Insight Studio / Luna – www.lunaimaging.com
A complete ‘solution’ for image cataloguing and to create digital collections.
Collection of manuscripts were scanned and received metadata accordingly. However the format that Luna (Java-based application) stores the data is a mystery. To be able to import into Luna all the metadata a file (CSV) is create with all the fields necessary, then a batch rename is done to put each image to their respective collection and for last a reference/linking file (binary file name x imported name) is created for mapping.
A thrust/grant support each group of collections, Oxford University is dealing with the Western manuscripts and the Oriental manuscripts at OULS using Luna (Blockbooks project )
Each collection can require a different set of metadata, according to the supporters/scholars that are interested in the project. Some of the standards used are:
- Dublin Core
- VRA
- CDWA
There is the Java client, the web interface and also a Linux admin tool that helps to do some work-arounds that the other interfaces don’t allow.
The complete package hasĀ Insight Studio, Luna, Inscribe, the Java client and the admin tools.
You can also create a catalogue template that uses a standard metadata template for importing the images into Luna and organising the collection. Luna doesn’t only import images, it can import PDF files, videos, audio, etc.
One of the uses for Luna can be successfully demonstrated by NASA Images. Other collections can be observed on the David Rumsey website and the University Blockbooks project.
Downsides of Luna: it is a ‘blackbox’, even better… a ‘black hole’ since whatever is entered in Luna is ‘lost’, you cannot retrieve it in the same way, or even any other way. Too many manual processing to be able to input a collection. File importing is not intuitive nor user friendly, names are sequential/timestamped instead of via a prefix set by the user, so the batch rename has to be done on the admin tool (terminal).
Notes and thoughts from the meeting with Matthew Mcgrattan.