Digital meets Culture

Ahoy from MediaArea!

MediaConch Newsletter #9 – Nov. 2016

Updates

Now you can detect and correct bit flip and incorrect segment sizes with our brand new fixer!

Learn how to fix FFV1 bit flip in our demo here, it’s groovy.

Bit Flip Detected

Bit Flip Corrected

Also, the implementation checker now uses more features of Matroska’s EBML Schema, including checks on the size of elements, ranges of values, more crc checks, a fix to Matroska interlacement tests, distinction between tests in Matroska’s EBML Header versus the Segment Element, and a check for when Elements are too small to contain their mandates.

The policy checker adds additional operators such as ‘starts with’ and ‘does not exist’. The display of policy results is further optimized.

And lastly, you can now use, create, and share public policies with the community!

Create, share, and use public policies!

Team MediaConch in the Wild

Jérôme and Guillaume shared our progress at the PREFORMA Experience Workshop on November 23rd at Kulturforum in Berlin.

We had a great time connecting with the community at the annual AMIA conference during the second week of November where folks gave talks, tutorials, and made awesome posters about MediaConch implementation. Glad to see some of you!

Dave and Natalie joined forces with the Archivematica team last month for a special webinar about how to use MediaConch as a micro-service and beyond. In case you missed it, both Dave’s slides and the full presentation are online!

Latest Downloads

Download MediaConch’s latest release or a daily build.

MediaConch now supports plugins including VeraPDF and DPFManager!

New Release Notes

What’s new in MediaConch 16.10

GUI/CLI/Server/Online

Update implementation tests, policies, and displays
Handle latest versions of VeraPDF and DPF Manager
Several minor fixes

GUI/CLI

Fixer

Online GUI

Public Policies Page

Server

FFmpeg plugin
Watch folder plugin

Bonus Update for the GUI / Server!

Learn How to Migrate old policies created before the MediaConch 16.09 release.

The MediaConch project has received funding from PREFORMA, co-funded by the European Commission under it’s FP7-ICT Programme.

Feedback

MediaArea is eager to build a community of collaborators and testers to integrate the software in their workflows and participate in usability testing. Please contact us if you’d like to be involved!

With new greenfield parser and batch processing functionality

veraPDF 0.26 released for download

The latest version of veraPDF includes the first beta release of our purpose-built PDF parser and validation model. It can be used alongside the PDFBox parser to compare the results.

veraPDF 0.26 has a new batch processor that produces multi-item reports. Highlights from the new release are below:

Conformance checker

added the new rule for embedded files to be associated with the document or its parts (PDF/A-3 only).

Application enhancements

first beta release of greenfield PDF/A validation available as a limited functionality app;
refactoring of sub component and application configuration for reproducible execution;
new Batch Processor producing multi-item reports;
batch processing is stream/event driven with event handlers for processing results; and
report structures altered to accommodate batch processing.

Code Quality

publication of integration tests for greenfield components;
memory usage and execution times in test reports;
example test report: http://tests.verapdf.org/0.26.8/

Test corpus

added 7 new test files to cover the new rule in PDF/A-3 validation profile.

Release notes:

Two downloads are available for veraPDF 0.26. Please read the release notes for further guidance: https://github.com/veraPDF/veraPDF-library/releases/latest.

Download veraPDF 0.26:

PDFBox version: http://www.preforma-project.eu/downloads/veraPDF/bin/all-platforms/verapdf-0.26-17112016.zip

Greenfield version: http://www.preforma-project.eu/downloads/veraPDF/bin/all-platforms/verapdf-0.26-GF-17112016.zip

About veraPDF

veraPDF 1.0 will be released in December marking the end of the PREFORMA prototyping phase. A six month test phase begins in January 2017.

Please support our efforts by downloading and testing the software. If you encounter problems, or wish to suggest improvements, please add them to the project’s GitHub issue tracker (https://github.com/veraPDF/veraPDF-library/issues), or contact us through our mailing list. Regular feedback is very important, it helps to improve the software.

Led by the Open Preservation Foundation and the PDF Association, the veraPDF consortium is developing the industry-supported open source, file-format validator for all parts and conformance levels of ISO 19005 (PDF/A). The software is designed to meet the needs of memory institutions responsible for preserving digital content for the long term.

The veraPDF consortium is funded by the PREFORMA project. PREFORMA (PREservation FORMAts for culture information/e-archives) is a Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) project co-funded by the European Commission under its FP7-ICT Programme.

PREFORMA IMPACT and Sustainability Questionnaire

Please complete the PREFORMA questionnaire to help assess the impact of the project, and the three conformance checkers: veraPDF, MediaConch and DPF Manager: http://www.digitalmeetsculture.net/projects/preforma/preforma-questionnaire/.

PREFORMA Experience Workshop

We hace presented the latest veraPDF developments at the PREFORMA Experience Workshop in Berlin on 23 November. For further information: http://experienceworkshop.preforma-project.eu/.

Florence (Italy), 1-2 December 2016

Rethinking Research and Policy Agendas on Cultural Heritage and European Identities – Policy Workshop

The European Union is at yet another crossroad after the Brexit referendum’s results, the overall rise of the Far Right in several EU countries, while another migrant and refugee flows crisis is still looming. Indeed the EU once more needs an Escape to the Future – it needs to creatively rethink what it is that holds us Europeans together, what sets us apart, how we are different from other continents, what is unique in our culture, and indeed how do we deal with our conflicts and diversity.
Coming up with new ideas on Europe’s identity and cultural heritage can indeed be a lever for social innovation which can improve quality of life, feelings of security and of trust across Europe, and may also boost economic activity.

1-2 December 2016
European University Institute, Florence
Venue: Sala Europa, Villa Schifanoia, Via Boccaccio 121 – Firenze

Registration here: http://culturalbase.eu/workshop-2/

This workshop is the last of a series of encounters between researchers, stakeholders and policy makers in the wider field of European cultural studies, organised under the auspices of the CulturalBase Platform. Building on our previous work, we propose here a set of topics which put forward priorities for future research and policy programmes. Our aim is to discuss this with cultural heritage managers/decision makers – people coming from both public and private organisations who make decisions and create synergies in this domain about projects, programmes and policies. At the same time we are involving in
the discussion grassroots stakeholders: smaller organisations but also larger networks that work on the ground with heritage and the arts. The scope of the workshop is to engage in dialogue and build a new research and policy agenda for European cultural heritage and for European identities.

The workshop is organized by the Global Governance Programme of the European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in
the framework of the Cultural Base: Social Platform on Cultural Heritage and European Identities project, funded by Horizon 2020.

More about Cultural Base: http://www.culturalbase.eu/

The workshop’s programme (PDF, 407 Kb)

How can digital preservation innovate?

DPF Manager Updates

In our last update we focused on explain you what kind of improvements and new funcionalities we included in the last version of DPFManager 3.0. This time we will remind you what DPFManager is and what kind of technologies, processes, policies and other issues have made possible the contribution of a new innovation in the digital preservation area.

DPFManager is the most advanced TIFF conformance checker for digital preservation that has been created and designed by a strong community of experts who are highly interested in file format validation for digital preservation. +Read more!

DPF Manager allows archivists to know the state of their TIFF images in terms of preservation. It validates the files with the main standards (Baseline 6, TIFF-EP, TIFF-IT), and additionally checks the conformance to the newest TIFF for Archival (TI/A) Recommendations (in process of ISO standardization). Although your TIFF files are conformant to the main standards this does not guarantee long-term preservation. DPF Manager ensures you compliance to these set of recommendations, that is, your image digital assets will be prepared for digital preservation. View the full list of funcionalities here!

Download now the last version of DPFManager and don’t forget to send us your feedback to help improving the software!

Gluon invites artists to submit proposals before 18 December 2016

OPEN CALL – RESIDENCY @ BRAIN&EMOTION LAB (NL)

Gluon is an organisation that realizes projects on the crossing borders of visual art, research and industry. For the realisation of its programme Gluon is supported by an extensive network of national and international research institutes, museums, public authorities, businesses and artists. Five partners are currently involved in its operation ab initio: the Research Institute iMinds, Erasmus Hogeschool Brussel, iMAL, BOZAR and ZEBRASTRAAT.

Gluon is a ‘workshop of the future’ that supports multidisciplinary initiatives, in which artists play an important role. By connecting artists, researchers and entrepreneurs, innovative ideas arise that an individual could not think of on his own. This results in artistic, educational and social innovative projects which will lead in the future to a sustainable, more beautiful and prosperous society.

Gluon supports initiatives of companies, artists, designers and researchers based on interdisciplinary collaboration. Gluon is also looking for new projects from public authorities, companies or cultural institutions, and finances these collaboration projects. Gluon offers infrastructure, expertise, production materials and shows the results of the completed projects in prestigious cultural institutions.

An interesting call is now open: OPEN CALL – RESIDENCY @ BRAIN&EMOTION LAB (NL)

Gluon invites artists to submit proposals for the development and production of new work in collaboration with the Brain and Emotion Laboratory, a research group that is part of the department of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Maastricht (NL).

Gluon offers a two-month residency at the Brain and Emotion Laboratory lead by Prof. Beatrice De Gelder. The goal of the residency is to create a new artwork which integrates and/or reflects upon the innovative technological and scientific developments researched by the Brain and Emotion Laboratory.

Therefore we invite you – artists – to develop, in collaboration with the researchers from the Brain and Emotion Laboratory, a prototype for a new artwork. The group investigates emotion and cognition in humans. Their projects include investigations of emotion and cognition in neurologically intact participants, but also in patients with focal brain lesions, and prosopagnosia, neuropsychiatric populations such as people with schizophrenia, autism and Williams syndrome. They use behavioral methods, electrophysiology, EMG, as well as functional imaging.

More information and how to apply on: www.gluon.be or via info@gluon.be

DEADLINE: 18 December 2016 (11.00 GMT)

Madrid, 25-26 November 2016

CITIZEN SCIENCE ENCOUNTER IN MEDIALAB-PRADO

Citizen Science is a part of scientific research that involves and encourages citizen participation in scientific projects, where technological tools and digital devices provide multiple possibilities for participation.

The programme of the two-days event (25-26 November 2016) is rich of sessions, with more than 20 talks, 10 workshops, and music performance and foresee the participation of a large community of spanish experts from diffrent sectors: environmental research, DIY biohackers, philosophers, developers, school teachers and many other communities from citizen science in Spain.

This event is co-organized by Ibercivis, Medialab Prado, DITOs, Obra Social “la Caixa” and RRI Tools.

Follow the event with #CienciaCiudadana

Streaming available:
Friday morning (Madrid time zone) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlDK14a9lX8
Friday afternoon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK5F-PrmIk4
Also in streaming.medialab-prado.es

Timetable: 25-26.11.2016, from 10:00h to 19:00h

Venue: Medialab-Prado – Madrid

Plaza de las Letras. C/ Alameda, 15 · 28014 Madrid (Spain)

More information and the full programme of the event (in Spanish) here: http://medialab-prado.es/article/encuentro-de-ciencia-ciudadana2

Florence (Italy), 15-16 December 2016

Unlocking the Potential of Digital Archaeological Data – ARIADNE Final Conference

The ARIADNE Research Infrastructure final conference “Unlocking the Potential of Digital Archaeological Data” will be held in the beautiful Sala Luca Giordano in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence, Italy on Thursday 15^th to Friday 16^th December 2016.

The Conference will highlight ARIADNE’s achievements and the benefits of the services and data resources now available to the archaeological community. The project is aimed at researchers, policy makers, managers and developers of archaeological services and data repositories.

The programme will explore how ARIADNE is contributing to the European Archaeological Data Cloud, and will discuss the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability (F-A-I-R) of data resources. We will hear success stories from organisations that have participated in ARIADNE. The project will conclude by taking a look at the future Roadmap for ARIADNE.

For further information and to register for the conference on Eventbrite HERE.

Contact: Paola Ronzino, info@ariadne-insfrastructure.eu

The day before, 14th December in the afternoon, a workshop reserved to partners and invitees from project PARTHENOS will be held in nearby Prato. More info HERE.

Experts from Florence’s Museo Galileo use the artist’s original manuscripts, and new digital reconstructions, to bring this incredible project to life.

Discover the story of Leonardo’s Colossus in the new Europeana virtual exhibition

3D reconstruction of the horse clay model, 2005, by Andrea Bernardoni and Riccardo Braga, Museo Galileo, Florence, CC BY-NC-ND

Europeana, the European digital library, just launched a new online exhibition, focused on the story and project of Leonardo’s monument to celebrate Francesco Sforza, the founder of the Sforza dynasty in Milan. In 7 chapters and enriched with interesting stories, beautiful heritage images and modern 3D reconstructions, this exhibition joins two intriguing themes: the groundbreaking artistic and technical research of Leonardo, and the beauty of Renaissance art.

Enjoy the exhibition on Europeana: http://www.europeana.eu/portal/en/exhibitions/the-colossus-of-leonardo-da-vinci

Study for the Francesco Sforza equestrian monument by Leonardo da Vinci, Royal Library, Windsor, Public Domain.

Leonardo da Vinci’s project to cast an equestrian monument of Francesco Sforza (1401-1466) was one of the most audacious artistic and technological challenges of the Italian Renaissance. This enormous statue was never realised but, thanks to original Leonardo notes and drawings preserved in the National Library of Spain, a virtual reconstruction of his casting process is possible. In this special exhibition recently launched on Europeana, experts from Florence’s Museo Galileo use the artist’s original manuscripts, and new digital reconstructions, to bring Leonardo’s incredible project to life.

CREDITS:

Museo Galileo, Florence

Concept and realisation:
Andrea Bernardoni: Exhibition Curator, Museo Galileo
Marco Berni: European Projects Coordinator, Museo Galileo
Marketing: Antonella Fresa, Promoter SRL

Europeana

Douglas McCarthy, Exhibition Editor
Małgorzata Szynkielewska, Exhibition Producer

a presentation and a panel were organized in this event about dance scholarship and research

Dance Pilot and E-Space colleagues at DanceHE event “Sustaining the Discipline”

DanceHE (Dance in Higher Education) represents the interests of its members from Dance higher education to organisations such as the funding councils, HEFCE and HEA in areas concerning funding, policy and processes. Acting as a mediating body DanceHE facilitates collaboration and debate across institutions – drawing together teachers, practitioners and researchers to share information and best practice.

“DanceHE Sustaining the Discipline” took place on 28-29 October 2016 at the University of Leeds, debating dance scholarship and research at a time when arts knowledge and engagement face precarious economic futures. Taking Sustainability as central theme and exploring the value and further progress of dance as a social, cultural asset and route to individual identity.

[Show as slideshow]

A team from Coventry University participated to the event with a presentation of the Dance Pilot as part of C-DaRE Intangible Cultural Heritage Panel.

DanceHE website: http://dancehe.org.uk/

The E-Space group: Coordinator Sarah Whatley, IPR expert Charlotte Waelde and representatives from the Dance Pilot.

In CREA, students come in with an idea and go out with a concrete project with business model.

CREA Summer Academies and Europeana Space: collaboration!

CREA is an European Network of Summer Academies with the aim to strengthen entrepreneurship in innovative sectors by using ICT and Creativity as levers. Objective is to select and support talented students, who have a real interest in becoming entrepreneurs. In CREA, students come in with an idea and go out with a concrete project with business model.

The Academic and business prospective converge in CREA through a partnership among European Universities, Incubators, Regional Development Agencies and Business Support initiatives. Students from all Europe can apply for the CREA Summer Academy program at leading Universities in UK, Italy, Estonia, Slovenia, Holland and Germany and learn about entrepreneurship while concretely developing their business idea.

Of course, evident synergies with Europeana Space incubation activity are present and for this reason a cooperation agreement was just signed between the two projects!

http://www.europeana-space.eu/network/cooperation-agreements/crea-summer-academy/