Semantic Multimedia Annotation tool (SMAT)
The Semantic Multimedia Annotation Tool (SMAT) is a rich internet application. SMAT is a tool that offers the possibility of annotating any multimedia content item.
Description of the tool
Multimedia content is rich media that incorporates various facets of knowledge. To manage or deal with the knowledge embedded in such documents, we must attach some sort of semantics to their content. Detailed semantics have to be anchored to different parts of the content. This is the main role of the KP-Lab multimedia annotation tool. Annotations are semantic data added to the multimedia content. Annotation is a multi-purpose activity that has various objectives depending on the situation: internalisation of mental models, internalisation of knowledge, awareness of social practices, partially articulating embedded knowledge, reflective transformation of practices, etc. The KP-Lab annotation tool has been designed to facilitate achieving these objectives.
The Semantic Multimedia Annotation Tool (SMAT) is a rich internet application. SMAT is a tool that offers the possibility of annotating any multimedia content item. It is adaptive to the user’s domain. This adaptation is based on the use of ontologies to define the type of content item (i.e. video, audio, text), the granularity of the content item fragments (i.e. page, image, timestamp) and the domain ontology (i.e. actors’ activity in a scene, actors’ decisions, actors’ behaviour, objects in a scene).
Prospective users
SMAT is tailored to learning, it can be used in education as well as in research and industry.
In schools, the tool can be used to reflect on pupils' behaviour in class or to collaboratively review practical learning activities to identify strengths and weaknesses. In higher education, reflective activities around video records of real or simulated practices can be implemented using the tool. As an example, training in medical practices is one good candidate.
Annotation can also be useful in many industrial situations. Whenever a group would like to reflect on critical activities or meetings, the tool can be used with minor customisation. It is also a good help to capture knowledge in organisations for the purposes of further exploitation, dissemination and training.
In the medical sector, the use of sequences of images for diagnosis is continuously growing. All sorts of medical imaging modalities are analysed, reflected on and combined to make a diagnosis. This is especially the case in oncology where CT, TEP, US, IRM and other images have to be annotated by practitioners. The annotation tool, enriched with ontologies describing the medical protocols, is useful to analyse data, link various modalities and create rich knowledge bases for larger scope studies.
Other professional sectors, such as oceanography, environment and agriculture already make use of video and image annotation techniques. They could benefit from the semantic knowledge functionalities of the tool.
In research, video is an excellent means for gathering data. The tool can be used for data coding, analysis and visualisation. This is especially useful in ergonomics and human factors’ research.
Contact details
Hadj Batatia: hadj.batatia@inp-toulouse.fr
