The Publishing Requirements for Industry Standard Metadata (PRISM)PRISM Metadata Standard
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Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

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, and

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...

, is a specification that defines a set of XML metadata vocabularies for syndicating, aggregating, post-processing and multi-purposing content. PRISM provides a framework for the interchange and preservation of content and metadata, a collection of elements to describe that content, and a set of controlled vocabularies listing the values for those elements. PRISM can be

XML Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. It defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable ...

RDF/XML RDF/XML is a syntax,RDF/XML Syntax Specification
XMP and incorporates

Dublin Core 220px, Logo image of DCMI, which formulates Dublin Core The Dublin Core, also known as the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (DCMES), is a set of fifteen "core" elements (properties) for describing resources. This fifteen-element Dublin Core has ...

elements. PRISM can be thought of as a set of XML tags used to contain the metadata of articles and even tag article content. PRISM conforms to the

World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web ...

standard for

Namespaces In computing, a namespace is a set of signs (''names'') that are used to identify and refer to objects of various kinds. A namespace ensures that all of a given set of objects have unique names so that they can be easily identified. Namespaces ...

. PRISM namespaces are PRISM (prism:), PRISM Usage Rights (pur:),

(dc: and dcterms:), PRISM Inline Metadata (pim:), PRISM Rights Language (prl:), PRISM Aggregator Message (pam:), and PRISM Controlled Vocabulary (pcv:). PRISM incorporated existing industry standards such as

and

XHTML Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML) is part of the family of XML markup languages. It mirrors or extends versions of the widely used HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the language in which Web pages are formulated. While HTML, prior ...

in order to leverage work that had already been done in the publishing industry. New elements were created only when required and assigned to PRISM specific

namespaces In computing, a namespace is a set of signs (''names'') that are used to identify and refer to objects of various kinds. A namespace ensures that all of a given set of objects have unique names so that they can be easily identified. Namespaces ...

Overview

PRISM consists of three specifications. The PRISM Specification, itself, provides a definition for the overall PRISM framework. A second specification, the PRISM Aggregator Message (PAM) Schema/DTD, is a standard format for publishers to use for delivery of content to websites, aggregators, and syndicators. PAM is available as an

DTD and an

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(

XSD XSD (XML Schema Definition), a recommendation of the World Wide Web Consortium ( W3C), specifies how to formally describe the elements in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document. It can be used by programmers to verify each piece of item con ...

). Both PAM formats provide a simple, flexible model for transmitting content and PRISM metadata. The third, and newest, specification provides an

(

) for the capture of content usage rights metadata. This Guide to PRISM Usage Rights utilizes the elements found in PRISM’s Usage Rights Namespace to allow users to comprehensively capture and relay rights metadata for text and media content.

Background

In 1999, Idealliance contracted Linda Burman to found the PRISM Working Group to address emerging publisher requirements for a metadata standard to facilitate “agile” content for search, digital asset management, content aggregation. Since that time, individuals from more than 50 Idealliance member companies have participated in the development of the specifications. PRISM is an Idealliance specification but is available free of charge. Idealliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization. Its mission is to advance user-driven, cross-industry solutions for all publishing and content-related processes by developing standards, fostering business alliances, and identifying best practices. Many organizations use PRISM because it provides a common metadata standard across platforms, media types and business units. Organizations who are involved in any type of content creation, categorization, management, aggregation and distribution, both commercially and within intranet and extranet frameworks can use the PRISM standards. The PRISM Working Group is open to all Idealliance members and includes: Adobe Systems, Hachette Filipacchi Media, Hearst, L.A. Burman Associates, LexisNexis, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Reader’s Digest, Source Interlink Media Companies, Time Inc., The Nature Publishing Group, and U.S. News & World Report.

Usage and Applications

PRISM can be incorporated into other standards and at this time, the PRISM Working Group is only aware of PRISM incorporation with RSS 1.0. See RSS 1.0 and the RSS 1.0 PRISM Module for more information. The PRISM specification defines a set of metadata vocabularies. PRISM metadata may be expressed in a different syntax depending on the specific use-case scenario. Currently PRISM metadata can be encoded XML, XML/RDF, or as XMP. Each of these expressions of PRISM metadata is called a profile. * Profile 1 is for the expression of PRISM metadata in XML. An example is the XML PRISM Aggregator Message (PAM). * Profile 2 is for the expression of PRISM metadata in XML/RDF such as for expressing PRISM metadata in RSS feeds. * Profile 3 is for embedding PRISM metadata in media objects such as digital images or PDFs using XMP technology. PRISM describes many components of print, online, mobile, and multimedia content including the following: * Who created, contributed to, and owns the rights to the content? * What locations, organizations, topics, people, and/or events it covers, the media it contains, and under what conditions it may be reproduced? * When it was published? (cover date, post date, volume, number), withdrawn? * Where it can be republished, and the original platform on which it appeared? * How it can be reused? Common PRISM Usage * Syndication to partners * Content aggregation * Content repurposing * Resource discovery and search optimization * Multiple platform and channel distribution * Content archiving * Capture rights usage information * Creation of feeds, such as RSS * Standalone services * Embedded descriptions, such as XMP * Web publishing

Overview

Background

Usage and Applications

See also

References

Further reading