Mark Thomas, Image Resource Manager for Welsh Assembly Government, describes how DAM helps Wales On View accomplish organizational goals, reduce costs, and increase revenue.

2. DAM IN HERITAGE & CULTURE 2011
Wales On View
‘Creation & Control’
Mark Thomas
Image Resource Manager
Welsh Assembly Government
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3. In this presentation…
 Background
 Organizational overview
 Workflow: image creation
 Workflow: file-naming and metadata
 Internal sharing
 External licensing
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4. Wales On View
Who We Are
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5. Background…
The Welsh Assembly Government
 Is the devolved government for Wales, working to help and
improve the lives of people in Wales and make Wales a better
place in which to live and work
 Approx 5,000 staff
Visit Wales
 Is the tourism promotional department of the Welsh Assembly
Government
 Is part of the Sustainable Futures Division of the Welsh Assembly
Government
 Approx 130 staff
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6. Wales On View is…
The central photographic unit for Visit Wales
 Full-time staff of 4
Main unit functions:
 Photographic commissioning
 Digital image post-production / ‘image grading’
 Digital asset management for all Visit Wales’ still image and video
assets
 Licensed image distribution to internal and external users
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7. Wales On View statistics…
 Commissions over 80 photo shoots per year
 Works with a Framework of 35 external photographers
 Receives and processes approx 100,000 incoming RAW image files
per annum
 Averages approx 5,000 new images added to main Visit Wales
database each year
 Number of images added grows by approx 15% each year
 All imagery created by Welsh Assembly Government is Crown
copyright
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8. Wales On View statistics…
 Each year we process approx 2,000 to 2,500
individual image requests
 We distribute between 18,000 to 20,000
images, per annum, all under license
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9. WOV: Image Centralization Project
 WOV is also responsible for the Image Centralization Project.
 The aim of Image Centralization is to collect, collate, catalogue
and publish all of the imagery commissioned by the Welsh
Assembly Government.
 The Project is currently in the collation phase
 Current ‘valid’ asset count is approx 82,000 still images and approx
3,500 HD video clips from various departments
 When ready, select image assets will be made available for
browsing via our intranet system (using Portfolio NetPublish)
 It is the intention to also publish an external image website
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10. Wales On View
Creating Our
Assets
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11. WOV: Incoming Workflow
Photographers deliver
imagery as original
camera RAW files
The RAWS are
loaded to Adobe
LightRoom.
During loading, the RAW
files are converted to Adobe
DNG format (our chosen
‘original’ archival file format)
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12. WOV: Editing & Grading
In LightRoom the
DNG files are
After finer editing in
reviewed, selections
Adobe Photoshop, final
made, image
assets are created by
enhancements
batch automating the
applied and images
PSD files to A3-size 8bit
are then exported as
ProPhoto RGB
A3-size 16bit
maximum quality JPEG
ProPhoto profile
files (our chosen asset
RGB PSD files
storage format)
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13. WOV: Metadata
Mass IPTC
metadata –
copyright
info, rights, owne The JPEG files are then added
r etc – is added to to one of several Extensis
the finished JPEG Portfolio catalogues where
files by applying a final description metadata is
metadata added and embedded
template in
Adobe Bridge
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14. WOV: Handling Video Assets
With the use of video increasing, we have had to make
decisions as to how to create, handle and standardize the
delivery of HD video assets. These assets can be long-
form pieces or short B-Roll clips
We now have physical stocks of of asset
collections on either HDCAM or SD
DigiBeta tape for postal distribution
We are currently implementing a digital video
file storage system utilizing Extensis Portfolio
Server and embedded metadata
All our HD video clips are stored as:
Apple ProRes (HQ) 422 1920x1080
QuickTime Movie files
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15. Wales On View
Our DAM
Approach
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16. Digital Asset Management
As part of Image Centralization, each department that holds images
receives…
1. One or several Extensis Portfolio Catalogues with which to
manage its images
2. Extensis Portfolio Client software for select staff within those
units who act as catalogue Editors
3. Training for those staff in the use of the software as well as
briefing on their responsibilities for the assets
4. A reference document that outlines the methodology for both
applying filenames as well as creating metadata descriptions for
their images
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17. Making use of Filenames
As an organization we have regularly received image and video assets
that contain the usual filename suspects, eg: Img_0001.jpg or Pic-
1.jpg
After consideration of our requirements we now have a filename
structure that captures…
1. The broad general geographic area of Wales the image is from
2. The department that commissioned the image
3. The person that commissioned the image
4. The financial year the image was shot in
5. A unique sequential number for the image
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18. Filename Breakdown
A typical filename for one of our images would be:
SVW-C46-1011-0044
This breaks down as:
1. SVW (the image was shot in South Wales)
2. SVW (the image was shot by Visit Wales)
3. -C46- (the 46th shoot commissioned by Visit Wales Commercial)
4. -1011- (the 2010 to 2011 financial year)
5. -0044 (image number 44 from that shoot)
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19. The ‘Description Equation’
To simplify creating useful image descriptions, we have implemented
a structured - yet flexible – method for building those descriptions.
This methodology may be loosely defined as including the following
building blocks:
1. Macro genre (i.e.: general activity)
2. Specific genre / activity type
3. Macro geographic location (i.e.: North, Mid or South Wales)
4. Localized Geographic location (i.e.: County)
5. Specific geographic location (i.e.: town or village)
6. Specific detail description of visual image content
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20. Example: Tourism / Lifestyle
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21. Example: Tourism / Lifestyle
Family (parents and  Image content (parents
young son) walking on and young son) walking
beach with lighthouse on beach with lighthouse
to background to background
Wales Coast Path  Specialized location
Talacre Lighthouse  Specific location 2
Near Point of Ayr  Specific location 1
Flintshire  Localized location
North  Macro location
Walking  Specific genre
Activities and Sports  Macro genre
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22. Example: Historic Site
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23. Example: Historic Site
General view in snow  Image content
Dolwyddelan Castle  Specific location
Cadw Sites  Specialist info
SAMN: CN040  Specialist info
NGR: SH721523  Specialist info
Conwy  Localized location
North  Macro location
Castles  Specific genre
Medieval  General genre 2
Defence  General genre 1
Historic Sites  Macro genre
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24. Example: Project Funding
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25. Example: Project Funding
Team Zenith - pupils from
Bryn Celynnog  Image content
Comprehensive School Specific location
(female teenage Specialist info
pupils) Special
STEM (Science ist info
Technology
 Specialist info
Engineering and
Mathematics) Cymru
project
Singapore  Macro location
Raising Skills and Training  Specific genre
Skills project
WEFO Funded Project  General genre
 Macro genre
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26. Wales On View
Using Portfolio
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27. How we use Extensis Portfolio
 Currently all assets contain only descriptive metadata for
searching*
 We use Portfolio’s ‘Gallery’ option to create bespoke collections of
images for user requests
 The Galleries are used to produce Adobe PDFs of low resolution
images for quick distribution
 We use Portfolio’s drag-and-drop functionality to distribute copies
of assets across our network
 We use watched folders to ensure our catalogues of images are
constantly synchronized
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28. In praise of PDFs…
 We use Portfolio’s ‘Gallery’
option to create bespoke
collections of images for user
requests
 This allows us to send
relatively large collections to
users for them to choose
images from
 A 62 page / 558 image PDF
file can be as small as 6MB in
size
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29. Wales On View
Assets. Values.
Ethics.
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30. Copyright Control
 All Visit Wales imagery is ‘Crown copyright’
 Crown copyright is controlled in the UK by the Office for Public
Sector Information (OPSI)
 OPSI consider photography to be a ‘value added’ asset (i.e.: it
carries a commercial value and should be carefully controlled)
 In order for Visit Wales to distribute the imagery, OPSI have
granted a license specifying to whom - and under what
circumstances - we can distribute the images
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31. Requests Control
 Only Image Centre staff are authorized to access & distribute high
resolution imagery
 All image requests are individually vetted and each must state:
o Who the end user is
o The ‘wish-list’ of imagery they require
o Where & how the imagery will be used
 Requests correctly matching our policy criteria receive imagery
without charge
 All other ‘commercial’ users must pay for imagery
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32. Distribution Control
While a global image and video website is in development, all
requests are currently processed as follows:
 Incoming requests receive an email containing a URN (Unique
Reference Number)
 PDFs of image thumbnails are dispatched with a response
‘categorizing’* the request
 Customer sends email listing serial numbers of images required
 Final imagery is dispatched by FTP or occasionally on CD or DVD,
by post
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33. Wales On View
Our DAM
Benefits
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34. Operational Benefits
 We are handling our financially valuable assets responsibly
 We are compliant with our organizational goals of promoting Wales
as a destination
 We are compliant with our Crown copyright license requirements
 We are protecting our intellectual property
 We are delivering exactly the right assets to the right customers
 We are reducing internal IT overhead, through centralized storage
and controlled distribution of assets
 We are increasing revenue and providing greater ROI year-on-year
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35. Wales On View
Conclusion:
Questions & Answers
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