An object-oriented multimedia database system for a news-on-demand application

Integration of object-oriented programming languages and database systems in KOPERNIK

A multimedia database management system (MMDBMS) must provide facilities to store, model and query multimedia data. In the context of the STORM (Structural and Temporal Object-oRiented Multimedia database system) project, we are developing an object-oriented client-server MMDBMS which addresses these problems. We use an object-oriented approach to develop reusable components which can be easily integrated in the general framework of multimedia database applications. In this paper, we present the main functionalities of our system and we focus on video objects and their integration in multimedia presentations.

With the rapid development of the technologies of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), the accurate visual query of 3D objects which are closer to real world has become a hotspot of study. There are a lot of redundancy problems in the existing axis-aligned bounding box model (AABB) and oriented bounding box model (OBB), which are used to represent 3D objects mostly at present, and cannot be used for the accurate visual query. For example, the results of the visual query must be accurate, and without any error in automatic driving technology in the automotive industry, otherwise, serious safety problems would be caused. The convex hull model could be used to solve those problems. However, there are few studies on visual query based on the convex hull model. A visual query method for 3D obstacle space based on the convex hull model is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the definitions of “query point-object visual body” and “combined obstacle” are proposed. Secondly, the visibility detection algorithm of the convex hull model is given in detail. The collision detection method of “query point-object visible body” combined with other obstacles and line-plane geometric calculation operations are used to detect the visibility of the convex hull model. Then, a 3D visual k-nearest neighbor algorithm based on the convex hull model is given in the paper. Finally, the algorithm is verified by experiments and compared with the traditional visibility detection algorithm, and the analysis of experimental results shows that the algorithm has a great performance and higher accuracy. The growth rate of the query time is smaller, and the speed is faster; especially, when there are fewer query points, the query speed can be increased by more than 50%.

High speed Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) wireless networks are assuming a growing interest in the personal communication area [1–6]. This paper describes the design of a wireless ATM system, which is being implemented in the ’’MEDIAN‘‘ project belonging to the European Community (EC) Advance Communications Technologies and Services (ACTS) programme. The Medium Access Control (MAC) aims at providing a simple and efficient transport for ATM cells from a Base Station (BS), interfaced with the ATM Broadband Integrated Service Digital Network (B-ISDN), to ATM Portable Stations (PSs) and vice versa. A Time Division Duplex (TDD) scheme is adopted in which uplink and downlink frame durations can be varied frame-by-frame, in order to fit the present uplink/downlink traffic mix. Moreover, in the uplink, a contention-free based technique is considered in which the slots are assigned to the calls depending on the present load of the PS uplink buffers. The proposed interworking with the ATM network is based on the concept of intercepting the ATM Signalling and Management Cells at the BS, in order to deduce from the ATM Q.2931 messages information relevant to the registration, the call set-up and the MAC procedures.

We discuss possibilities of parallelizing multimedia database systems, especially based on our experiences with our multimedia database system MultiMAP and our parallel database system MIDAS. We describe both initial systems in brief. Our main purpose is to examine when parallelism is of advantage and where sequential processing in multimedia databases is sufficient.

In an interactive multimedia information system, users should have the flexibility to browse and choose various scenarios they want to see. This means that two-way communications should be captured by the conceptual model. Digital video has gained increasing popularity in many multimedia applications. Instead of sequential access to the video contents, the structuring and modeling of video data so that users can quickly and easily browse and retrieve interesting materials has become an important issue in designing multimedia information systems. An abstract semantic model called the augmented transition network (ATN), which can model video data and user interactions, is proposed in this paper. An ATN and its subnetworks can model video data based on different granularities, such as scenes, shots and key frames. Multimedia input strings are used as inputs for ATNs. The details of how to use multimedia input strings to model video data are also discussed. Key frame selection is based on the temporal and spatial relations of semantic objects in each shot. These relations are captured from our proposed unsupervised video segmentation method, which considers the problem of partitioning each frame as a joint estimation of the partition and class parameter variables. Unlike existing semantic models, which only model multimedia presentation, multimedia database searching or browsing, ATNs together with multimedia input strings can model these three in one framework.

In recent years, there has been a strong interest in transmitting compressed video over packet switched networks, such as asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). Previous work has dealt with transmitting MPEG over constant bit rate (CBR) and variable bit rate (VBR) services of ATM. The available bit rate (ABR) service of ATM is expected to be much more cost effective than CBR or VBR. However, there hasn't been much work done on running interactive client/server applications (for example, video on demand) over ABR. We have developed a framework to design interactive video systems transmitting MPEG video over the ATM ABR service. We have developed models to determine the network connection parameters required to run interactive client/server multimedia applications over an ATM network using the ABR service. We solve our model using real-time dynamic equilation (RTDE) analysis. We conclude that by proper dimensioning of the buffers at the client and the server, it is possible to run interactive video over the ATM ABR service.

This paper compares two approaches to meeting the data handling requirements of Intermedia, a hypermedia system developed at the Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship at Brown University. Intermedia, though written using an object-oriented programming language, relies on a traditional relational database management system for data storage and retrieval. We examine the ramifications of replacing the relational database with an object-oriented database. We begin by describing the important characteristics each database system. We then describe Intermedia and give an overview of its architecture and its data handling requirements. We explain why and how we used a relational database management system and the problems that we encountered with this system. We then present the design of an object-oriented database schema for Intermedia and compare the relational and object-oriented database management system approaches.

New multimedia applications, such as digital libraries and document warehousing, require next-generation database systems enabling users to efficiently and flexibly develop and execute such networked applications. To this end, we focus on development of a database system which enables flexible and efficient acquisition, storage, access and retrieval, and distribution and presentation of large amounts of heterogeneous media data. We propose a multimedia database system for networked multimedia applications, based on an OODB model extended with agents. We describe an early prototype multimedia database system to verify the proposed approach, which supports multimedia scripts, keyword-based and content-based view retrieval with QoS control, self-organizing map-based clustering and WWW integration.

Object-oriented database design is not only a simple extension of relational database design. By modeling structure as well as behavior of real-world entities as coherent units, object-oriented database design succeeds in capturing more semantics of applications already in the design phase. The use of objectoriented concepts like inheritance promises a more adequate modeling and a better application implementation based on an object-oriented database system. However, the results of object-oriented design can also be applied to classical database systems.In this paper we briefly compare object-oriented database design with traditional design of relational databases. It is not our intention to end up with stating that one of the two approaches is superior to the other one. Instead we want to point out in which way particularly the object-oriented approach can still learn from the more established relational approach. The further development of database design should bring together the advantages of two approaches and thus reducing the existing deficiencies.

The large capacity ATM backbone switch “FETEX-150 ESP”

A mechanism for controlling the emitted traffic to asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, system design and implementation architectures are introduced. Specifically, the effective rate of a stream, defined under certain multiplexing conditions and quality‐of‐service specifications, is enforced to desired values by controlling the cell emission rate of the generated bursts. The traffic shaping mechanism is closely associated to an ATM transmitter, which is mainly responsible for ATM cell assembly and header error control. The mechanism has been designed to support data communication services. The whole system has been implemented as a VLSI circuit. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Many of the database research issues involved in dealing with multimedia data are similar to those that arise in handling other nontraditional data such as spatial, image, temporal, text, document, and scientific. We focus here on multimedia database issues, which we hope can serve as a starting point for a wider discussion. Our examples are often taken from the spatial domain as this is where we have the greatest expertise, although these issues are far more general. Why do we want a database? The natural and simple answer is to be able to store and retrieve data efficiently. Notice the emphasis on retrieval. We should not lose sight of this purpose. For example, it means that storing images in long fields in a relational database is usually not the answer. Long fields are usually a stopgap solution as they are just a repository for data and do not aid in its retrieval. In particular, as the data volume gets large, this solution breaks down because the tuples get too large. We need to be able to integrate nontraditional data with traditional (e.g., alphanumeric) data. Alphanumeric data can frequently be treated just like locational data in that the records that make up the alphanumeric data are like points in a higher-dimensional space where each attribute is analogous to a spatial dimension. The difference is that spatial data have more than just a locational component. In particular, spatial data are distinguished from nonspatial data by having spatial extent. A number of attempts at integration take advantage of this analogy. However, it can also act as a straitjacket in the case of the relational model. Some examples of successful integration include spatial with nonspatial data [Aref and Samet 1990], temporal with nontemporal data including spatial data [Hjaltason and Samet 1995], document with nondocument data [SacksDavis et al. 1995], image with locational and nonvocational data [Samet and Soffer 1995], and so on. Efficient retrieval is facilitated by building an index [Samet 1990a, 1990b]. This means that we need to find a way to sort the data. Surprisingly, this is not always done for such applications (e.g., it is absent in the Photobook image database system [Pentland et al. 1994]). The index should be compatible with the data that are being stored, and we also need to choose an appropriate zero or reference point for it. The index should be implicit rather than explicit, as it is impossible to foresee all possible queries in advance. For example, in the spatial domain, assuming a relational model, it is impractical to have an attribute for each spatial relationship (e.g., north, northeast, left, etc.). Instead, the index should enable us to derive these relationships on the fly. As a more concrete example, an explicit index would sort twodimensional locational data on the basis of distance from a given point x; yet this would not be very useful if we wanted to have the locations sorted with respect to a different point y. In particular, we

Format independence is a crucial aspect of data independence in databases, but it is rarely offered for continuous media data (such as audio and video) in multimedia databases. It can be provided by a real-time transformation supported by prepared meta-data, which is most suitable for systems with a low frequency of use for certain continuous multimedia data and a high probability of differentiation between clients accessing these data. This paper focuses on such a real-time transformation that is based on the RETAVIC framework. Additionally, the application scenario and requirements for long-term internal storage formats are discussed.

All organizations engage in the strategy management process either formally or informally. Strategy management is used to refer to the entire scope of strategic-decision making activity in an organization to ensure its continuous success. Hence, a strategic management system is viewed as an important tool for strategy management. Northern Border University started to initiate its first five-year strategy plan for the year 1435-1439H (2013-2018). However, the strategy plan is managed without having a strategic management system. Thus, the university has a fundamental disconnect between the formulation of the strategy and the execution of that strategy into useful action. There is no integration between the strategy formulation and implementation which are treated separately instead of as an integrated system. Therefore, it is difficult for the university to translate their strategies into operational objectives, processes and activities. This paper presents the design process of the strategic management system for the university, whose main purpose is to manage the university’s strategy plan throughout its life cycle. The design of the strategic management system is based on object-oriented approach using Unified Modeling Language. The system will be used to formulate, implement, monitor and control appropriate university’s strategy plan to support on strategic-decision making for the university. The solution will thus contribute to the improvement of the university’s performance.