US- Korea Joint Workshop on Digital LibrariesUCSD, August 10-11, 2000

CMNet (Chinese Memory Net): US-Sino Collaborative Research Toward A Global Digital Library in Chinese Studies

US NSF’s International Digital Library Program Project

Principal Investigator: Ching-chih Chen

Simmons College, Boston, USA

chen@simmons.edu

PROJECT EMPEROR-I: The First Emperor of China (1983)The First NEH’s Major Technology Project

• A perfect example on the use of multimedia technology

• Technology is insensitive of Time and Geography

• Technology can bring the east and west together

• The beginning of a “virtual library”

Voyager’s Interactive Videodisc & Multimedia CD

• 15 years ago it was incredible that we could have 108,000 pictures on the videodisc and the interactive videodisc can provide the information seekers incredible array of needed multimedia information,

• It demonstrated that the MM technology can change the way we seek, demand, and use information.

• Generated heavy media coverage in public media and broadcast of over 15 countries.

CONTENT IS THE KEY!

• My digital MM product of The First Emperor of China (6-hours of interactive materials) was chosen as one of the 50 Best CDs by MacUser

• Sun MicroSystems chose Emperor was one of the three projects to be included in its World-wide Higher Education brochure

• IBM said in its Multimedia Solution (March/April 1991) “IBM’s Multimedia prototype – PROJECT EMPEROR-I – puts multimedia technology to the ultimate test.”

Moving Toward A Digital Knowledge Base IBM Multimedia Today (1993)

Planning GLOBAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE

• My R&D work with the Emperor Project made me realized how IT will change dramatically our future communications and information provision/use. Thus, since 1993 I have advocated among global library and information communities the need for planning GII.

• The digital “knowledge base” of The First Emperor of China is a prototype “digital library”

• I also started advocating the concept of “global digital library” as shown in the simple scheme in the following slide.

The Global Digital Library - Conceptual Diagram (Presented at the International Conference on National Libraries - Towards the 21st Century, Taipei, April 1993 in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the National Central Library)

DIGITAL LIBRARIES - PROBLEMS & ISSUES

Definition Roles of Digital Libraries Technology -- infrastructure, quality of service interoperability, scalability, sustainability,

etc. Input method and standard - scanning, digitization, OCR… Data representation Organization - metadata, indexing Access - indexing and retrieval Navigation and search Content building, Collection Management and organization, preservation User interfaces and human-computer interaction Multi-lingual problems and issues Economic, social (information rich and poor, etc...), and legal issues (copyright, privacy,

security, etc…) Collaboration -- regional, national and global

Today’s digital libraries are still poor shadows of the analog libraries in nearly every intellectual respect

DL-1 (NSF)- $24M total over four years, ending fall 1998.

• Carnegie Mellon University• Stanford University• University of California at Berkeley• University of California at Santa Barbara• University of Illinois• University of Michigan

Digital Libraries Initiative - Phase 2

Sponsoring Agencies and Programs National Science Foundation (NSF) - Digital Libraries Initiative

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA - Information Technology Office

National Library of Medicine (NLM) - Extramural Programs Library of Congress (LOC) - Digital Library Initiatives National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) - Digital Library

Initiative National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

In Partnership withNational Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Smithsonian Institution (SI) Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

A A

A

A

C

C

CC

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C C CCC

C

CC

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C

CC

JJ

Changing Scales and Contexts of Interaction and Collaboration

NSFNet StarTap Connections

Ching-chih Chen - August 1999(Courtesy of S. Griffin, NSF)

NSF’s IDLP (International Digital Library Program)

Introduced in 1999, the new IDLP program (NSF 99-6) is intended to contribute to the fundamental knowledge required to create information systems that can operate in multiple languages, formats, media, and social and organizational contexts.

International Digital Libraries Program (IDLP)

Goals To enable users to easily access digital collections,

regardless of location, language or formats To enable broad use in research, education, commerce

and other purposes Research will be on:

Interoperable technologies Technology for intellectual property protection Methods and standards for ensuring long-term

interoperability among distributed and separately administered databases, world data-mining etc…

Cooperative research can help avoid duplication of effort, prevent the development of fragmented digital systems, and encourage productive interchange of knowledge and data around the world.

With long-time strong interest in global digital library, I find an opportunity for me in IDLP

In my case, my NIT conferences enable me to know the world development in digital libraries (see Chen, Ching-chih. IT and Global Digital Library Development. Newton, MA: MicroUse Information.)

I capitalize my global connections and my experience in the Emperor Project.

I partner with I2 institutions, and I capitalize the expertise from our international partners.

Ching-chih Chen ‘s International Consulting and Speaking

CMNet - Why?

Digital library developments are not new, but few international collaborative research efforts.

CMNet will explore the use of Chinese materials for education and research. Presently scholars and students in these fields have opted more for traditional means of information access.

Chinese Digital library/museum activities are underway in different places, but few can be considered for broad-based international access and sharing.

In the multilingual area, most R&D are related to roman alphabet languages. Few deal with non-Roman languages, such as Chinese.

In the area of network use, the current complex network environment is a reality. CMNet will explore the use of all types of networks for global access to distributed information in China, Taiwan and US

The proposed research areas are significant to American scholars in the Chinese studies, but American researchers often do not have as much expertise in those areas.

CMNet’s Research Plan - Initial CollaboratorsExpected Synergy

USSimmons – non-Internet2

Several Internet2 institutions (still being worked on…)

TaiwanAcademia SinicaNational Taiwan

UniversityNational Tsinghua

University

ChinaJiaotung UniversityPeking UniversityTsinghua University

CMNet - Research Areas to be Explored

Multilingual information systems, and cross-language retrieval systems; Multi-national digital libraries including sound, data, image, multimedia,

software…; Interoperability and scalability technology to permit large world-wide collections; Metadata techniques and tools; Invaluable contents -- linking Chinese historical, cultural and heritage information

systems of the best institutions in the US, Taiwan and China; Preservation and archiving of digital scholarly information, including technology

and procedures for long-term information asset management; Social aspects of digital libraries and cross-cultural context studies; Instructional use of digital libraries at all levels of instruction; Economic and copyright issues: authentication, rights, and fair use; and Electronic publishing and scholarly communication technology, including

collaboratories, online repositories, and new methods of organizing scientific knowledge distribution.

Ching-chih Chen - Feb. 22, 2000Modified on Mar. 28, 2000

Net has multiples meanings: In the net-worked environment Use this and Next Generation Internet Connect distributed digital libraries in

different parts of the world Creating a synergetic informal network of

researchers on similar research interest etc

Ching-chih Chen - Feb. 22, 2000Modified on Mar. 28, 2000

CMNet (Chinese Memory Net): US-Sino Collaborative Research Toward A Global Digital Library in Chinese Studies

Research Plan

Ching-chih Chen - Feb. 22, 2000Modified on Mar. 28, 2000

Network environment in China (CERNET in specific) has progressed dramatically since this proposal writing in Dec. 1998. The above is a much out-dated picture

CMNet’s R&D Agenda from China, Coordinated by Prof. Li-zhu Zhou, Chair, Dept. of Computer Science and & Technology, Tsinghua University

Current R&D agenda include (subject to modifications):

Digitizing techniques for Chinese inform. – Include pattern analysis & recognition for ancient books; video/audio structurizing process; interactive 3D display techniques; etc…

Metadata techniques and standards for Chinese information

Intelligent HCI techniques – Include multi-lingual, multi-modal search & retrieval; translation engine; etc.

Digital library architecture – Include interoperability & scalability study on Internet environment; management framework & organization schema for distributed, heterogeneous, and mass information repositories; etc.

Theory and method on global Chinese inform. Organization, integration, and sharing

Prototyping systems for Chinese cultural and heritage information

CMNet’s R&D Agenda from Taiwan, Coordinated by Prof. Jieh

Hsiang, Professor, Department of Computer Science, National Taiwan University

Tentative Linguistic Technology and Resources for English-Chinese Bilingual

Information System

Lexicon-based Knowledge Linking -- Approaches Towards a WordNet

Metadata Interchange for Chinese Information for Digital Libraries Infrastructure for Multilingual Digital Library

Agent-based Information Gathering and Service for Digital Library Intellectual Property Rights Protection -- Safeguarding Digital Library Contents and Managing Electronic Copyright

Intellectual Property Rights Protection -- Safeguarding Digital Library Contents and Managing Electronic Copyright

Global Digital Library Development in the New MillenniumFertile Ground for Distributed Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

 29-31 May 2001, Beijing, China

 In Celebration of the 90th Anniversary of Tsinghua University

Chief Conference Organizer: Dr. Ching-chih ChenLocal Conference Chair: Prof. Hu Dong-cheng Vice President, Tsinghua University

NIT 2001: The 12th International Conference on New Information Technology (http://web.simmons.edu/~chen/nit)

Sample Topics to be Covered:

      National information infrastructure and policies        Use of this and Next Generation Internets        Digital libraries and systems: Changing roles, collaboration, and exploration        Collaborative research activities        Interoperability and scalability technology issues        Multiformat, multilingual problems and issues        Intelligent agents        Metadata techniques and tools        Preservation and archiving of digital information        Social, economic, and legal issues of digital libraries        Education and training in information technology        Digital libraries and consortium development        Distance learning and the use of distributed digital libraries        Distributed digital library development in the world        Intellectual property and right protection        Etc.

NIT 2001:The 12th International Conference on New Information Technology

CMNet can be successful only if all collaborators take this project seriously

It needs synergetic infusion of ideas and R&D It needs high-level governmental support in the most

enthusiastic way. More collaboration with other countries and other

institutions of similar R&D agenda is needed and solicited

Global digital library Development in the new millennium is indeed Fertile Ground for Distributed Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration. Let’s capitalize the opportunity!

For more information:Chen@Simmons.edu

CMNet: A Model for Int’l Digital Library Collaboration