WP 4 : The Open Semantic Bus

MediaMap lays on the idea that IP Networks are not only territories for web portals but are most of all a matrix of interconnection to gather collaborative community around ambitious and long term project.

Because of modern network architecture (WEB 2.0 and 3.0) all links of the audiovisual chain can be disconnected one to the other and distributed on the network. This makes possible pervasive approaches of the network where connexion devices can be embedded on each deported links of the audiovisual chain. Finally distributed, scalable and pervasive network architecture makes IP Bus possible.

This WP aims at demonstrating an Open Semantic Bus based on the AXIS architecture. It also delivers a repository connected this semantic bus to store the entities created by the MediaMap project.

Functional description

The OSB allows different contributors, amateurs, professionals, script, documentalist, producer, etc. to connect to this bus and to participate in the content production. Based on the OAIS model, the AXIS framework is interoperable, adaptable, extendable and persistent

To achieve this result, it is important to define and to control the exchange of information on the bus. This control is made through Interoperability Wickets (see figure hereunder). The wicket is composed of two parts, the physical I.W. and the logical I.W. The physical I.W. is a set of hardware and software means assuring the interoperability. The logical I.W. is a set of exchange specifications based on the definition of AXIS profiles. In the AXIS framework, profiles are based on the definition given by DCMI in http://dublincore.org/documents/profile-guidelines/ - 1.



Each AXIS profile is systematically defined by the definitions of « Terms »; « Identifications » systems of the resources; of « Entities »; of “Documents”; of “sets” (including thesauri and controlled vocabulary lists); of « References » and « Agreements ».

In this WP, the OSB will be connected to
  • A repository to control the bus and to save the metadata,
  • An ingestion application,
  • An AAE viewer/editor that can be used as an administration tool,
  • A simple Web Interface allowing a user to access to the OSB



In MediaMap, the OSB will only accept clips and not streams. Nevertheless, its architecture is designed to allow mechanism for stream ingestion. In this case, a sampler cuts, at regular interval, the streams in clips and records them using a specific interoperability wicket

As it is based on the AXIS architecture, the “Terms” can be translated in any language. Furthermore, the AAE Editor can call any translation workflow to translate the metada.

Technical work

  • Specifications of the Open Semantic Bus and the four interoperability wickets.
  • Development of the AXIS profiles
  • Development of the 4 applications (Ingest/retrieve, repository, Web Interface, AAE editor).
  • Test of the OSB.

1 Dublin Core Application Profile (DCAP): A DCAP is a declaration specifying which metadata terms an organization, information provider, or user community uses in its metadata and how those terms have been customized or adapted to a particular application. By definition, a DCAP is based in part on Dublin Core and follows DCMI Grammatical Principles [DCMI-PRINCIPLES]. A DCAP consists of a Descriptive Header and one or more Term Usages.