Collections
of images can be made available for students in a number of different
ways. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks. Various tradeoffs
have to be made to determine the optimum solution for a given situation.
The major tradeoffs are download speed and ease of update/maintenance.
Other relevant factors are the ease of implementation, the ability
to add contextual information to the description of the images and
the level of skill needed.
These are
some of the methods of implementing image databases:
Static
HTML Pages
Using
WebCT to Create Image Databases
- WebCT Path pages
- WebCT Path pages with
CD tools
- WebCT Database tool
Other methods
- Standalone database
on CD ROM
- Director shell interface
with images on CD ROM
- Dynamic HTML pages
online
- Auto-generated static
web page on CD ROM
Each method
is described in more detail below.
Static
HTML Pages
|
Method
|
Static HTML pages
|
|
Description
|
Images embedded into
static web pages, with navigation between pages provided in
HTML
|
|
Mode
|
Online
|
|
Speed of download
|
Slow
|
|
Ease of Implementation
|
Relatively easy
|
|
Ease of update
|
Relatively difficult
|
|
Contextual information
|
Can be added easily
by editing HTML files
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
HTML authoring
|
|
Comment
|
Time consuming to
update. A good option if you have no funding and limited IT
skills.
Example: National
Gallery of Victoria, Russell
Drysdale Exhibition
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/drysdale/drysdale.htm
|
|
Method
|
Static HTML pages
on CD ROM
|
|
Description
|
Images embedded into
static web pages, with navigation between pages provided in
HTML. Pages delivered from a CD.
|
|
Mode
|
CD
|
|
Speed of download
|
Fast
|
|
Ease of Implementation
|
Relatively easy
|
|
Ease of update
|
Relatively difficult
|
|
Contextual information
|
Can be added easily
by editing HTML files
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
HTML authoring
CD production
|
|
Comment
|
Clumsy to update.
New CDs have to be sent out
|
Using
WebCT to Create Image Databases
|
Method
|
WebCT Path pages
|
|
Description
|
Images embedded into
static web pages, with navigation between pages provided by
WebCT
|
|
Mode
|
Online
|
|
Speed of download
|
Slow
|
|
Ease of Implementation
|
Easy, as no navigation
links are required.
|
|
Ease of update
|
Relatively difficult
|
|
Contextual information
|
Can be added easily
by editing HTML files
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
HTML authoring
|
|
Comment
|
Easier than straight
HTML because navigation handled by WebCT. A good option if you
have no funding and limited IT skills.
|
|
Method
|
WebCT Path pages
with CD tool
|
|
Description
|
Web pages served
over the web, but images stored on CD
|
|
Mode
|
Online and CD
|
|
Speed of download
|
Fast
|
|
Ease of Implementation
|
Relatively difficult,
because the CD tool requires special skills
|
|
Ease of update
|
Relatively difficult
|
|
Contextual information
|
Can be added easily
by editing HTML files
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
HTML authoring
Technical skills
with CD tool
CD production
|
|
Comment
|
Combines fast access
with easy navigation, but requires some funding and support
|
|
Method
|
WebCT Database tool
|
|
Description
|
Images stored in
WebCT's own image database, with textual annotations.
|
|
Mode
|
Online
|
|
Speed of download
|
Slow
|
|
Ease of Implementation
|
Easy
|
|
Ease of update
|
Easy
|
|
Contextual information
|
Limited to entries
in database fields
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
|
|
Comment
|
No HTML skills required,
but slow access. Best solution for a fast network.
|
Other
Methods
|
Method
|
Standalone database
|
|
Description
|
Image database and
database engine (such as FileMaker Pro) provided on CD
|
|
Mode
|
CD
|
|
Speed of download
|
Fast
|
|
Ease of implementation
|
Difficult
|
|
Ease of update
|
Easy, but requires
CD production and distribution
|
|
Contextual information
|
Limited to entries
in database fields
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
Database skills
CD production
|
|
Comment
|
May not work on old
computers or computers with insufficient memory
Possible installation
problems for novice computer users
|
|
Method
|
Director shell
|
|
Description
|
Navigation between
images and information about images provided by an authoring
language like MacroMedia Director
|
|
Mode
|
CD
|
|
Speed of download
|
Fast
|
|
Ease of implementation
|
Difficult
|
|
Ease of update
|
Difficult
|
|
Contextual information
|
Can be added by editing
text on screen
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
Director skills
|
|
Comment
|
Very flexible but
hard to maintain. A good solution if you have an ongoing source
of funds and presentation quality is important.
|
|
Method
|
Dynamic HTML pages
|
|
Description
|
HTML pages generated
automatically from an online database
|
|
Mode
|
Online
|
|
Speed of download
|
Slow
|
|
Ease of implementation
|
Difficult
|
|
Ease of update
|
Easy
|
|
Contextual information
|
Limited to entries
in database fields
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
Database skills
Advanced HTML skills
|
|
Comment
|
Very flexible, but
slow access. Minimal ongoing costs after initial startup.
|
|
Method
|
Auto-generated static
web pages
|
|
Description
|
HTML pages are generated
automatically from an online database, and are stored in static
form. These may be delivered entirely on CD, or using the WebCT
CD tool
|
|
Mode
|
CD
|
|
Speed of download
|
Fast
|
|
Ease of implementation
|
Difficult
|
|
Ease of update
|
Easy, except for
CD production and distribution
|
|
Contextual information
|
Limited to entries
in database fields, with some possibility of further annotation
|
|
Skills needed
|
Image scanning
Database skills
Advanced HTML skills
CD production
|
|
Comment
|
Allows selected content
to be chosen from the database for specific purposes and annotated
with contextual information. Fast download times. Pages can
be embedded in Path pages using the CD tool. This is the best
long-term solution if you can afford the startup costs.
|
|
