The Association of Information and Image Management (AIIM) has announced the ballot results for a draft specification Extensible Markup Language (XML) for the Interchange of Document Images and Related Metadata. The draft standard "specifies methods for using XML for the interchange of metadata about image files, and the image files themselves. The standard is designed for use when an image is transferred between users, either within an organization or between organizations; the standardization of metadata permits the interchange to operate independently of the usage and storage on either side. XML is used to wrap the document content together with metadata that describes the package and the semantics of the contained image. If accepted by the AIIM working group, it will be proposed as the seed for an International Standard project within ISO TC171. This initial standard does not address XML for text files or any vertical industry XML definitions; it is be limited to document image files and will not address digital still images." Sections 10 and 11 of the draft present the XML DTD and Schema.

Bibliographic Information

Extensible Markup Language (XML) for the Interchange of Document Images and Related Metadata. Standard Recommended Practice. [Draft] Standard for Information and Image Management. Association for Information and Image Management International (AIIM). Draft Number 4. 10-January-2003. Reference: ANSI/AIIM 73-200X. 28 pages. "This document provides technical information on the AIIM standard data format for the interchange of images and their associated resources. The format is XML (Extensible Markup Language), Version 1.0. The XML is based upon a domain-specific DTD (Document Type Definition) and Schema defined herein."

Draft Standard Overview

The Association of Information and Image Management (AIIM) initiated work on this standard in April 2001.

Scanned (bitmap) images of paper documents have become a common method of storing and sharing information in the public and private sectors. The increasing growth of the Internet and sharing of images demands an efficient standardized method of exchanging images and the metadata associated with them. This will enable not just the sharing of images but the critical index and other values needed to store, retrieve, and distribute them. The use of XML data as a method of sharing data is experiencing rapid growth. This standard specifies ways to accomplish the interchange of images using XML documents.

While the assigned goal of the committee is to address the use of XML with document images, it is the belief of the working group that this standard can be extended to cover the sharing of all electronic documents.

The XML document package has five major components: (1) Basic XML Tags: elements required by the XML specification; (2) Document Description: contains information about the entire document, such as signatures, encryption, and document-wide settings and defaults; (3) Document Metadata: contains all of the metadata properties that describe the document (versus the content being packaged) and its context. (4) Page Rendition Content Description: The Page Rendition Content Description contains all tags related to the content portion of the Rendition; this includes the content encoding, content placement (within the document or only referenced), and content signatures; (5) Page Rendition Content: The Page Rendition Content is the actual image data stream. The standard provides for both embedded and linked data streams, single sheet and multisheet streams, and multiple choices for encoding the rendition. A Rendition may have additional content description and content pairs which represent annotations to the rendition. Annotations are not independent of a rendition. A document must have one or more Pages. Each Page must have one or more renditions. Each rendition is composed of two sections: the Page Rendition Content Description and the Page Rendition Content.

AIIM Standards

"AIIM Standards is comprised of twenty-plus committees and working groups. Over 80 of AIIM's standards, recommended practices and technical reports have been drafted and approved by ANSI."

"AIIM holds the secretariat for ISO/TC 171 SC2, Document Imaging Applications, Application Issues. AIIM is also the administrator for the U. S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO TC 171, Document Imaging Applications that represents the United States at international meetings."

"Additionally, AIIM is a member of a number of coalitions including the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC), the Object Management Group (OMG), RosettaNet, and OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards)."

"The AIIM Standards Board is established to provide oversight to the AIIM Standards Program on all matters related to the efficient development, revision, reaffirmation, or withdrawal of the standards, recommended practices and technical reports within the scope of the AIIM standards committees. Members of the AIIM Standards Board are elected to the Standards Board for up to two terms of three years. Their appointment is confirmed by the AIIM International Board of Directors. The current [2003-04-07] chairman is Robert Breslawski (Eastman Kodak Company). For questions on the Standards Board, contact Betsy Fanning, Director, Standards and Content Development."