[Deutsche Version]

So far, numerous multimedia data servers have been invented. However, none of them exports its capabilities to applications using an abstract data model for media objects. Hence, while the data independency and application neutrality principles have been applied successfully in the area of database systems for a long time, multimedia servers still confront application developers with data format details on the 'bits & bytes' level.

Also, some work has been done on abstract data types (ADT) for media objects which provide some kind of data independency. And there already exist some database management systems (DBMS) which can be extended by such ADTs, e. g. the Informix Universal Server (formerly Illustra). But these approaches have at least one strong limitation: the underlying DBMSs do not support real time operations as they are needed for fully functional ADTs for audio and video objects. Therefore, in the KANGAROO project a new storage system technology will be developed, supporting both real-time operations and data independency (see below).

The goal of the KANGAROO project is to specify and partly implement a media-object storage system providing (besides some minor others) the following features:

• Data independent and format independent management of media-objects
• Real-time support and network coupling
• Client-server architecture which allows interactive multiuser access

• Interoperability, open server interface and support of transaction concepts like 2PC

This media-object storage system can be used as an elementary module for informationen systems or digital librarys, e. g.:

• CBT systems, including multimedia data from different sources (e. g. libraries),
• Document management systems for the press or broadcasting corporations,
• Information kiosks in exhibitions or museums,

• Online-catalogs with access to servers of different sellers.

KANGAROO project-team:

• Klaus Meyer-Wegener

• Ulrich Marder (external)

• Günter Robbert (external)

Publications

• Marder, U., Robbert, G.: "The KANGAROO Project"
  Position paper, in Proc. 3^rd Int. Workshop on Multimedia Information Systems (Como, Italy, 25.-27. Sept. 1997).
  Acrobat/PDF-Version (16 Slides)

• Marder, U., Robbert, G.: "The KANGAROO Project - Enhancing a Media Server with Data Independence"
  In Wissenschaftliche Beiträge der Fakultät Informatik, TU Dresden, Vol. 1/97.