W3C's "The System Information API"

W3C has published a first working draft out of their Device APIs and Policy Working Group and it is for sure worth to look into. Let's have a look at the abstract:

This specification defines an API to provide Web applications with access to various properties of the system which they are running on. Specifically, properties pertaining to the device hardware are addressed. Examples include battery status, current network bandwidth. Additionally, some of those properties offer access to the environment around the device, such as ambient brightness or atmospheric pressure.

Remember that's a first working draft which means it's still subject to changes. There's also a nice figure that gives a good overview which APIs one can anticipate in this standard.

In any case, I would appreciate if W3C could define the scope of this specification and what they actually mean by a "system". A proper definition thereof is somewhat missing at the moment but remember, it's a first working draft only...

Finally, defining APIs are now in vogue within SDOs as W3C is doing it for a while, MPEG has some APIs defined and will continue this path, and I wonder whether IETF is also about to join the API club.

W3C Launches Device APIs and Policy Working Group

W3C launched a new Device APIs and Policy Working Group, co-Chaired by Robin Berjon (Vodafone) and Frederick Hirsch (Nokia). The group's mission is to create client-side APIs that enable the development of Web Applications and Web Widgets that interact with devices services such as Calendar, Contacts, and Camera. Additionally, the group will produce a framework for the expression of security policies that govern access to security-critical APIs (such as the APIs listed previously). Per its charter, this group will conduct its work in public. Learn more about the Device APIs and Policy Working Group.

Hmm, they could be interested in the MPEG Extensible Middleware (MXM) which also specifies API that might be exploited by the W3C Device API.

Use Cases and Requirements for Ontology and API for Media Object 1.0 Draft Published

The Media Annotations Working Group has published a Working Draft of Use Cases and Requirements for Ontology and API for Media Object 1.0. This document specifies use cases and requirements as an input for the development of the "Ontology for Media Object 1.0" and the "API for Media Object 1.0". The ontology will be a simple ontology to support cross-community data integration of information related to media objects on the Web. The API will provide read access and potentially write access to media objects, relying on the definitions from the ontology. Learn more about the Video in the Web Activity.

This is the second version of this working draft and from the "Purpose of the Ontology and the API" section I've extracted the following:

The ontology will define mappings from properties in formats to a common set of properties. The API then will define methods to access heterogeneous metadata, using such mappings. An example: the property createDate from XMP can be mapped to the property DateCreated from IPTC. The API will then define a method getCreateDate that will return values either from XMP or IPTC metadata.

An important aspect of the above figure is that everything visualized above the API is left to applications. For example.

• languages for simple or complex queries

• analysis of user preferences (like "preferring movies with actor X and suitable for children")

• other mechanisms for accessing metadata

The ontology and the API provide merely a basic, simple means of interoperability for such applications.

CfP: MPEG Extensible Middleware (MXM) Developer's Day

1st International MPEG Extensible Middleware Developer's Day (MXMDevDay) 2009
30 June, 2009, Queen Mary University London, UK

Details will appear soon at the MXM Web site under http://mxm.wg11.sc29.org/.

The purpose of this event is to share with the software developers community the state of the art and the prospects of the MPEG Extensible Middleware (MXM), a standard designed to promote the extended use of digital media content through increased interoperability and accelerated development of components, solutions and applications.

The MXM standard will promote the creation of a global market of applications, devices, and MXM components. As a result, we expect that innovative business models will be easily deployed.

The MXM developers day is particularly targeted to people:
— doing research and development of digital media architectures
— developing digital media applications and services
— developing digital media middleware
— interested in new opportunities in digital media
— developing and distributing open source software

Date & Venue
Tuesday, 30 June 2009, 9:00 – 13:00
Room 328, Francis Bancroft Building, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS

Programme
Session 1 (09:00-09:45): Opening, Chair: Panos Kudumakis
The MXM Vision, Leonardo Chiariglione

Session 2 (09:45-11:15): MXM Overview, Chair: Christian Timmerer
MXM Architecture, Filippo Chiariglione
MXM API, Marius Preda

Coffee Break (11:15-11:45)

Session 3 (11:45-13:00): Software Development
MXM Reference Software
Selected MXM Applications

Registration
The event is free of charge but possible attendees shall register to this event via the MXM Web Site at http://mxm.wg11.sc29.org/.

Chairs

• Filippo Chiariglione
  CEDEO.net, Italy, filippo(at)cedeo(dot)net
• Panos Kudumakis
  Queen Mary University, London, UK, panos(dot)kudumakis(at)elec(dot)qmul(dot)ac(dot)uk
• Marius Preda
  Institut TELECOM, France, Marius(dot)Preda(at)it-sudparis(dot)eu
• Christian Timmerer
  Klagenfurt University, Austria, christian(dot)timmerer(at)itec(dot)uni-klu(dot)ac(dot)at