An Embarrassment of Riches - Part II

The DOI Foundation has unveiled the DOI-EB (EBinclude everything from the author's name through the
stands for e-books) Initiative in the Book Expobook's title, edition, blurbs, sample chapters, other
America Show 2001, to, in their words:"Determinepromotional material, links to related products, a rights
requirements with respect to the application of uniqueand permissions profile, e-mail contacts, and active links
identifiers to eBooksDevelop proofs-of-concept for theto retailers' web pages. Thus, every book-related web
use of DOIs with eBooksDevelop technicalpage becomes a full fledged book retailing gateway.
demonstrations, possibly including a prototype eBookThe "anchor document" (in which the DOI is
Registration Agency."It is backed by a few majorembedded) remains uncluttered. ONIX 2.0 may contain
publishers, such as McGraw-Hill, Random House,standard metadata fields and extensions specific to
Pearson, and Wiley. ostensibly modest agendae-publishing and e-books.This latter feature - the ability
conceals a revolutionary and ambitious attempt toto link to the systems of retailers, distributors, and other
unambiguously identify the origin of digital content (intypes of vendors - is the "barcode" function of the
this case, e-books) and link a universe of information toDOI. Like barcode technology, it helps to automate the
each and every ID number. Aware of competingsupply chain, and update the inventory, ordering, billing
efforts underway, the DOI Foundation is activelyand invoicing, accounting, and re-ordering databases
courting the likes of "indecs" (Interoperability of Data inand functions. Besides tracking content use and
E-Commerce System) and OeBF (Open e-Book).distribution, the DOI allows to seamlessly integrate
Companies ,like Enpia Systems of South Korea (a DOIhitherto disparate e-commerce technologies and
Registration Agency), have already implemented afacilitate interoperability among DRM systems.The
DOI-cum-indecs system. On November 2000, theresolution itself can take place in the client's browser
APA's (American Publishers' Association) Open(using a software plug-in), in a proxy server, or in a
E-book Publishing Standards Initiative hascentral, dynamic server. Resolving from the client's PC,
recommended to use DOI as the primary identificatione-book reader, or PDA has the advantage of being
system for e-books' metadata. The MPEG (Motionable to respond to the user's specific condition
Pictures Experts Group) is said to be considering DOI(location, time of day, etc.). No plug-in is required when
seriously in its efforts to come up with numbering anda proxy server HTTP is used - but then the DOI
metadata standards for digital videos.A DOI can bebecomes just another URL, embedded in the page
expressed as a URN (Universal Resource Name -when it is created and not resolved when the user
IETF's syntax for generic resources) and is compatibleclicks on it. The most user-friendly solution is, probably,
with OpenURL (a syntax for embedding parametersfor a central server to look up values in response to a
such as identifiers and metadata in links). Shortly, auser's prompt and serve her with cascading menus or
"Namespace Dictionary" is to be published. It willlinks. Admittedly, in this option, the resolution tables
encompass 800 metadata elements and will tackle(what DOI links to what URL's and to what content) is
e-books, journals, audio, and video. A working groupnot really dynamic. It changes only with every server
was started to develop a "services definition" interfaceupdate and is static between updates. But this is a
(i.e., to allow web-enabled systems, especiallyminor inconvenience. As it is, users are likely to
e-commerce and m-commerce systems, to deployrespond with some trepidation to the need to install
DOI).The DOI, in other words, is designed to beplug-ins and to the avalanche of information their single,
all-inclusive and all-pervasive. Each DOI number isinnocuous, mouse click generates.The DOI Foundation
made of a prefix, specific to a publisher, and a suffix,has compiled this impressive list of benefits - and
which could end up painlessly assimilating the ISBN andbeneficiaries:"Publishers to enable cross referencing to
ISSN (or any other numbering and database)related information, control over metadata, viral
system.Thus, a DOI can be assigned to every e-bookdistribution and sales, easy access to content, sale of
based on its ISBN and to every part (chapter, section,granular contentConsumers to increase value for time
or page) of every e-book. This flexibility could supportand money, and purchase optionsDistributors to
Pay Per View models (such as Questia's or Fathom's),facilitate sale and distribution of materials as well as
POD (Print On Demand), and academic "courseuser needsRetailers to build related materials on their
packs", which comprise material from many textbooks,sites, heighten consumer usability and copyright
whether on digital media or downloadable. The DOI, inprotectionConversion Houses/Wholesaler Repositories
other words, can underlie D-CMS (Digital Contentto increase access to and use of metadataDRM
Management Systems) and Electronic Catalogue IDVendors/Rights Clearing Houses to enable
Management Systems.Moreover, the DOI is ainteroperability and use of standardsData Aggregators
paradigm shift (though, conceptually, it was precededto enable compilation of primary and secondary
by the likes of the UPC code and the ISO's HyTimecontent and print on demandTrade Associations
multimedia standard). It blurs the borders betweenfacilitate dialog on social level and attend to legal and
types of digital content. Imagine an e-novel with thetechnical perspectives pertaining to multiple versions of
video version of the novel, the sound track, stillelectronic contenteBbook software Developers to
photographs, a tourist guide, an audio book, and otherenable management of personal collections of eBooks
digital content embedded in it. Each content type andincluding purchase receipt information as reference for
each segment of each content type can be identifiedquick return to retailerContent Management System
and tagged separately and, thus, sold separately - yetVendors to enable internal synching with external
all under the umbrella of the same DOI! The nightmareusageSyndicators to drive sales to retailers, add value
of DRM (digital rights management) may be finallyto retail online store/sales, and increase sales for
over.But the DOI is much more than a sophisticatedpublishers"The DOI is assigned to publishers by
tagging technology. It comes with multiple resolutionRegistration Agencies (of which there are currently
(see "Embarrassment of Riches - Part I"). In otherthree - CrossRef and Content Directions in the States
words, as opposed to the URL (Universal Resourceand the aforementioned Enpia Systems in Asia). It is
Locator) - it is generated dynamically, "on the fly", byalready widely used to cross reference almost 5,000
the user, and is not "hard coded" into the web page.periodicals with a database of 3,000,000 citations. The
This is because the DOI identifies content - not itsprice is steep - it costs a publisher $200 to get a prefix
location. And while the URL resolves to a single weband submit DOI's to the registry. But as Registration
page - the DOI resolves to a lot more in the form ofAgencies proliferate, competition is bound to slash
publisher-controlled (ONIX-XML) "metadata" in athese prices precipitously.
pop-up (Javascript or other) screen. The metadata