Publishing Requirements for Industry Standard Metadata
Encyclopedia
The Publishing Requirements for Industry Standard Metadata (PRISM) specification defines a set of XML metadata vocabularies for syndicating, aggregating, post-processing and multi-purposing content. PRISM provides a framework for the interchange and preservation of content and metadata, a collection of elements to describe that content, and a set of controlled vocabularies listing the values for those elements. PRISM can be XML
, RDF/XML
, or XMP
and incorporates Dublin Core
elements. PRISM can be thought of as a set of XML tags
used to contain the metadata
of articles and even tag article content.
PRISM conforms to the World Wide Web
standard for Namespaces. PRISM namespaces are PRISM (prism:), PRISM Usage Rights (pur:), Dublin Core
(dc: and dcterms:), PRISM Inline Metadata (pim:), PRISM Rights Language (prl:), PRISM Aggregator Message (pam:), and PRISM Controlled Vocabulary (pcv:).
PRISM incorporated existing industry standards such as Dublin Core
and XHTML
in order to leverage work that had already been done in the publishing industry. New elements were created only when required, and were assigned to PRISM specific namespaces.
DTD
and an XML schema
(XSD). Both PAM formats provides a simple, flexible model for transmitting content and PRISM metadata. The third, and newest, specification provides an XML schema
(XSD) for capture of content usage rights metadata. This Guide to PRISM Usage Rights utilizes the elements found in PRISM’s Usage Rights Namespace to allow users to comprehensively capture and relay rights metadata for text and media content.
PRISM is an IDEAlliance specification but is available free of charge. IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization. Its mission is to advance user-driven, cross-industry solutions for all publishing and content-related processes by developing standards, fostering business alliances, and identifying best practices.
Many organizations use PRISM because it provides a common metadata standard across platforms, media types and business units. Organizations who are involved in any type of content creation, categorization, management, aggregation and distribution, both commercially and within intranet and extranet frameworks can use the PRISM standards.
The PRISM Working Group is open to all IDEAlliance members and includes: Adobe Systems, Hachette Filipacchi Media, Hearst, L.A. Burman Associates, LexisNexis, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Reader’s Digest, Source Interlink Media Companies, Time Inc., The Nature Publishing Group, and U.S. News and World Report.
The PRISM specification defines a set of metadata vocabularies. PRISM metadata may be expressed in a different syntax depending on the specific use-case scenario. Currently PRISM metadata can be encoded XML, XML/RDF, or as XMP. Each of these expressions of PRISM metadata is called a profile.
PRISM describes many components of print, online, mobile, and multimedia content including the following:
Common PRISM Usage
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
, RDF/XML
RDF/XML
RDF/XML is a syntax, defined by the W3C, to express an RDF graph as an XML document. According to the W3C, "RDF/XML is the normative syntax for writing RDF"....
, or XMP
Extensible Metadata Platform
The Adobe Extensible Metadata Platform is a standard, created by Adobe Systems Inc., for processing and storing standardized and proprietary information relating to the contents of a file....
and incorporates Dublin Core
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata terms are a set of vocabulary terms which can be used to describe resources for the purposes of discovery. The terms can be used to describe a full range of web resources: video, images, web pages etc and physical resources such as books and objects like artworks...
elements. PRISM can be thought of as a set of XML tags
Tag (metadata)
In online computer systems terminology, a tag is a non-hierarchical keyword or term assigned to a piece of information . This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching...
used to contain the metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
of articles and even tag article content.
PRISM conforms to the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
standard for Namespaces. PRISM namespaces are PRISM (prism:), PRISM Usage Rights (pur:), Dublin Core
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata terms are a set of vocabulary terms which can be used to describe resources for the purposes of discovery. The terms can be used to describe a full range of web resources: video, images, web pages etc and physical resources such as books and objects like artworks...
(dc: and dcterms:), PRISM Inline Metadata (pim:), PRISM Rights Language (prl:), PRISM Aggregator Message (pam:), and PRISM Controlled Vocabulary (pcv:).
PRISM incorporated existing industry standards such as Dublin Core
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata terms are a set of vocabulary terms which can be used to describe resources for the purposes of discovery. The terms can be used to describe a full range of web resources: video, images, web pages etc and physical resources such as books and objects like artworks...
and XHTML
XHTML
XHTML is a family of XML markup languages that mirror or extend versions of the widely-used Hypertext Markup Language , the language in which web pages are written....
in order to leverage work that had already been done in the publishing industry. New elements were created only when required, and were assigned to PRISM specific namespaces.
Overview
PRISM consists of three specifications. The PRISM Specification, itself, provides definition for the overall PRISM framework. A second specification, the PRISM Aggregator Message (PAM) Schema/DTD, is a standard format for publishers to use for delivery of content to websites, aggregators, and syndicators. PAM is available as an XMLXML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
DTD
Document Type Definition
Document Type Definition is a set of markup declarations that define a document type for SGML-family markup languages...
and an XML schema
XML schema
An XML schema is a description of a type of XML document, typically expressed in terms of constraints on the structure and content of documents of that type, above and beyond the basic syntactical constraints imposed by XML itself...
(XSD). Both PAM formats provides a simple, flexible model for transmitting content and PRISM metadata. The third, and newest, specification provides an XML schema
XML schema
An XML schema is a description of a type of XML document, typically expressed in terms of constraints on the structure and content of documents of that type, above and beyond the basic syntactical constraints imposed by XML itself...
(XSD) for capture of content usage rights metadata. This Guide to PRISM Usage Rights utilizes the elements found in PRISM’s Usage Rights Namespace to allow users to comprehensively capture and relay rights metadata for text and media content.
Background
In 1999, IDEAlliance contracted Linda Burman to found the PRISM Working Group to address emerging publisher requirements for a metadata standard to facilitate “agile” content for search, digital asset management, content aggregation. Since that time, individuals from more than 50 IDEAlliance member companies have participated in the development of the specifications.PRISM is an IDEAlliance specification but is available free of charge. IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization. Its mission is to advance user-driven, cross-industry solutions for all publishing and content-related processes by developing standards, fostering business alliances, and identifying best practices.
Many organizations use PRISM because it provides a common metadata standard across platforms, media types and business units. Organizations who are involved in any type of content creation, categorization, management, aggregation and distribution, both commercially and within intranet and extranet frameworks can use the PRISM standards.
The PRISM Working Group is open to all IDEAlliance members and includes: Adobe Systems, Hachette Filipacchi Media, Hearst, L.A. Burman Associates, LexisNexis, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Reader’s Digest, Source Interlink Media Companies, Time Inc., The Nature Publishing Group, and U.S. News and World Report.
Usage and Applications
PRISM can be incorporated into other standards and at this time, the PRISM Working Group is only aware of PRISM incorporation with RSS 1.0. See RSS 1.0 and the RSS 1.0 PRISM Module for more information.The PRISM specification defines a set of metadata vocabularies. PRISM metadata may be expressed in a different syntax depending on the specific use-case scenario. Currently PRISM metadata can be encoded XML, XML/RDF, or as XMP. Each of these expressions of PRISM metadata is called a profile.
- Profile 1 is for the expression of PRISM metadata in XML. An example is the XML PRISM Aggregator Message (PAM).
- Profile 2 is for the expression of PRISM metadata in XML/RDF such as for expressing PRISM metadata in RSS feeds.
- Profile 3 is for embedding PRISM metadata in media objects such as digital images or PDFs using XMP technology.
PRISM describes many components of print, online, mobile, and multimedia content including the following:
- Who created, contributed to, and owns the rights to the content?
- What locations, organizations, topics, people, and/or events it covers, the media it contains, and under what conditions it may be reproduced?
- When it was published? (cover date, post date, volume, number), withdrawn?
- Where it can be republished, and the original platform on which it appeared?
- How it can be reused?
Common PRISM Usage
- Syndication to partners
- Content aggregation
- Content repurposing
- Resource discovery and search optimization
- Multiple platform and channel distribution
- Content archiving
- Capture rights usage information
- Creation of feeds, such as RSS
- Standalone services
- Embedded descriptions, such as XMP
- Web publishing
See also
- Dublin CoreDublin CoreThe Dublin Core metadata terms are a set of vocabulary terms which can be used to describe resources for the purposes of discovery. The terms can be used to describe a full range of web resources: video, images, web pages etc and physical resources such as books and objects like artworks...
- DTDDocument Type DefinitionDocument Type Definition is a set of markup declarations that define a document type for SGML-family markup languages...
- Comparison of document markup languagesComparison of document markup languagesThe following tables compare general and technical information for a number of document markup languages. Please see the individual markup languages' articles for further information.-General information:...
- Controlled vocabularyControlled vocabularyControlled vocabularies provide a way to organize knowledge for subsequent retrieval. They are used in subject indexing schemes, subject headings, thesauri, taxonomies and other form of knowledge organization systems...
- InteroperabilityInteroperabilityInteroperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
Further reading
- IDEAlliance
- PRISM Standard
- PRISM FAQ
- RSS 1.0 PRISM Module
- Using PRISM - The PRISM Cookbook is a systematic guide that demonstrates how to apply PRISM elements in particular business scenarios. The existing PRISM Cookbook addresses only PRISM Profile 1 (XML).
- W3C – Namespaces in XML