Last changed 5 February 2008

Media databases

This page focusses on media database software for the maintenance and presentation of a collection of photographs and images, at the "consumer" and small institutional level.  Some software also handles text files, audio files, and video files.  More powerful versions known as DAMS are used by institutions such as libraries, galleries, and archives.

comparison of features of some media database software
software: iPhoto AraIrititja FileMakerPro¨ Mukurtu Tools for Indigenous Knowledge Management Flickr (Yahoo) Picasa (Google)
user registration?
 System login
 Y?
 possible
 Y
 Y
 Y, optional
 Y, optional
user profile ~ access?
 N
 Y?
 possible
 Y
 Y
 limited
user comments?
 N
 Y
 possible
 Y
Y
 Y
auto thumbnails?
 Y
 ?
 N
 Y
Y
 Y?
video?
 N
 Y
 Y
 Y
 Y
 N
 Y
Boolean search? N? ? possible N limited N?
proprietary? Y Y Y open source GPL open source; Windows installer Y Y
networked? LAN N possible LAN
Internet
 Internet
user interface specific specific specific browser
 XSBR (XML Search, Browse & Retrieval) browser interface to XMEG (XML Metadata Editor/Generator)
 browser browser
custom albums?
 Y
 ?
 possible Y
Y
 Y
tags?
 N
 ?
 possible N
Y
 Y
geo-tagging?
 N
 N
 possible
 N
Y
 Y
export?
 presentation
JPG TIF PNG HTML
 N?
 possible
 SQL dump
presentation only
 presentation only?
auto-import EXIF data?
 Y
 ?
 N?
 N
N?
batch import/upload?
 Y
 ?
 ?
 Y (files), & metadata where constant across batch
Y
 Y;
Picasa Web Albums Exporter uploads directly from iPhoto

Notes:
  1. "Ara Irititja" covers Ara Winki and other derived shells which are based on FileMakerPro¨ and is being used by the NT Library Service's Knowledge Centres.  Here is a review by Kimberly Christen in Museum Anthropology 29.1(2006),56-60. 
  2. For bare FileMakerPro¨, "possible" above means that the function could be added given effort and expertise with scripting and possibly calling on other software.
  3. The Kuku Thaypan Elders' Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways project has developed the TKRP database with UTS.  Whether the software is available to others is not stated.
© 2007 David Nash
Created 6 October 2007
Last changed 5 February 2008
URL http://www.anu.edu.au/linguistics/nash/mediabases.html