NITF Maintenance www NITF org Presentation available in

NITF Maintenance www. NITF. org Presentation available in IPTC Members Area Alan Karben XML Team Solutions Vienna, Austria / July 4, 2006 (via teleconference) © IPTC – www. iptc. org

Agenda • • Approval of Minutes from previous meeting NITF 3. 3 Schema: Posted (also, finally) NITF 3. 4 NITF Future: – Part of Three Article Markup Languages © IPTC – www. iptc. org 2

NITF 3. 3 Schema • Posted on website • Validates within XML Spy © IPTC – www. iptc. org 3

NITF 3. 4 • Request from AP for the ability within the NITF schema to include namespaced elements within “enriched-text” areas <p>Example <ap: some. Element>here</ap: some. Element>. </p> • Wherever namespaces are allowed, we believe we need an “ANY” construct <any namespace="##other"> © IPTC – www. iptc. org 4

Recap of NITF Editorial • With HTML out there, does the market need an XML structure that describes in a (generally) formatting-free manner the substance and structure of a news article? – Methinks: YES – For: Newswires, Newspapers, Bloggers © IPTC – www. iptc. org 5

NITF: What I Think • Why current NITF will likely never reach its global potential: 1. Too many elements and attributes 2. Naming conventions are many, and often cryptic (having evolved organically) 3. “NITF” name is not so catchy © IPTC – www. iptc. org 6

Three Article Languages • One size doesn’t quite fit all • Let’s discuss having three IPTC-approved Article formats • All functional equivalents • http: //www. articleml. org/proposed © IPTC – www. iptc. org 7

1) NITF Core • Slim and Trim – No metadata that conflicts with NAR – Pared-down set of NITF elements • Now == 132 elements (and tons of attributes) • Split into Core and Power levels… – Core == less than 55 elements – Power == 80 additional elements © IPTC – www. iptc. org 8

2) x. HTML Micro. Format • x. HTML is better Formalized than Ignored • Let’s rally around a meaningful subset of x. HTML elements • An x. HTML Micro. Format © IPTC – www. iptc. org 9

2) x. HTML Micro. Format • Another option (along with / instead of NITF) – HTML, pared down from 91 elements: • • <h 1>, maybe <h 2> and/or <h 3> <p> <b>, <i> <img>, <a> <table>, <ul>, <ol>, <li> <span class=“company” title=“company: MSFT”> <div class=“sidebar”> – This kind of solution is used all the time, sometimes “raw”, sometimes with GUI, sometimes with “textile” – IPTC would post the spec / schema for this x. HTML Micro. Format © IPTC – www. iptc. org 10

3) “The Article Schema” • This really is the “Pure” Conceptual Model – Has new slim-and-trim DTD & Schema • Functional equivalent of NITF Core • Free of NITF’s organically evolved quirky nomenclature • Free of NITF’s not-so-catchy name – Article. ML • 33 elements (10 of which are basically HTML <table>) © IPTC – www. iptc. org 11

NITF: What I Think • The Risk of Inaction: – Someone else will make a good, lightweight Article Schema – HTML will continue unchallenged • Without standard content-centric inline markup • Without structured headlines and bylines • Without standard abstracts, captions, creditlines, etc. – NITF may well continue as a very useful niche standard, but will not “reign supreme in its space” as it deserves © IPTC – www. iptc. org 12

Next Steps • Rename NITF 3. 3 Schema as the “Power Schema” • Create and Post the NITF 3. 4 “Core Schema” draft • Better communications on Yahoo!Group • Discuss drafts of x. HTML Micro. Format and “The Article Schema” • Conduct further market research among editorial tool providers © IPTC – www. iptc. org 13