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Visual Arts Network for the Exchange of Cultural Knowledge

Objective

The project will develop the technical means for storing, selecting and transmitting high quality images in digital form held in the collections of three art history photographic libraries.

It builds upon relevant experience of projects in the field of arts & technology funded under other EU programmes.

The project was split in two phases. Phase one was completed in 1994 and focussed on user and market needs, cataloguing, the feasibility of the system and the exploration and testing of image recognition techniques.

In phase II, a pilot system will be developed. Phase II started early 1995 and envisages EURO-ISDN links between the three libraries involved, .the operational prototype based on client-server architecture, pilot links to sister institutions and the complete core record structure which will be easily adaptable for other related databases. A representative sample of records (2500 scanned photographs) will be entered into the system which will allow testing in a real environment. The image recognition technology will be implemented into the system.

At a later stage a further roll-out through Europe including 'server-arms' to the system is foreseen.
Impact and expected results:

Phase I: A report on user and market needs, the design of the first prototype (input station for image acquisition, data and image base management systems, server and consultation stations and the telecommunications system) and the planning of Phase II.

Phase II: The operational system, including: the servers and the client application; an experimental service based on EURO-ISDN; further input to the standards used in this area of visual arts and electronic imaging; the exploitation plan of the service.

VAN EYCK will promote research by - and substantially upgrade services for - art history library users., while protecting fragile documents from over-use by physical handling. It may also provide an important source of revenue for participating libraries.

Improved access to art history will foster collective appreciation of our common European heritage.

Deliverables

Phase I reports on systems design of telecommunications and the prototype are confidential, but in the public domain are reports on:

User Requirements and Market Forecast Summary;
Artist Identification Summary;
Subject Identification;
Art Library Application Software;
Technical Watch, Liaison and Dissemination.

The main Phase II deliverables will be a series of prototypes including the advanced Morelli prototype. Specifications, reports on user trials, technology watch and exploitation will be confidential. Publicly available will be:

Requirements and functional specification summary;
Results dissemination reports.
Technical approach:

Each phase was divided into seven workpackages:

PHASE I:

User needs analysis and market forecasting for art photo libraries;
Artist identification and cataloguing (including dates and geographical location) and prototype software development;
Subject identification and cataloguing and prototype software development;
Telecomms systems design;
Image recognition research;
Total system design of the prototype and planning of Phase II;
Technology watch, (on new and pertinent developments) liaison with other R&D projects and dissemination of Phase I results.

PHASE II:

Finalisation of information systems and telecomms architecture;
Core record structure for art classification;
Data preparation, input and repository creation;
Prototyping;
Morelli application;
Tests and user trials;
Technology watch, liaison with other projects, dissemination and exploitation planning.

Specialists systems development support in Phase II will be provided by library systems suppliers, that will be selected during the the ealry stages of this phase. The telecommunication links envisaged include EURO-ISDN and academic research telecommunication facilities.

Phase II of VAN EYCK will make use of the spiral prototyping methodologies developed under other EU funded projects thus enabling the project to develop the experimental prototypes relatively fast and against low cost. The operational system based on client-server architecture will be developed by a commercial software developer. Extensive trials involving end-users will be carried out during large parts of the project.

The core record structure developed under Phase I will be extended to include necessary fields such as object description, image description, ownership, and subject matter.

A representative sample of approximately 2500 records (spread over the participating institutions) will be entered into the system.

The image recognition system MORELLI will be further developed and fully integrated into the VAN EYCK system.

Key issues:

Phase I:

- Analysis of user & markets needs;
- Artist and subject identification and cataloguing, comparing existing data structures, applying relevant existing standards, adapting Iconclass Browser;
- Telecoms design using ISDN;
- Image recognition research based on the existing MORELLI system, adaptation and enhancement;
- Copyright.

Phase II:

- implementation of EURO-ISDN links;
- client-server architecture;
- prototyping and development of the system;
- integration of MORELLI;
- extension of the core record structure;
- a plan for the approach to copyright;
- an exploitation and 'roll-out' plan.

Documentation can be obtained from the contact below and from http://www.hart.bbk.ac.uk/van_eyck.html.

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Coordinator

Vasari Ltd
EU contribution
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Address
Clark House 2 Kings Road
GU13 9AD Fleet
United Kingdom

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Participants (4)

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Last update: 1 December 1994

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/1054

European Union, 2024