IMS Meta-Data

IMS Project Feb. 1999 1Thomas D. Wason

IMS Meta-Data

Thomas D. Wason, Ph.D.IMS Project & GEM

[email protected]


Outline

• What is the IMS Project?

• IMS Meta-Data

• Role of Meta-Data Tools

• Meta-Data Registries


IMS Project

A project of the National LearningInfrastructure Initiative of Educause

Defining the Internet Architecture for Education.

Cooperative creates open specifications and prototype pieces, members create products.


IMS Education Members

• CSU, Collegis Research Institute, UNC, U. Michigan, Miami Dade, CIC (“Big Ten”), Buena Vista University, George Mason University, JISC, U. Va., Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA, Australian Centre), The Centre for Learning Technologies (Singapore), California State University, GEM (Gateway to Educational Materials, Dept. of Ed.)


IMS Commercial/Gov’t Members

• Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Sun, International Thomson Publishing, Collegis, Farance Inc., KPMG, NIST, Department of Defense, Dept. of Labor, Empower, @Learning, AT&T, Oracle, Asymetrix, Marcomedia, Peoplesoft, Unisys, Educational Testing Service, Pearson Education,


IMS Developers’ Network

Over 150 members


Needs

• Find it

• Get it

• Run it

• Track it


IMS Components

• Profiles• Meta-data • Content• Management (Content, Course, Collaboration)• External Services


Collaborative effort

• The IMS meta-data is based on the IEEE LOM V2.2 Working Document jointly authored with ARIADNE.

• The IMS meta-data effort merged with the NIST Learning Object Metadata effort under IMS.


IMS Meta-Data


Meta-Data Describes Resources


Meta-Data Spec. Scope

• DISCOVERY

• RETRIEVAL OF LEARNING RESOURCES

• PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR RUN-TIME OF RESOURCE

• ENABLE EXTENSIBILITY

• LOCALIZATION

• EASE OF USE

• BE INTEROPERABLE

• PROVIDE STABILITY


Meta-Data Work Groups

• Semantic Structures

• Taxonomies and Vocabularies

• Coding

• Registries

• Tool


IMS Meta-Data is Structured

Type

Category Category

Element

ADT

Data Type

Element

ADT

ADT

Data Type

ADT

Data Type

Element

Element

ADT

ADT

Data Type

ADT

Data Type

ADT

Data Type

Element

Element


IMS Meta-Data is Structured

Base

General Characeristics

Identifier

DIdentifier

String

Title

DLangString

DLocale

String

DString

String

Discipline

Keywords

DLangString

DLocale

String

DString

String

DLocale

String

Description

Language


The Base Meta-Data Categories

• General

• Characteristics

• Life Cycle

• Metametadata

• Technical

• Rights


General Category

• Identifier (ISBN 0-534-26702-5)

• Title (Sniffy The Virtual Rat)


Characteristics Category

• Language (en_US)

• Description (A computer program that enables students to explore the prinicples of shaping and partial reinforcement in operant conditioning)

• Discipline– Taxonpath

• Source (LCC)

• Taxons (Science)


Life Cycle Category

• Version (4.5)

• Create– Date (1995)

– Contribute• Role (Creator)

• Person (Lester Krames, Jeff Graham, Tom Alloway)

• Publish– Organization (Brooks/Cole publishing Company)

– Date (1995)


Metametadata Category

• Create– Date (1999_02_11)

– Person (Thomas Wason)

– Organization (IMS Project)

• Schema (IMS Base 1.0)


Technical Category

• Format (Binhex)

• Location ([email protected])

• O S Requirements (Win 3.1 or later)


Rights Category

• Role (User: Learner)

• Conditions– Price

• Monetary Unit ($US)

• Amount (39.95)


Dictionary Fragment

Preliminary





<!ENTITY % CatAttribs'I_List (Sngl | Unord | Ord) "Sngl"I_Obligation (O | M | C | N) "O"I_Extensible (Yes | No) "Yes"BK CDATA #IMPLIEDI_Context CDATA #IMPLIED'>

<!ELEMENT GENERAL ANY><!ATTLIST GENERAL I_Define CDATA #FIXED "Basic reference."

%CatAttribs;>

<!ELEMENT ANNOTATION ANY><!ATTLIST ANNOTATION %CatAttribs;


Schema Fragment<?XML VERSION="1.0" ENCODING="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE MASTER SYSTEM "Dictionary.dtd"><MASTER>

<GENERAL I_Obligation="M" I_Context="Basic references to the resource.">

<IDENTIFIER I_List="Sngl" I_Obligation="M"><A_IDENTIFIER I_Caption="GUID" I_Context="A unique label for the

resource." I_Obligation="M"/></IDENTIFIER><TITLE I_Obligation="M" BK="1" I_Context="Name given to the resource.">

<A_LANGSTRING I_Caption="Title" I_Context="Name given to the resource." I_Obligation="M">

<A_LOCALE I_Caption="Title language." I_Context="Language of the title." I_Obligation="M"/>

<A_STRING I_Caption="Title" I_Obligation="M"/></A_LANGSTRING>

</TITLE><CATALOGENTRY I_Context="Designation given to the resource.">

<A_SOURCESTRING I_Caption="Catalog ID" I_Context="Designation given to the resource." I_Obligation="M">

<A_SOURCE I_Caption="Source or format of the catalog entry." I_Obligation="M" I_Context="Label or Location required">

<A_LABEL I_Caption="Label" I_Obligation="C"/><A_LOCSPEC I_Caption="Location" I_Obligation="C"/>

</A_SOURCE><A_STRING I_Caption="Catalog entry." I_Obligation="M"

I_Context="Such as an ISBN."/></A_SOURCESTRING>

</CATALOGENTRY></GENERAL> Preliminary


XML Instantiation Frag.

<?XML VERSION="1.0" ENCODING="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE BASE SYSTEM "Dictionary.dtd"><BASE>

<GENERAL>

<IDENTIFIER><A_IDENTIFIER>

<![CDATA[ISBN 0-534-26702-5]]></A_IDENTIFIER>

</IDENTIFIER><TITLE>

<A_LANGSTRING><A_LOCALE>

<![CDATA[en_US]]></A_LOCALE><A_STRING>

<![CDATA[Sniffy The Virtual Rat]]></A_STRING>

</A_LANGSTRING></TITLE>

</GENERAL>

Preliminary


Role of Meta-Data Tools


XML Editor Screen Shot


The User and Meta-Data

Meta-DataTool

User'sBrowser

Create &Search

• The user wants to search for resources.

• The user wants to create labels for resources.


Meta-Data Instantiations

Meta-DataRepository

Meta-DataTool

User'sBrowser

Create &Search

Sets of actualmeta-data

• The meta-data about resources is located in meta-data repositories.


Meta-Data Registry

Meta-DataRegistry

Meta-DataRepository

Meta-DataTool

User'sBrowser

Create &Search

Templates &Vocabularies


• Information about the meta-data is located in a meta-data registry.


Meta-Data Profiles

Meta-DataRegistry

Meta-DataRepository

Meta-DataTool

User'sBrowser

Create &Search



ProfileUser or Enterprise

Information

• There may be additional information available in profiles.


Meta-Data System

Meta-DataRegistry

Meta-DataRepository

Meta-DataTool

User'sBrowser

Create &Search



ProfileUser or Enterprise

Information

*

*

*

*

* Not included inV 1.0 Sspecification

• The meta-data system maintains information about what is in the meta-data.


Meta-Data Registries


Evolution of Meta-Data

• Different groups want different meta-data.

• The evolution of meta-data within IMS is managed via registries.


Base Type May Be Extended

1. Extend the allowable content domain of a given meta-data term, such as use of additional or alternative vocabularies.

2. Specialize a term by refining its constraints (e.g., obligation is changed from "optional" to "mandatory")

3. Introduce new terms into an existing meta-data set using concepts defined in a standard dictionary

4. Introduce new concepts into a dictionary, or create a brand new dictionary with a certain known relationship to the other dictionaries in existence


Meta-Data Type Library

Library of schema types derived from a common base

• Base– Item

– Module

– Tool


Registration Needs

• Dictionary elements

• Schemas

• Value domains (vocabularies and taxonomies)


Meta-Data Schema Registry

Registry Owner

Dictionaries:CategoriesData elementsAbstract data

types

Type Library:Base

ItemModuleTool

Vocabularies:ListsTaxonomies

Members Rules


Hierarchy of Registries


Balance of Control and Extension

• Types defined within registries provide control of meta-data instantiations.

• Defined methods of extending the meta-data hierarchy provide freedom to create new properties and types.


Contact and Information

Tom Wason

email: [email protected]

http://www.imsproject.org

Documents

IMS Meta-Data