What is Digital Asset Management?

Digital Asset Management (DAM) represents an organized approach to the problem of storing digital content together with metadata that describes it. Metadata can include the author, project, purpose, intellectual property ownership, cost, special usage instruction – indeed, any information “about” the content.

Some of the most important metadata relates to organizing the workflow associated with the content’s production. Thus, DAM tools often include or are integrated with production management systems. An equally important and closely related domain is Digital Rights Management (DRM), with concerns ranging from copy protection to watermarking and other means of tracing unauthorized media reuse. DAM systems often incorporate DRM capabilities.

DAM is also concerned with storing data in formats and archiving systems so as to maximize its reusability, and with the fundamental problems of protecting data from format obsolescence in a world of rapidly changing technology.

DAM is one of several competing titles for a body of technology that includes digital content management (DCM), media asset management (MAM) and video content management (VCM). We do not attempt to differentiate these disciplines in this paper.

The area of DAM has engendered an annual Symposium (Stewart 2005a) as well as a Journal of Digital Asset Management (Stewart 2005b). Adobe has developed the eXtensible Metadata Platform (XMP), which they refer to as a “labeling technology” to facilitate the inclusion of metadata at the time the content is created. (Adobe 2005). The role of metadata in the Internet is being explored and developed by the W3c (WorldWideWeb Consortium) Semantic Web Activity (W3c 2005).

Clearly, DAM and metadata will play an important role in the future of Digital Media and Arts.

Who needs DAM?

Media companies – film and television producers and studios, video game creators, Internet companies, as well as print media and advertising companies – are developing DAM systems to better organize their data and production processes. The use of the word word ‘asset’ is not accidental: many companies include in the metadata, information about the cost of producing a particular media object, as well as its expected useful lifetime. DAM systems thus refine a company’s understanding of the literal ‘asset value’ of its intellectual property.

Companies’ standard criteria for any new technology center around ROI – Return on Investment. To sell a DAM system to a company, one must convincingly demonstrate that the system saves money on existing operations or makes new and profitable business possible. DAM vendors are making substantial headway in the commercial sector. Governmental users, not driven by an ROI model, are not adopting DAM as rapidly as the commercial sector (Wells 2005).

Universities are beginning to explore digital portfolio systems (e. g. Denver 2005). As commercial DAM technology becomes more available, it is likely that universities will adopt it for portfolio purposes rather than building ad hoc systems, as Denver has done.

Small businesses with less than 50 employees have not yet begun to use DAM systems. As of this writing, the authors are unaware of any commercial DAM systems that are of suitable scale for in-house operation by small business. However, service bureaus such as Quebecor World are now beginning to offer services such as ImageValet™ that allow businesses to purchase hosted DAM services ‘a la carte’, without making major capital investments (Quebecor 2005).

What background is necessary to understand DAM?

DAM requires a focus on metadata and on the formalization of business practices – particularly the systematization of workflows. As such, the following areas are useful domains for preparatory study:

• XML
• Portals and Internet-based Content Management Systems
• Uniform Modeling Language and Object Oriented Design
• Data Compression, Standards (JPEG, MPEG) and Transcoding
• Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (Dublin 2005)

Where can I get a DAM System?

In 2005, the operation of one’s own DAM system in an academic environment is a high-investment activity. The University of Michigan embarked on a DAM project jointly with IBM (Michigan 2003). The University of Texas at Austin is building a campus infrastructure for DAM (Texas 2005). A number of other examples can easily be found on the Internet. All are characterized by an institutional infrastructure-level commitment to exploring the DAM area. Many are closely associated with campus Internet and distance learning activities.

The School of Film and Digital Media (SFDM) at the University of Central Florida is developing a DAM Laboratory (DAMLab). One of its key goals is to serve as a clearing house for information about academic DAM usage and development (UCF 2005). DAMLab is working with Quebecor World to prototype a hosted DAM service suitable for academic developmental use. Such a system would make it possible for colleges whose central IT infrastructure is not yet ready to implement a campus-wide DAM solution, to begin to develop curricula and conduct research, at an affordable cost, by buying time on a shared system that is hosted elsewhere.

Where can I get a DAM Curriculum?

Within iDMAa there is a working group focused on the development of DAM curricula. This group has held workshops at the previous two iDMAa conferences. Ian Gibson and John Costa provided DAM information to attendees. The DAM Working Group is working to create a formal iDMAa Special Interest Group for DAM. One of the goals of this group will be to exchange curricular information between participating universities.

UCF’s DAMLab will teach a graduate level course in the Fall of 2005. Its curricular materials will be available through the iDMAa Curriculum Exchange. (iDMAa 2005)

For information about how to access iDMAa’s Curriculum Exchange, contact [email protected].

References:

Adobe (2005): The eXtensible Metadata Platform. http://www.adobe.com/ products/xmp/main.html
Denver, University of (2005). DU Portfolio Community. http://portfolio.du.edu
Dublin (2005). The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. www.dublincore.org
IDMAa (2005). The International Digital Media and Arts Association. www. idmaa.org
Quebecor World (2005) http://www.quebecorworldinc.com/en/products/media/ cms.php
Stewart, Henry (Organization) (2005a). DAM Symposium. http://www.damusers. com
Stewart, Henry (Publications) (2005b). Journal of Digital Asset Management. Russell House, 28/30 Little Russell St, London WC1A 2HN, United Kingdom. www.henrystewart.com.
UCF (2005). www.dm.ucf.edu/~damlab
W3c (2005). WorldWideWeb Consortium Semantic Web Activity. http://www. w3.org/2001/sw/
Wells, Mark. (2005) “The role of DAM in the US Federal Government: The dragon awakes. Journal of Digital Asset Management 1:3, pp. 195-200. May 2005.