SGML UK Meeting: XML in Publishing

1
XML and e-commerce in book and serials publishing

• Francis J Cave
• Francis Cave Digital Publishing

2
Projects / initiatives using XML

• Digital Object Identifier (DOI) metadata
• kernel metadata
• genre metadata
• Digital rights management
• XrML (ContentGuard)
• ODRL ()
• ltindecsgt
• Book trade product information
• EPICS
• ONIX
• XML/EDI initiatives

3
Digital Object Identifier

• International DOI Foundation
• An identifier for intellectual property entities
• persistent
• the identifier remains the same, regardless of
  ownership or location of the entity it identifies
• actionable
• the identifier is part of a system that includes
  technology (the Handles system) for resolving
  DOIs to specific locations
• interoperable
• the identifier uses existing identification
  schemes, such as ISBN, ISSN, SICI and PII

4
Digital Object Identifier

• DOI kernel metadata
• needed to provide a minimal description of the
  identified entity
• DOI
• genre e.g. journal article, e-book, photo
• unique identifier e.g. ISBN, ISMN
• title
• entity type e.g. work, physical manifestation
• origination e.g. original, excerpt
• primary agent agent identifier
• agent role e.g. publisher, distributor

5
Digital Object Identifier

• DOI genre metadata
• extension of the kernel metadata to meet the
  description requirements of a specific genre
• focus on rights metadata
• must follow the ltindecsgt model
• So whats this all got to do with XML...?
• registration of DOIs will in future involve
  mandatory delivery of DOI metadata in XML
• XML format is likely to be harmonised with ONIX
• Finding out more...
• http//www.doi.org/

6
Digital Rights Management

• XrML eXtensible Rights Markup Language
• developed at Xerox PARC
• XML-based language for specifying rights and
  issuing permissions associated with works
• llicensed by ContentGuard, a Xerox spin-off
  supported by Microsoft, Adobe and others
• http//www.xrml.org/
• ODRL Open Digital Rights Language
• developed by OASIS
• editor Renato Iannella, IPR Systems
• standardised rights language with XML binding
• http//odrl.net/

7
Book trade metadata

• EDItEUR Product Information Communication
  Standard (EPICS)
• ONIX International

8
EPICS

• Abstract data dictionary
• Defines semantics of product information for the
  book trade (books, serials, looseleafs,
  electronic...)
• Defines an abstract data model for product
  information in terms of data elements, composites
  and value domains
• Does not define a concrete syntax
• Based upon the principles defined in the ltindecsgt
  metadata schema

9
EPICS

• Pilot XML expression
• DTD development based upon RDF
• Strong EDI feel in choice of syntax
• March 2000 exploring harmonisation with MUZE
  MerchEnt
• Development suspended in March as priority
  switched to development of ONIX International
• Current status
• Maintained as the abstract foundation for ONIX
• A basis (primary source) for other book and
  allied trade metadata standards

10
ONIX International

• True XML application
• XML DTD now ... XML Schema later
• ONIX messages must be valid XML documents
• One DTD, two implementation levels
• Level 1 meets original US ONIX requirements
• minimal use of composites
• short numeric element type names
• aimed at low-tech SMEs
• Level 2 implements most of the EPICS semantics
• wider use of composites (but fewer than in EPICS)
• choice of short and verbose element type names
• aimed at larger publishers

11
ONIX International

• ONIX descriptive metadata element groups

• Product numbers
• Product form
• Series details
• Set details
• Title
• Authorship (contributors)
• Conference
• Edition
• Language
• Pagination and other content
• Subject

• Audience
• Publisher
• Publishing dates
• Territorial rights
• Dimensions
• Descriptions and other text
• Links to image/audio/video
• Prizes
• Replaced by / alternative format
• Supplier, availability and prices
• Sales promotion information

12
ONIX International

• Metadata group example authorship
• organised into metadata about each individual
  contributor (author, editor, translator,...)
• individual contributor information comprises some
  combination of any of the following data
  elements
• contributor sequence number (display ordering)
• contributor role
• person name
• person name, inverted
• structured person name (up to six elements)
• professional position
• affiliation
• corporate contributor name
• biographical note
• contributor description (other than biographical
  information)

13
ONIX International

• XML-coded example of a contributor composite,
  using short element type names (Level 1)
• ltcontributorgt
• ltb035gtA01lt/b035gt
• ltb037gtSchur, Norman Wlt/b037gt
• ltb044gtA Harvard graduate in Latin and Italian
  literature, Norman Schur attended the University
  of Rome and the Sorbonne before returning to the
  United States to study law at Harvard and
  Columbia Law Schools. Now retired from legal
  practice, Mr Schur is a fluent speaker and writer
  of both British and American English lt/b044gt
• lt/contributorgt

14
ONIX International

• XML-coded example of a contributor composite,
  using verbose element type names
• ltContributorgt
• ltContributorRolegtA01lt/ContributorRolegt
• ltPersonNameInvertedgtSchur, Norman W
  lt/PersonNameInvertedgt
• ltBiographicalNotegtA Harvard graduate in Latin
  and Italian literature, Norman Schur attended the
  University of Rome and the Sorbonne before
  returning to the United States to study law at
  Harvard and Columbia Law Schools. Now retired
  from legal practice, Mr Schur is a fluent speaker
  and writer of both British and American
  Englishlt/BiographicalNotegt
• lt/Contributorgt

15
ONIX International

• Current status
• Current release (1.1) was issued in July 2000
• Minor corrections in August 2000
• Next release (1.2) expected end mid-November 2000
• Schema under development
• to enable verification of element content
• Extensions in progress for
• e-books (for release 1.3 in December 2000)
• video (for release in 2001)
• rights metadata

16
XML/EDI initiatives

• Book Industry Communication (BIC) / EDItEUR are
  evaluating XML as an alternative to EDI for trade
  with libraries
• draft DTD for library book order messages
• Direction likely to be influenced by the Global
  Commerce Initiative (GCI) and ebXML
• Finding out more...
• EDItEUR http//www.editeur.org/
• GCI http//globalcommerceinitiative.org/
• ebXML http//www.ebxml.org/