Video Data Management
From 2010-2016, the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer collected almost 120 terabytes of video and video products, encompassing over 70% of the data managed by OER's Data Management. The OER Video Portal is a unique search engine that provides access to thousands of hours of video data collected from the Okeanos Explorer's deep submergence vehicles. Users can stream video, download web-resolution versions, and place an order for the same video in its full, broadcast-quality resolution.
The Video Data Management Modernization Initiative (VDMMI) entailed a series of projects investigating and testing contemporary methods of managing video data. The premise of the investigation was that annotated digital video readily lends itself to online discovery and direct data access methods. The intention was to preserve the video data record for the long term while at the same time provide users with easy, direct access to these important scientific data. For more information about the VDMMI, see the Links to Resources section below.
Over a period of four years, the investigation included a broad spectrum of activities, such as:
- Participating in the NOAA cloud pilot project,
- Participation in the Federal Agency Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI) study,
- Documentation of best practices (including extensible ISO 19115-2 metadata templates),
- Completion of automated data load and extraction systems, and
- Development of a video data discovery and access portal.
This work has culminated in successful implementation of a modern, end-to-end video management system that provides direct online access to the complete collection of digital video collected by various deep submergence systems operated from the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer (from 2010 to present).
While this current iteration provides access to video data collected from the Okeanos Explorer's deep submergence vehicles, elements of the project are viewed as extensible to other video data collections. The joint project team continues to work though the broader OER video collection, which pre-dates the Okeanos Explorer (2001-2010). These data are thought to be analogous to the large legacy video collections held by many NOAA programs, and will further challenge best practices developed to date. The OER Data Management Team invites conversation with other programs seeking management solutions for legacy video data inventories and/or planned future collections.
Links to Resources
- Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI): Practical technical information for both file creators and file archivists. Led by the Library of Congress.
- Video Data Management Modernization Initiative (VDMMI) and the OER Video Portal Project Report: This document describes the project and seeks to inform others with video data inventories that need to be preserved.
- Establishing Community Standards for Underwater Video Acquisitions Final Workshop Report: In June 2016, the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored a workshop focused on development of a community-driven strategy for managing underwater video data collections.
- Best Video Data Management Practices: Several best practices for a successful video data management system, developed by the OER Data Management Team.
- HDF5 White Paper: An Evaluation of Hierarchical Data Format Version 5 (HDF5) as a Storage Model for Archive and Delivery of Video Data
- Metadata and Geoportals: A discussion of the importance of metadata to video data management
- ISO Metadata Template for Video Segment Data: An ISO 19115-2 formatted metadata template at the segment-level designed and refined by the OER Data Management Team
Non Government Sites