PRODUCTS & SERVICES - Informatics - Technology Transfer

EDUCATION 2000

EDUCATION 2000 - Education in the 21th century

Education, as an issue of vertebrate importance for the 21st century requires no particular introduction. This brief report does not attempt to array a list of arguments and guidelines as to policies and efficiencies of actions undertaken so far, in worldwide adopted models. This report, as part of a very extensive research study conducted by DAEDALUS Informatics and partners, is investigating the implementation mechanisms that could offer a viable, integral and - to the highest possible extend- generic solution for the overall cycle of information assessment. This cycle is (for the purposes of this report) further divided into three composite, subordinate cycles (activities):

Information management, storage, retrieval.
Content Authoring, Publishing, Rendering, Information Structuring.
Complex Information Processing, Information Structure Composition Editing, Knowledge Management.

Daedalus as a member of EUI-NET has produced EUEDOS - European University Education-Enterprise-Employability Databases Organization System. The EUEDOS (European University Enterprise/Education/Employability Databases Organization System), has been officially presented and proposed under the European University-Industry Network (www.eui-net.org). This preliminary study, introduces an integral 3-layer roadmap for implementing an effective and pragmatic delivery, of a technological model able to interleave and render an individual's employment and academic profile, as inter-nested to his/her life-through education. More information may be accessed via the official site for this initiative (www.euedos.org)
more info: http://www.euedos.org

Moreover, DAEDALUS Informatics maintains state-of-art technological competency in Repository Management,

Multimedia Content Authoring & Rendering,
more info:http://www.euedos.org/multimediamodule.htm

Collaborative Project Management Environment
more info: http://www.euedos.org/projectmanagemodule.htm

DAEDALUS Informatics is currently in the position to undertake gradual implementation of the above System, in collaboration with the appropriate public and financial vendors, as to articulate a fully-fledged solution with a socially wide implementation scope.

Towards bringing this assembly of functions to the modern office, DAEDALUS has been developing an innovative Multimedia Information Management Tool codenamed "PERGAMOS III". An environment offering an integral approach to multimedia information management, rendering and authoring over the Internet. The product has been the result of applicable R&D and commercial development since 1987, along with proven application tests. Via this product, a method is also presented for a new efficient and proven approach in managing information flow towards advancing complexity, added to the ability of fusing the upgraded structure into a suitable multimedia document format. Evolution and porting this product, along with its advanced DB environment on the Internet, offers a wealth of strategic advantages, along with a true open architecture and a radically new approach for accessing, structuring, rendering and managing practically any application on multimedia content, as a milestone for building a true system able to exploit Knowledge. Evidently, such a method/tool, could offer a quantum advantage in developing, structuring and delivering educational content, which is the main scope of this proposal.

On enterprise strategy terms, the PERGAMOS project, would offer a compact and powerful solution to media vendors, academic institutions, corporates, public services, etc., providing:

A total information management environment commonly assessing and transforming a corporate network under the Internet, with integration of WEB, INTRANET and EXTRANET, under a common global DataBase structure.
An DataBase integrated online multimedia content publishing system, offering a truly simple and turn-key electronic publications system.
A unique system for managing, rendering auto-indexing of streamed video by automated key-frame extraction, operating only via the Internet, developed with JAVA technology, and therefore, requiring minimal system resources. (Among further development plans are incorporation of an expandable module of a basic vocabulary, user-independent audio-to-text recognition, in cooperation with the internationally acknowledged developer SpeechPro).
An entrance to a realistic and accessible system for knowledge management and a tool of national importance for educational, commercial and publication purposes, along with a number of very broad potential fields of application.

DAEDALUS Informatics, carrying a multi-annual expertise and applicable research activity in the above-mentioned fields, proposes a development path of activities towards establishing a viable solution / model of an integral content building, structuring and management platform, composed by 5 basic structural segments:

Integration Standard
A radically new conceptual model to represent, structure and compile an "electronic document", able to embed, integrate, unify, and operationally enhance the rather inconsistent and "loose" structural standards introduced by the HTML, XML, DHTML & JAVASCRIPT technologies via the Internet. The codename used for this new document standard is: ADAMITE (Advanced Document Architecture for Information Transfer & Exchange).
Structuring & Management
This segment introduces a new generation DataBase purposely designed as to address the plethora of general and specific issues of Information Composition, Rendering and Management of massive multimedia content across the Internet. PERGAMOS III may actually enable the inauguration of a truly effective Knowledge Management initiative.
Editing & Production
This segment introduces an innovative, simple and directly production-oriented model for on-line structuring and compiling rich content Multimedia Publications. Among notable innovation aspects is also the capability of formulating multi-target editions, as to offer simultaneous conformance for both the Internet and CDROM / DVD targets.
Recording of Transaction and/or Credit
This segment addresses the operation and realization issues for a full scale system for bilateral Electronic Commerce Transactions. The educational and publishing sectors in general, are the prime selection for demonstrating immediate usability of such an -otherwise- generic transaction system, since it inherently entails the concept of surplus-value over information as a commercial commodity. The emulation of an electronic banking credential system is introduced, along with cooperation of a respective bank partner. System implementation on the "transaction recording" aspect is based on the well established media of "Smart Cards". (Smart Card Readers).
Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management may be evidently deduced to be a consequent step to structural information management. Although a highly complex, explorative and multi-disciplinary field, KM may be basically addressed as a highly functional and considerably automated processed of preserving patterns of human experience and observations from intelligent treatment of grouped data. This segments attempts to offer a trainable and open pattern-structuring environment able to record and re-invest users' experience on semantically grouped data.

Parts of the proposed system have been already partially developed and employed as to deliver high-innovation application, as well as multimedia publications. DAEDALUS is also an approved developer of S/W and technology by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Some further information on this subject, may be accessed via:
http://www.daedalus.gr/prdinformatics/pergamos/PERGAMOS_SYSTEM-E/SlideShowBrowser.html

For the requirements of 21st century education, DAEDALUS has developed OVIRE - (Optimized Video Indexing & Retrieval Engine). Automatic Video Indexing is one of the major applications being recently addressed in international market.
more info: http://www.daedalus.gr/prdinfo1.html

Moreover, Daedalus has produced several Multimedia Publications. A broad amount of innovative methods and custom development was employed to the task of a concurrent design for these electronic editions. Examples:

The History of Cyprus
more info: http://www.daedalus.gr/prdinformatics/Hoc/default.html

"THE ICONS" of the Holy Monastery of Aghiou Pavlou
more info: http://www.daedalus.gr/prdinformatics/DemohmapCDEdition/defaultDEMO.html

An integral 3-layer technological model for Education and Labor interleave and intensification

Despite the phenomenal progress in Internet era technology and proliferation of commercial and publications-related applications, progress and adoption of this era in the educational domain has not met a commensurate evolution. The pioneering vision of Paul Lengrand for Lifelong Learning, as outlined in his UNESCO 1970 speech, may have been a milestone for defining the European social reformation model for the 21st century education, yet little pragmatic progress has been attained in this direction. Apparently, more than one milestone features will have to be introduced to the future technological and educational developments, as to generate the desired shift to virtualization in education, along with the necessary social awareness upraising and motivation support initiatives. Our approach introduces an integral 3-layer roadmap for implementing an effective and pragmatic delivery, of a technological model able to interleave and render an individual's employment and academic profile, as inter-nested to his/her life-through education.
more info: http://www.daedalus.gr/prdinformatics/education/EDUCATION-2000ThematicIndex/TextBrowserE.html (Indicating it will require IE 6 or 7)

IMPORTANT:

Recent developments with affiliated DAEDALUS Informatics partner FAST HELLAS, towards building a next generation solution for rendering educational (among many general content delivery application) content, has produced a breakthrough set-top VBI receiver. (Vertical Blanking Interval is the part of the common television signal used to transfer BROACASTED DATA such as Teletext) This set-top receiver offers record transmission speeds of up to 144kbps among many other features, as to become classified as a quantum leap content broadcasting solution. The potential offered for developing countries in particular (as the "Internet of the Poor"), may be better be realised by policy designers. Blended with the PERGAMOS III project, a concise and efficient tools is finally provided for implementing the hidden potential of the 21st Century information highway.