"The use of embedded image metadata is becoming widespread in the biodiversity informatics community (e.g. Stafford et al. 2010 & Tulig et al. 2012), and is frequently used to describe the subject and licencing of images as well as for recording the 'tombstone metadata' (e.g. Introduction to Metadata) - when the image was created, last edited, who created it, and where and how it was created.
The eMonocot project (http://about.e-monocot.org) makes use of the Scratchpads (Smith et al. 2011) infrastructure as a tool for collecting, curating, and creating content to be harvested by the eMonocot portal (http://e-monocot.org). As part of this project hundreds of images with embedded metadata are being uploaded to a number of different Scratchpads, combined with images directly uploaded by partner communities, and exported en mass to the portal. For this to be technically feasible at scale images from varied, disparate sources need to have their metadata standardised as part of the bulk upload process.
There are three widespread image metadata formats that can be handled by this module. A subset of the EXIF standard (Camera and Imaging Products Association Standardization Committee 2010) specifies a method for tagging of images with metadata. This is widely used by device manufacturers to record both the make and model of the image capture device and also the device's settings when the image was captured (e.g. focal length, flash duration). The eXtensible Metadata Platform (XMP) was originally developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and later adopted by the International Standards Organisation as ISO 16684-1:2012. It uses a data model defined in Adobe 2012 which is serialised in XML when embedded into files. The International Press Telecommunications Council defines the IPTC Core and Extension metadata standards (IPTC 2010).
EXIF Custom on drupal.orgAn existing Drupal module, Exif (https://drupal.org/project/exif), provides a mechanism for displaying embedded image metadata on Drupal nodes, but does not provide a mechanism for mapping the metadata into fields. The import of embedded metadata into Scratchpads/Drupal fields is a requirement of the eMonocot project and is useful for the wider Scratchpads community as it allows for these data to be easily used by other Drupal modules (e.g. Views - https://drupal.org/project/views) and in other Scratchpads-specific functions such as our on-going work on implementing the ability to export data via DarwinCore Archives (GBIF DarwinCore Archives). There is a comparison of these two modules (and potentially other similar Drupal modules) at https://drupal.org/node/1842686."
wikimedia.org.uk 020 7065 0990
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This 90 minute workshop, led by John Cummings (Wikimedian in Residence at the Natural History Museum and Science Museum) and other Wikimedia trainers will involve a short general introduction to the Wikipedia projects and a discussion of how they are created and developed, followed by a more in-depth practical session involving learning the basics of editing and engaging with other contributors.
During the session, Dr Steve Cook (Senior Teaching Fellow, Biology, Imperial College London) will talk about how he uses Wikipedia with undergraduate students and Professor Henry Rzepa (Professor of Computational Chemistry, Imperial College London) will also talk about his work with Wikipedia.
This workshop is aimed at academic staff, researchers, postdocs, teaching fellows, learning technologists and postgraduate research students.
Details:
Thursday 6 June 2013
10.00am – 11.30am
Central Library, South Kensington campus, Training Room 1
To book:
If you would like to attend please email Andrew Day to book your place. Joining instructions will be sent on booking.
For further information email Jenny Evans.
" Well, I don't believe that phone books, newspapers, magazines, or corner video stores will disappear as computer networks spread. Nor do I think that my telephone will merge with my computer, to become some sort of information appliance."A pretty major prediction on page 11 and one that has clearly not stood the test of time: California stops automatic phone book delivery, newspapers struggle to find sustainable financial models, Blockbuster moves towards a more retail than rental model. I won't provide a link to the telephone/computer hybrid inofmation appliance - you're possibly reading this on it.
"Whether yo-yos, books, records or insurance, there are good reasons why business doesn't work over the Internet."Of course this was written in a world before Amazon, eBay, comparethemarket and Yoyo Shop.
"Researchers naturally save their best work to publish in jounrals and books, realizing that the review process ensures that better papers make into print. They're unlikely to post good, original stuff to the network first; somebody might swipe their material."Well - concerns over data swiping are still around - but we also publish material online before publication using preprint servers such as ArXiv and are moving, albeit slowly and uncertainly, towards online, open, peer review.
"Of my many mistakes, flubs, and howlers, few have been as public as my 1995 howler.
Here's some newer, but just as enthusiasm rich, Stoll. If you want to predict the future: ask an experienced kindergarten teacher:
1) Much, or at least some, of the knowledge a person has will be in their publications. This knowledge will (should) not be lost and is available to the scientific community in perpetuity.
2) Skills such as manual or mental dexterity of any kind require practise, and provided some documentation exists of how to perform the task, repeated practise should do the trick. Perhaps it's dissecting something, perhaps its identifying something using a key.
3) What's left? Unpublished/unpublishable knowledge!
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| John Cummings radio interview |
Wikimedia UK is very happy to report that John Cummings, a long-standing and well known Wikimedian, has begun his work as Wikimedian in Residence at the Science Museum and Natural History Museum.John will be working with myself and the rest of the Biodiversity Informatics team at the NHM, as well as other staff from the across the museum. You can see what's happening here.
This is a ground-breaking partnership between two of the UK’s most prestigious cultural institutions and the charity that promotes and supports Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects in the UK. His role with the museums will last for four months.
John said: “It’s a real privilege to work with institutions with such important places in the history and public understanding of science. I hope I will be able to help the museums in their goals.”
John is the co-founder and project leader for MonmouthpediA and Gibraltarpedia, the world’s first Wikipedia town and city, and he is a Wikimedia UK accredited trainer for communities and institutions.
He is also technical lead for Leaderwiki, a collaborative education resource for emerging leaders from all over the world who want to make a positive contribution in their communities.
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| Rothschild with his famed zebra (Equus burchelli) carriage, which he drove to Buckingham Palace to demonstrate the tame character of Zebras to the public |
Tring Museum was a natural history museum owned by Walter, later 2nd Baron Rothschild, and which was donated to the Natural History museum in 1936. It had been open to public since 1892. A large amount of papers, particularly letters from Walter were destroyed, so this correspondence is largely all that remains of the history of that museum.This series is mostly letters to Walter and / or his curators Ernst Hartert and Karl Jordan, and is a fascinating collection with a wealth of information. Not only scientifically and historicallyfrom the ornithologists and entomologists who wrote to Tring, but historically from the various institutions around the world, and also the economic history of the business of natural history, from the dealers, publishers and booksellers. There is also important social history to be studied about Tring Museum's relationship with local people and businesses, who visited, and were employed by the Museum. The largest part relates to collectors, writing from all over the world about the expeditions they’re on and the specimens they are collecting for the museum – writing sometimes from war zones, during revolutions and uprisings, and from jungles and deserts.
Example data:Daisy Cunynghame - NHM Library and Archives
| Date | Title | Description |
| 18 Feb - 25 Jun 1903 | The Acetylene Supply Co | "6 letters from The Acetylene Supply Co., 48 Cranbourne Street and 1 Bear Street, Leicester Square, London, England, United Kingdom. 3 of the letters addressed to Karl Jordan, 3 addressed to Ernst Hartert_x000D_ _x000D_ [Was previously reference number TM/1/69/1]" |
| 1 Apr - 17 Dec 1903 | André & Sleigh Limited | "2 letters to Ernst Hartert, 9 letters to Karl Jordan from André & Sleigh Limited, Photo-Engravers, Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom_x000D_ _x000D_ [Was previously reference number TM/1/69/5]" |
4 | Othniel_Charles_Marsh 3 | Carnegie_Museum_of_Natural_History 3 | Sauropod 3 | Walking_with_Dinosaurs 2 | Jurassic 2 | Diplodocidae 2 | Type_species 2 | John_Bell_Hatcher 2 | William_Jacob_Holland 2 | Diplodocid 2 | Fossil
3 | Lycaenidae 2 | Eurasia 2 | North_America 2 | India 2 | http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=188523 2 | Holly_Blue 2 | Main_Page 2 | Wikipedia:About 1 | Biological_classification 1 | Animal 1 | Arthropod
This time the information is more about the biogeography and higher taxonomy, but nevertheless can be seen as a reasonable, if subjectively limited, summary of the species.
2 | Archaeology 2 | Biological_anthropology 2 | Social_anthropology 2 | Cultural_anthropology 2 | Feminist_anthropology 2 | Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society 2 | http://www.ahobproject.org/ 2 | http://books.google.com.au/books?id=wTnWJGnBwgUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Giacobini+Hominidae&hl=en&ei=jRvcS6rVJZLg7AO9_sC_Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false 2 | http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ke7_cl6tQ1EC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22Chris+Stringer%22&hl=en&ei=JhDcS4WCF43u7APBsoiuBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false 2 | http://www.nhm.ac.uk/business-centre/publishing/det_humevol.html 2 | http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2008/march/stringer-wins-kistler-book-award.html
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| Sample stub lepidoptera page (Accessed 02 March 2013) |
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| Wireless configuration page on router running DD-WRT firmware |
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| Arduino with Ethernet shield attached to a wireless network through a router in client bridge mode |
Wikimedia UK
- An understanding of, and empathy for, Wikimedia’s movement and Wikimedia UK’s mission to help people and organisations build and preserve open knowledge to share and use freely
- Experience of editing Wikipedia or its sister websites. Supplementary training may be given
- Experience of working with the Wikimedia community
- An understanding of and commitment to Wikimedia UK’s Equal Opportunities Policies in both services to members and employment
Museums
- Good understanding of the ethos and activities (curation, research, education) of national museum
- An understanding of the GLAM sector, its culture and aims.
General
- Ability to teach and support those learning to use Wikipedia and its sister projects (including via organising events/workshops
- Ability to work tactfully, sensitively and effectively, as part of the two institutions, the Wikimedia community and with a wide range of individuals and also under your own initiative
- Ability to communicate in English clearly, both verbally and in writing to a wide range of audiences alongside use of basic numeracy
- Experience of successfully meeting deadlines
- Awareness of issues related to intellectual property, confidentiality, commercial benefit and transparent working practices.
Wrong? Yep.