As the media environment continues to evolve, the MOSAIC project is at the forefront of creating a centralised, multilingual, and multimodal AI-based hub for European media content. At its core, MOSAIC aims to democratise and streamline content aggregation, discovery, and distribution—ensuring that broadcasters, news creators, and distributors can efficiently manage and monetise the rich cultural and media heritage across Europe. Within this innovative framework, VRT is proud to contribute by researching how broadcasters can leverage ontologies, with a special focus on the EBUCorePlus standard.
The Power of Ontologies in Media Broadcasting
Ontologies play a crucial role in managing complex data by providing a structured framework that standardises data within a domain. In the context of the MOSAIC project, an ontology like EBUCorePlus offers several distinct benefits:
- Standardisation: By defining common data elements and relationships, EBUCorePlus enables consistency across media assets. This standardisation is vital for ensuring that content metadata is interoperable across different platforms and systems.
- Enhanced Discovery and Retrieval: A well-structured ontology facilitates more accurate search results, making it easier for users to find relevant content quickly. For broadcasters and content distributors, this means improved accessibility and discoverability of media assets.
- Interoperability: As media ecosystems become increasingly interconnected, having a universal standard like EBUCorePlus ensures seamless data exchange between diverse systems, promoting collaboration across borders.
- Adaptability: With rapid technological advances, ontologies can be extended and modified to accommodate new requirements. This adaptability makes them ideal for future-proofing metadata management strategies.
VRT’s Focus on Rights Management and AI Tool Integration
In our contribution to MOSAIC, VRT is exploring innovative ways to verify and extend the EBUCorePlus ontology, particularly in two critical areas: Rights Management and AI tools metadata tracking.
- Rights Management:
Effective rights management is a cornerstone of the media industry. Accurate recording of licensing, usage permissions, and distribution rights not only protects intellectual property but also streamlines content monetisation. By enhancing EBUCorePlus with robust rights management features, we aim to ensure that every piece of content carries standardised rights information. This development will empower broadcasters to manage and enforce rights more effectively, while also paving the way for automated rights clearance processes across the MOSAIC platform. - AI Tools and Metadata Provenance:
As artificial intelligence becomes integral to media workflows—especially in generating and managing metadata—accountability and traceability have emerged as significant concerns. The MOSAIC platform leverages cutting-edge AI to enrich metadata creation, yet it is crucial to track which AI tool version has contributed to any given piece of metadata. VRT’s research is focused on integrating metadata provenance into EBUCorePlus. This means embedding detailed records that indicate the version and configuration of the AI tool used during metadata generation. Such enhancements not only bolster transparency and reliability but also facilitate auditing and debugging, ensuring that the metadata remains accurate and trustworthy.
Looking Forward
The integration of enhanced rights management and AI tool traceability into EBUCorePlus represents a significant step forward for the broadcasting industry. By providing a clear framework for standardised metadata management, VRT’s work will help pave the way for more efficient, secure, and interoperable media ecosystems. As the MOSAIC project continues to evolve, our commitment is to ensure that broadcasters across Europe are equipped with the best tools and standards to navigate the complexities of the modern media landscape.
With collaboration and innovation at its heart, the MOSAIC project is setting new benchmarks for the future of media. VRT is excited to be part of this transformative journey, driving advancements that will empower media professionals and ultimately enrich the content experience for audiences across Europe.