the process of ingesting, archiving, searching,managing, repurposing, sharing and publishing content in a seamless and collaborative environment. DAMprovides a central repositor y for digital media files and a set of tools to store, manage the approval of, findand convert these files to increase their value in the marketing process.

Everyone involved will save a considerable amount of time by finding digital assets much faster than in thepast. The net result is that DAM can greatly reduce the time required to make the channel and potentialcustomers aware of a new product. For example, AberdeenGroup found best-in-class companies central-izing access to digital assets report a 23% year-over-year reduction in time to market and a 15% increase inaverage return on marketing investments.

What is metadata? One of the simplest and best definitions of metadata was provided by the website EverythingIsMiscellanous.com : Metadata is what you know and data is what you are looking for. Tom Bachmann refines the conceptby defining metadata in the context of DAM as: information that describes a media asset stored in adigital depository. Because metadata is structured information, it allows the distribution of digital assets to be

controlled while at the same time making them accessible (via search) to a wide community of end users. 1

Unlike textual data, many forms of digital media assets do not provide textual information that can be usedto find them. As the volume of assets in a typical DAM system grows into thousands and sometimes millions,metadata makes it possible to for users to quickly find assets that meet their requirements.

Metadata is, or should be, associated with every asset in a typical DAM system. The metadata is typicallycustomizable for each site and for different types or groups of assets. For example, a product photo may besearched for by product name, product number, photographer, description and date taken. On the other hand,a video asset may contain metadata for location, producer, language and description. Defining the metadatastructure for your DAM system requires carefully thinking about how users will search for and find the digitalassets in your DAM system. Some DAM software providers will assist with the task of defining the metadatamodels and taxonomies that are needed for your assets. The challenge in managing metadata is to ensurethat you have enough for users to find the assets they are looking for while minimizing the administrative task

of entering and maintaining the data.

Industry standard schema Rather than reinventing the wheel, it usually makes sense to start with an industry standard metadata schemasuch as Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) or Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS).

For example, the DCMI provides a base of 15 elements that can be used to describe digital assets:

1. Contributor: An entity responsible for making contribution to the resource.

2. Coverage: The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant.

3. Creator: An entity primarily responsible for making the resource.

4. Date: A point or period of time associated with an event in the life cycle of the resource.

5. Description: An account of the resource.

1 Tom Bachmann, Video metadata modeling for DAM systems, Journal of Digital Asset Management, Vol. 6, 5, 247-256, 2010.


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Copyright 2011 Widen Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Format: The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource.

7. Identifier: An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context.

8. Language: A language of the resource.

9. Publisher: An entity responsible for making the resource available.

10. Relation: A related resource.

11. Rights: Information about rights held in and over the resource.

12. Source: A related resource from which the described resource is derived.

13. Subject: The topic of the resource.

14. Title: A name given to the resource.

15. Type: The nature or genre of the resource.

File naming standards While a file name convention is not essential to using a Digital Asset Management system, the creation of andadherence to consistent file naming will help to optimize asset/metadata entry; manage conflicts, duplicates,and versions; and search in a collaborative workflow. Criteria for file naming should be established by a toplevel administrator and published for all users to follow.

While there is generally no right way to develop your file naming standard, here are a few tips that may helpyou get started. Typically, about 25 characters is a sufficient length to capture enough descriptive informa-tion for naming an asset as some systems may truncate file names beyond a certain length. Ensure that thefile name is independent of w here the asset is stored as assets are intended to be agile and move aroundquite frequently. File names may commonly include customer number, product number, style code, brand,

job number and other common identifiers used and understood my multiple departments or groups outsideof those immediately responsible for DAM. Most importantly, be consistent with your file naming inside andoutside of your DAM system.

Try to avoid the use of special symbols such as *, ?, :, \, and / that are often assigned specific tasksin software programs. As an example, both the Windows and Macintosh operating systems use the . symbol to separate file extensions. The Microsoft Windows operating system uses the forward slash to providea boundary between different levels of folders. The Macintosh operating system uses the : symbol for thesame purpose. Its also wise to avoid the use of spaces in file names because they are often replaced with%20 in the web environment which can create confusion in identifying the file name.

Controlled vocabularies

The quality of the user experience of a DAM system is largely dependent on the quality of the metadata thatis used, especially the keywords that are used to describe digital assets. If users are allowed to freely tagassets the odds are that similar assets will be described in widely varying ways and very different assets may


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end coincidentally with the same tags. Groups of co-workers may share common terminology that the rest of the organization is unaware of.

The solution is to develop a controlled vocabular y that limits the use of keywords describing digital media

assets to a predefined and unambiguous list of terms. A controlled vocabulary includes a defined set of terms (values) using controlled field types and is typically defined by a thesaurus that provides a listing of the controlled vocabulary, identifies synonyms and provides a cross- reference of metadata terminology. Akey function of the thesaurus is typically to identify a preferred term in the case where multiple terms arecommonly used to describe a certain type of asset. A list of synonyms that the preferred term should beused in place of are included in the thesaurus. Another role of a thesaurus is to define a relationship betweengeneral terms, such as dog, and specific terms, such as collie. Its important to note that a thesaurus canbe very sparsely populated with terms that do not per tain to the organizations primary focus while divingdown to a much higher level of detail in closely related subjects.

A thesaurus improves the usability of a DAM system by providing a common tagging language acrossthe organization that makes it easier for users to find the assets they are looking for. Users can browsethe thesaurus to identify search terms that will help them find what they are looking for. Assets described

with more specific search terms will be found when searching on a more general term. A good thesaurusincreases the number of potential hits from a fraction of the actual matches to nearly every actual match.

Importing metadata Content imports are the first place to look in generating metadata because they dramatically reduce themanual labor and lead time required. Metadata can be automatically populated into a DAM system throughseveral different methods:

Extract embedded metadata from a digital file and populate the metadata fields when the file isuploaded

A one-time initial import to transfer metadata from another system into the DAM repository

Using an application programming interface (API) to integrate between the DAM solution andanother application for continuous imports in real-time or on a schedule

Digital files may have metadata already embedded in EXIF, IPTC, or XMP metadata fields. These embeddedmetadata can be automatically mapped directly to searchable metadata fields within the DAM system. Whenthe asset is uploaded into the system, the metadata is automatically extracted from the digital file and placedinto that assets metadata field in the DAM system. The metadata field mapping can be set up during the siteimplementation.

Metadata is most commonly imported in CSV or XLS format. The data must contain a unique identifier tomatch up the data with the digital asset within the DAM system. The unique identifier is commonly the filenameof the digital asset. Along with the unique identifier, the metadata fields and values for each asset need to beincluded.

When integrating with a content management system it often makes sense to populate metadata into the DAMlibrary continuously. DAM systems often provide an API that makes it possible to write methods to update themetadata in real time or on a batch basis at any desired interval.


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Copyright 2011 Widen Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

Applying metadata in bulk When implementing a DAM system, it can be a major challenge to enter metadata for an enormous digitalasset base that has been built up over the years. Yet entering metadata is critical to obtaining full value from

your full library of digital assets. Batch editing has the potential to greatly reduce the time required to enter common metadata for large numbers of assets. Batch editing makes it possible to apply changes simultane-ously across a large number of assets, for example classifying groups of assets as logos, product images,lifestyle images, brochures, etc.

DAM systems frequently offer several batch editing tools that can be used to substantially reduce the dataentry task at the time of ingest or after the assets are already in the system. These tools make it possible toselect multiple files and apply common metadata to all of them simultaneously. Assets may already be orga-nized in a way that will simplify metadata entry. For example, they may be organized into folders based on thetype of asset or the product involved.

Preexisting file naming conventions often provide information such as the product or division that the assetpertains to. File name extensions usually determine the type of digital asset such as video or still image. In

most cases, additional metadata needs to be added to the individual files but the DAM system can save largeamounts of time by automatically entering the majority of the needed information.

Caption best practices Captions are short descriptive sentences that are designed to provide a quick summary of the assetscontents. The importance of captions arises from the fact that they are typically used in search results asthe primary identifier of the nature of the assets. The organization should provide guidelines to ensure thatusers can easily identify the assets that are most likely to meet their needs from within the search results. Thecaption should be carefully selected to call out the significance of the asset to potential users. The seasonedcaption writer should be able to summarize the significance of the asset in a short sentence that commu-nicates whether or not the asset will meet the users needs. Its important to note that captions need notduplicate existing metadata since the search results are already limited to specific metadata criteria.

Evaluating metadata effectiveness If metadata is all about finding data, then the key to evaluating the ef fectiveness of metadata is to determinehow easily and quickly users are able to find the digital assets they are seeking. Marko Hurst, consultant inthe fields of search, measurement, content strategy and user experience says: To deliver the most relevantresults possible today, you need more than algorithms, you need a human understanding of language. Youneed someone who understands content modeling and structure, your audiences natural language, andyour business vernacular in the form of metadata: taxonomies, ontologies and metadata schemas Searchanalytics provides a quantifiable way to measure the relevancy of search results, as well as to inform how wellor poor the design and overall user experience are performing against your business objectives. 2

2 Marko Hurst, Search relevancy got your down? Learn how to use metadata to lift your results (and your mood, Journal of Digital Asset Management, Vol 6, 5, 285-290. 2010.


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Benets of metadata Proper use of these and other metadata best practices will help to ensure maximum benefits from a DAMsystem implementation. Better metadata enables users to find digital assets faster which in turn improves

productivity and helps speed time to market. Metadata not only enhances search-ability, but can also be usedto maintain and track key pieces of infor mation dealing with copyright compliance, process and workflowconsistency, and digital asset reporting and auditing. Following metadata best practices also helps to ensurecompliance with regulations that require that assets be made available promptly to various constituencies.Another advantage of implementing metadata best practices is that you will be prepared to substantially scaleup the DAM system as the use of digital assets increases within your organization.

Conclusion With the explosion of digital assets, a DAM system is becoming essential for the success of every marketingorganization. Following metadata best practices and establishing metadata guidelines for your organization isone of the keys to the success of a DAM system. The time and effort devoted to metadata should be propor-tionate to the benefits that are received. Fortunately, tools are available that can automate large portions of the metadata entry process. The use of a complete and efficient thesaurus can also improve the quality of metadata and ensure the completeness of search results. Captioning plays an important role by enablingusers to quickly identify relevant assets within search results. All in all, time invested in metadata will provide asubstantial return by increasing the productivity of digital asset users.

For More Information International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC)http://iptc.org/

Abobes Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP)http://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/

dpBestflowhttp://dpbestflow.org/

Controlled Vocabularyhttp://controlledvocabulary.com/

The Photo Metadata Projecthttp://www.photometadata.org/

Documents

An Introduction to Metadata in DAM Systems