Using Xml as a Medium for Describing, Modifying and Querying Audiovisual Content Stored in Relational Database Systems

The digitization and annotation of audiovisual programs results in a huge amount of information that becomes useful only if it is properly organized and if the appropriate query mechanisms exist. Usually audiovisual information and meta-information is stored in relational database schemata that consist of decades of tables, relationships and constraints that complicate the information querying tasks. The PANORAMA* platform has been developed to cover needs for manipulating video information, by attaching meta-information for both audio and visual content of video sources. This paper presents this meta-information model and the database interface developed in terms of the PANORAMA platform. The model works as keystone in the creation of the database and the database interface implements a mechanism for converting XML documents to relational data. This mechanism allows information users to use a more understandable way to communicate with the database.