JISC

Overview

Multimedia has become technically easier to create (e.g. recording lectures) and while users can bookmark, search, link to, or tag a complete podcast or video available on the web, they cannot bookmark, search, link to, or tag a particular section within that podcast or video. MACFoB will address this problem through the development of a multimedia annotation tool.

Project Blog

Aims and objectives

The MACFOB project aims to develop a web-based multimedia annotation tool that will meet the important and pervasive user need of making multimedia web resources (e.g. podcasts) easier to access, search, manage, and exploit for students, teachers and other users through developing and deploying technologies that support the creation of synchronised notes, bookmarks, tags, images and text captions.

Project methodology

The technology will be developed using feedback from usability studies with cycle-by-cycle management by the Project Steering Committee, comprising of the project Investigators and members of the project implementation team and user representatives meeting at least every three months. Day-to-day and week-to-week management will be undertaken by the Project Manager, working in consultation with and under the strategic direction of the Project Steering Committee.

Anticipated outputs and outcomes

Software and related documentation that makes multimedia web resources (e.g. podcasts) easier to access, search, manage, and exploit for users. All reports, tools and code from the project will remain on the project server for a minimum period of 3 years following the end of JISC funding and will be archived in the institutional repository and any appropriate JISC repositories.

Technology / Standards used

The project will use the JISC guidelines on quality assurance, project management, and open source software development. Quality and project management will include the development of project standards for documents (e.g. requirements specifications, project glossaries; non-functional requirements); version, configuration, and change management; requirements tracking; quality reviews of software, models, and documentation (including design reviews and code walkthroughs); and maintenance of an issues log and tracker.

Lead Institution

• University of Southampton