Metadata File Systems UI Concepts

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Metadata File Systems UI Concepts

• The Future of File Storage and Metadata

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Seminar Structure

• Part 1 Characteristics of Metadata File Systems
• Part 2 User Interface Concepts

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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files

• Bill has hundreds of music files
• Bill sets out to organize his music collection

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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
According to artist / group name
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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
According to genre
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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
According to genre
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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
According to time period
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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
According to mood
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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
Locating a particular music file
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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
Locating a particular music file
One music file could fit all these descriptions
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Why Metadata File System?
Problem

• Files will often have a rich set of attributes
• May be categorized in more than one way
• The traditional hierarchical file system allows
  files to be categorized in only one way

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Why Metadata File System?
How Can This Be Solved?

• Multiple copies
• Symbolic links

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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
Relate to other files

• Bill has
• Text files associated with music files
• Image files associated with music files
• How to organize them?

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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
Relate to other files

• Place text and image files in
• The same directory as the music files
• Some other directory

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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
Create a relationship
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Why Metadata File System?
Scenario Organizing Music Files
Create a relationship
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Why Metadata File System?
Problem

• The traditional hierarchical file system does not
  provide this feature
• Makes it tedious to locate related files

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Why Metadata File System?
Other Scenarios

• Student Administration
• Recipes
• Holidays
• And more

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Proposed Solutions

• Not a recent issue
• Several solutions have been proposed

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Proposed Solutions
Google Desktop

• Content of supported files are extracted
• Keyword search through a browser interface

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Proposed Solutions
Google Desktop

• Metadata is not editable
• Users cannot specify relationships
• New types cannot be added
• Does not provide full File System features

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Proposed Solutions
Windows Media Player

• File tags are extracted (e.g. ID3 tags)
• Keyword Search
• Metadata is editable

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Proposed Solutions
Windows Media Player

• Users cannot specify relationships
• New types cannot be added
• Does not provide full File System features

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Proposed Solutions
MIT Semantic FS

• Metadata captured using transducers
• Single value-attribute comparison
• Provides full File System features

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Proposed Solutions
MIT Semantic FS

• Users cannot specify relationships
• New types cannot be added
• Metadata not editable
• Does not provide an API for applications

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Proposed Solutions
Nebula

• Metadata captured using enforcer / collector
• Queries by Selection
• Metadata is editable

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Proposed Solutions
Nebula

• Does not provide full File System features
• Does not provide an API for applications

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Proposed Solutions
Haystack

• Metadata captured using extractors
• Metadata is editable
• Relationships can be specified
• Designed for flexibility

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Proposed Solutions
Haystack

• Does not provide an API for applications

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Proposed Solutions
GNOME Storage and WinFS

• Capturing of Metadata left to applications
• Provides an API for applications
• Metadata is editable
• Relationships can be specified
• New types can be added
• Provides full File System features

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Proposed Solutions
GNOME Storage and WinFS

• Does not provide its own User Interface

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Proposed Solutions
Systems Grouped

• We can group surveyed systems according to their
  features
• May serve as categories for different Metadata
  systems

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Proposed Solutions
Metadata Featured Applications
Should Provide

• Management of files and their associated
  metadata.
• A User Interface.
• Features that allows for metadata to be utilised
  in the process of organising and retrieving
  files.

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Proposed Solutions
Metadata Featured Applications
Typically Lack

• The creation of new types
• To allow for relationships between files to be
  specified.

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Proposed Solutions
Metadata Featured Applications
Systems

• Google Desktop
• Windows Media Player
• MIT Semantic FS

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Proposed Solutions
Metadata Integrated Applications
Should Provide

• Possibility of modifying metadata
• The possibility to create new types.

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Proposed Solutions
Metadata Integrated Applications
Typically Lack

• An API for other applications

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Proposed Solutions
Metadata Integrated Applications
Systems

• Nebula
• Haystack

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Proposed Solutions
MDFS Essential Features

• An API For Applications
• Storage Integration
• File Operations
• Query
• Metadata Modification
• Editable Metadata Schema
• Relationships

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Proposed Solutions
Metadata File System
Should Provide

• All essential features

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Proposed Solutions
Metadata File Systems
Systems

• GNOME Storage
• WinFS

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Proposed Solutions
Generic Browsing

• Applications can create their own types
• Applications can manage their own types
• Why the need for generic browsing?

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Proposed Solutions
Generic Browsing

• Applications cannot know about all types
• Should be able to specify relationships between
  all types
• Will eventually show the need for generic
  browsing

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User Interface Concepts

• Higher level File System discussion
• From a users perspective
• An open question

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User Interface Concepts
MDFS Operations
Information Objects
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User Interface Concepts
MDFS Operations
Information Objects
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User Interface Concepts
MDFS Operations
Information Objects, possibilities

• Applications do not need to communicate with
  other applications
• Applications can create their own information
  objects
• Applications can access other information objects

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User Interface Concepts
MDFS Operations
Information Objects, file operations

• File operations get new meaning
• How do you move an information object?
• How do you copy an information object?

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User Interface Concepts
MDFS Operations
Browsing

• How do people access their information?
• Orienteering
• Teleporting

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User Interface Concepts
MDFS Operations
Getting the information

• Information Retrieval
• Structured Queries
• Which do you prefer?

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User Interface Concepts
Possible MDFS UI Concepts

• Encourage users to categorize information objects
  in more than one way
• Use Views rather than folders
• Encourage use of Orienteering
• Should provide some search feature

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Questions?