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November 30, 2005
Semantic Zooming
Ok, so I got into Yahoo or Google Maps and search for an address. They position me at 10,000 feet only showing me the main roadways so I can get my bearings. Then I can drill down and as I move closer the map actually changes by adding the smaller roads, lakes, and landmarks. This is, of course, called semantic zooming. So, why can’t information searching work this way?
Posted by Todd at 6:45 PM | Comments (3)
November 19, 2005
DMReview Article on RSS Technology
RSS is a lightweight XML format designed for sharing headlines and other Web content. Think of it as a distributable "what's new" for your site. This article reviews the impact of RSS to the Metadata space.
RSS Technology - Evolution, Revolution and Extinction
Posted by Todd at 12:40 AM
November 10, 2005
Metadata Ciphering
Ok, I am slightly behind in my reading so this thought comes after reading the Information Technology and the Board of Directors by Richard Nolan and Warren McFarlan (October, 2005: Harvard Business Review). Overall the article is well written and well thought out. The four modes of operation within the IT strategic grid provide a foundation for the governance of information technology. One of the key components of IT oversight is the inventory of the Assets which applies to all four modes of operation.
The board needs to understand the overall architecture of its company’s IT applications, systems, components, and asset management strategy. The first step is to find out what kinds of hardware, software, and information the company owns so as to determine whether it’s getting adequate return on its IT investments. Physical assets are fairly easy to inventory while intangible assets are not.
The article goes own to tell the reader that the best way to estimate the value of intangible assets is to sum up all of the hard assets and then multiply by 10. You see, I didn’t realize that utilizing enterprise metadata repositories to actually track the inventory and develop ROI methodologies based on reuse, transaction volumes, etc. could so easily be done with a six grade education and advanced ciphering (Thank you Jethro B.)
Physical Asset * 10 = ROI (Enterprise Metadata)
Posted by Todd at 11:47 AM | Comments (1)
November 9, 2005
Great Article on Simplification
Great Article in this month’s Harvard Business Review by Mark Gottfredson and Keith Aspinall on getting the appropriate level between innovation and complexity. The authors refer to the Innovation Fulcrum as the point where customer satisfaction and operating complexity is perfectly balanced.
Complexity begins with the product line and then spreads outward through every facet of the organization operations. Organizations that find the right balance can reduce their costs by 35% as well as increase revenues by 40%. Clearly organizations that prune their offerings to better fit the needs of the customers, they do more than cut costs; they often increase revenues.
Simplification! What a concept.
Posted by Todd at 3:00 PM | Comments (1)
November 4, 2005
Metadata Types
Metadata can be stored and defined in multiple ways. Do you agree with these classes?
Context Metadata
Context metadata is embedded into the asset itself. Semantic metadata is hidden inside the document or database and in many cases must be interpreted by higher level solutions. Inside document or web pages, we can extract metadata like subjects, topics, keywords, titles, headers, and context. Analysis of databases create metadata such as data content, data types, BI, and statistics based metadata.
Embedded Metadata
Embedded metadata is attached to the asset and specifically designed for the business of metadata. Most desktop applications allow and utilize metadata that is updated in the file properties. Property metadata enables records management and search technologies. In the database world we can retrieve metadata embedded in the Oracle tables, field names, logical elements, etc.
Associated Metadata
Associated metadata attaches metadata to an asset outside of the asset. Library card catalogs collect, store, and deliver metadata to the end user but this metadata is not inside of the book. Many collaboration and document management applications allow you at add metadata fields that enable other services to be utilized. Many metadata repositories will associate structured and unstructured metadata to the embedded and context metadata.
Thoughts?
Posted by Todd at 12:01 PM | Comments (5)
November 3, 2005
INtegration of the Zachman Framework
James Melzer has published a interesting integration between his enterprise information architecture diagram and the Zachman Framework.
Zachman (1987) designed a two dimensional model that requires the integration of models for each of the functional components: data, function, network, organization, schedule, and strategy. Generically speaking, enterprise architecture has five major layers: (a) scope, (b) business model, (c) system model, (d) technology model, and (e) components.
Thomas Hokel provides a nice overview of the Zachman Framwork.
Posted by Todd at 11:40 AM