Paul

Many thanks this looks good. Thanks for all the trouble you are taking.

>had you already gotten as far as making a .rat file on your own, or is that what you wanted help with?

My expectations were based on my original question to you: `How do I implement PICS over `The Flight of Ducks'? I feel as though I'm much further along the road to understanding now.

We (research lab at Cinemedia/RMIT) have just moved into a new building and not all our machines are working yet - including the PC that we use to check the quirks of `explorer'. I assume that Netscape does not support PICS yet. Is this correct? I do most of my work on an SGI and not having a working PC means I will not be able to play around with the .rats for a few days but as soon as I do I will let you know how it goes. The actual implementation over the whole site is not as important as knowing how it is done and being able to show an example/model of how it works in the FOD. If I remember correctly, there was some way that I could override the need for an external agency - self rate and apply my own labels within the metadata tags. I'm not sure if I have to do this over every screen or just the home screen `FOD0001.html' my intuitive feeling is that because people might arrive almost anywhere as the result of a search that I will have to make the lables match the screens.

The National Library of Australia seems very interested in this implementation because it has considerable implications on how they handle their own collections of material of this nature. With your permission, I hope to be able to talk about the practical implementation of PICS for culturally sensitive material at a conference in Sydney in late November.

Back to you soon.

Kind regards Simon Pockley

Step 2. Please take the 'We Rated With RSACi' gif from our homepage at http://www.rsac.org/images/rsacirated.gif and display it on your homepage and link it back to us at http://www.rsac.org.

Thanks again for registering with RSAC!

http://www.si.umich.edu/~presnick/courses/fall97/Homework/Ex2solns/PartIV.html

Please let me know if it works for you. Also, I'm interested to know if this is at all what you were hoping we'd do-- had you already gotten as far as making a .rat file on your own, or is that what you wanted help with? In order for this service to be used, someone would need to create a tool to assist in labeling (similar to the one at www.rsac.org). One team of students in my class may be making a generic labeling tool-- I'll let you know if it turns out to be something you could use.

Paul Resnick (presnick@umich.edu)

Reply to Paul (Mon Oct 27)

Paul

Very impressed with your exercises.

All I can think to add or clarify is

1. That in Australian Aboriginal culture images and even mention of the names of people who are no longer alive can cause grief and distress. Amongst Aboriginal groups the period of restriction is flexible and varies according to the community. Usually it is about a year. In remote communities all evidence of a persons life are often destroyed following their death (house, photographs, clothes etc are burnt).

2. The password access control is only for the secret/sacred objects which form part of this collection. The current status of these objects is yet to be determined. They are called tjurunga. During the course of the last century no other Aboriginal object has excited as much conjecture, been more desired or commanded a higher price than the tjurunga of Central Australia. They are considered by many people (including a director of the South Australian Museum) to be objects of considerable power and it would be irresponsible of me to make them publically accessible. Several are described in FOD0344.html (which makes that screen sensitive) but access to digital representations of these objects can only be gained by password. The FOD is (amongst other things) a description of the circumstances by which these objects were collected in 1933.

It is not my intention to restrict any of the other screens by password. I am relying on self filtering via `warnings' and on PICS for community filtering.

Hope this helps.

The National Library of Australia is very interested in seeing what your students come up with because the FOD is one of 6 pilot projects chosen to explore issues of digital preservation in their PANDORA project.

Thank you for your help with this. I hope your students find it interesting.

Kind regards Simon Pockley

Simon

As you've no doubt noticed, I rarely answer my mail within 24 hours :-)

Coincidentally, I'll be assigning the student exercise on September 12, although I expect that most students will not get to the FOD portion until September 19 or later.

If you consult the following URL, a href="http://www.si.umich.edu/~presnick/courses/fall97/Homework/Exercise2.html"> http://www.si.umich.edu/~presnick/courses/fall97/Homework/Exercise2.html you'll find a draft of the homework exercise to be handed out on September 12. The last section of the exercise asks students to create a .rat file based on the English language version of the rating vocabulary that you've provided, and also to create labels for the pages that you suggested. I expect that a few students may get excited by this project and do more.

If you could read through the homework assignment and give me any suggestions you may have before September 12, that would be great. I will, unfortunately, have sporadic email connection between now and September 12 (I'll be at a conference), but I'll try to respond to your mail.

Then, when you get back from the bush (when is that?), I'll have a few choices of .rat files and labels to offer you, perhaps some additional questions from students, and perhaps one or two students who will be interested in exploring next steps with you.

Paul

I would envision that a remote community would decide for itself what it wanted to see or not see. They may have their own server or they may simply use a particular provider. There will probably be only one computer in the community. We are talking communities here rather than individuals. Seems to be the way things are done - collective decisions etc.

Your second option - keeping people away from secrets is easier for me to deal with in other ways - like passwords. At this stage images of the Tjurunga are not on-line (although a few drawings are) because they are simply too sensitive. But I will put them up with password protection soon so that the right people in various museums etc can view them in order to help me find their traditional owners - if extant.

So, it is option number 1. The easy one...

As I said before, my main objective is to provide a model for other people to use so that they can say, "Well, let's have a look at how it was done with `The Flight of Ducks' we can just do the same but change the content.

A very web-like methodology.

Meanwhile I am continuing to seek out Aboriginal involvement. It just takes time - lots of time. It is a highly politicised area.

Regards Simon

> Ok - so if you look at http://www.duckdigital.net/FOD/FOD0791.html Is it there that I put the values ?

The actual numbers do not need to appear in the doco.

> Are there any examples you can point me to so that I can see the format ?

Have a read thru:

http://www.safesurf.com/ssplan.htm

Cheers... Renato

Nathan

Hello. Several things I want to talk to ask you.

1. I often get people asking me about `aboriginal culture'. Have a look at http://www.duckdigital.net/FOD/FOD0357.html and go to June 17th. As you will see I send them to you. Is there a better URL to send them to ?

2. Recently I was told by someone (who remains nameless) that at a meeting with AIATSIS the warning screens (cultural sensitivity) in `The Flight of Ducks' were ridiculed.

This concerns me as I would have thought that someone at AIATSIS, at least, would have told me of their concerns. If you people don't who will ?

What is your take on this ? Is there someone who can help me with what I should be doing ?

Do you use warning screens ?

3. Following on from this. My warning screens have recently been attacked by the Warlpiri Media Association as being `corrupt'. In order to turn this into something positive I am working with Liddy Nevile (Sunrise), Jim Miller and Philip DesAutels (MIT) on implementing PICS labels for `The Flight of Ducks'. My aim is to develop some form of protocol for on-line Aboriginal material. Are you interested in this ? Do you kow of any Aboriginal people who might be interested in participating ? After all, aboriginal interests will have to come up with the labels eventually. Is anyone else doing this?

Regards Simon Pockley

"Simon Pockley" wrote:

> 1. I don't quite know how to give these values

(This tag supplied by Renato)

>META http-equiv="PICS-Label" content='
(PICS-1.1 "http://www.cinemedia.com.au/aboriginal-profile/"
labels on "1996.12.31T023:59-0000"
until "1999.12.31T23:59-0000"
for "http://www.cinemedia.com.au/seagulls/picture00001.html"
ratings ( dead-people 1 forbidden-object 1 forbidden-place 0)

Are the values simply 1 or 0 ?

No - you can have unlimted values for each category (the Zeros, Ones, Twos, etc, is what gets send down the wire...)

So you can have for the 'forbidden-object' category: `a koala' (0)
`two dingos' (1)
`a purple rock' (2)
`two-eyed fish' (3)
etc.....


>3. Next step is...?

Work on the Schema - with as much input from the approriate communities as possible - coding it up is trivial!

Cheers... Renato

Simon

It seems to me that you have taken reasonable steps to flag concerns. I am glad to see a sensitive approach.

I don't know any Aboriginal people who could help with PICS but will copy this to Heather Moorcroft who may be able to help.

Best wishes Alex

PS I find your black backgrounds overpowering on my PC!

Alex

This email form is from your `protocol.html'

I am looking for some guidelines or protocols about the on-line treatment of several hundred digital representations of photographs taken during an expedition to Mount Liebig in central Australia in 1933.

(The Flight of Ducks) http://www.duckdigital.net/FOD/

I use warning messages in front of any that I consider might be sensitive. But I am told these are 'corrupt'. What do you think?

Are there any guides as to what to do ?

I have tried `consultation' with the Central Land Council over the last 3 years but have got nowhere. I am currently trying to develop a protocol which implements PICS. Do you know of any aboriginal people that might be interested in providing advice ?

Regards Simon Pockley

Paul

>Lots of people want to do different things with PICS, so there's no single document of the form you're asking for.

What exactly do you want to do? Create a new rating service and label some sites? Label some sites using an existing .rat file? Label your own pages? Create a new filtering or search product that reads labels?

I want to label my own screens and then show remote communities how to use PICS using my site as an example.

I have a large archival site with photographs of Australian Aborigines in 1933.
(http://www.duckdigital.net/FOD/)
Many of these images are now highly politicised and some aboriginal groups do not want to see images of people who are dead. In order to accommodate these cultural sensitivities I am trying to develop a model showing how it is possible to provide an on-line solution to what is an on-line problem. This can only be a model because eventually the labels will have to come from the aboriginal groups who have concerns about the material.

In other words I have to understand how to implement PICS in order to be able to explain to remote communities how it works. My difficulty is that there does not seem to be any simple blow by blow step by step explanation about what to do. So I have to proceed by error (which is fine and a good way to learn).

Since I sent my email to you, Philip DesAutels suggested I begin by :

1. Writing a description of the terms and conditions used to apply the ratings in human readable form.
2. Writing a description of the categories and their values
3. Making a link from one or both of these files to the service description file which is the machine-readable and interpretable file. This is what I understand to be a .rat file, which allows the browser to interpret the labels attached to content.
As I understand it, I am able to do this because there is an override facility which means I do not actually have to go through an outside ratings service.

To this end I have created the screen:

http://www.duckdigital.net/FOD/FOD0791.html

But I am not sure how to give values to the descriptors. Is it simply 0 or 1 ?

What does a .rat file look like ? How do I make one ?

What feedback/default screens are provided when access is being blocked ?

Thanks for your reply

Simon Pockley

John

You can find `The Flight of Ducks' at http://www.cinemedia.net/FOD

I just found the email but the introduction and questions are no longer current as I am now working with Jim Miller and Philip DesAutels from MIT and Renato Iannella (DSTC) and Liddy Nevile (Sunrise) on the application of PICS to 'The Flight of Ducks'. As usual it is a good pilot project with plenty of hard issues to deal with and further applications.

I am very ignorant about the correct syntax for PICS etc so I need the help of experts. (I am not a computer person)

1. How are you on PICS metadata syntax ?
2. Do you know of any aborigines who might be interested in joining this little group ?
3. Do you know of any protocols for the handling of aboriginal material on-line?
4. Are you interested in joining in on this development (a protocol) ?
5. What is the Library's current policy on culturally sensitive material ?
6. What is your view of my warning messages ?
7. Is the NLA prepared to 'return' its collections of aboriginal material (photographs - texts - objects) to aboriginal custody ?
8. How does the NLA deal with calls for the return of these things ?
9. Can you come up with some more sensitivities ?

See http://www.duckdigital.net/FOD/FOD0791.html

If you are interested in my evolving thoughts on some of these iussues you can find them at: (your comments/corrections are always welcome)

(digital preservation)
(the uses of text)
(aboriginal representation)

A general description of `The Flight of Ducks' is at:

http://www.duckdigital.net/FOD/FOD0292.html

Hope to hear from you

Regards Simon

Phillip, Renato, Jim, Liddy

>So, in short, you need to create a service URL which is pointed to by your labels. The service URL should contain information on how you rate and include a pointer to your rating system and service description file. The rating system page should describe the categories and their values, and point to the service description file. The service description file (*.rat) should be downloaded by the user, and the policy of the user set in the browser.

Well, by way of starting this process here is a screen of possible rating descriptors for your comment/correction in human readable form. The spelling of `sensitivities' will be updated. Is this a `service description screen' or is it a `rating system screen' or neither ?

http://www.duckdigital.net/FOD/FOD0791.html

Of course, aboriginal involvement is essential (maybe liddy can help here) - but at this stage we can build a model. Can't we ?

I have also included non-aboriginal sensitivities in case they might be useful.

1. I don't quite know how to give these values

(This tage supplied by Renato)

<META http-equiv="PICS-Label" content=' (PICS-1.1 "http://www.cinemedia.com.au/aboriginal-profile/" labels on "1996.12.31T023:59-0000" until "1999.12.31T23:59-0000" for "http://www.cinemedia.com.au/seagulls/picture00001.html" ratings ( dead-people 1 forbidden-object 1 forbidden-place 0)) ' >

Are the values simply 1 or 0 ?

2. I don't know how to make these machine readable - as I understand it the machine readable file is the .rat file ?

3. Next step is...?

Regards to all Simon

>Does this mean I will have to create a Ratings file at Cinemedia?

yes, but it is quite simple, and I would be glad to help

>Is this a screen which shows what the Ratings mean?

The rating service is referenced at the URL http://www.cinemedia.com.au/aboriginal-profile/Overview.html for instance. Here you would find a description of the terms and conditions used to apply the ratings in human readable form: (Simon labeled these pages as best he could based on his detailed knowledge of .......). There would also be a link to the rating system (which could be just another page http://www.cinemedia.com.au/aboriginal-profile/ratingsystem.html which has, again in human readable form a description of the categories and their values and finally a link from one or both of these files to the service description file which is the machine-readable and interpretable file (http://www.cinemedia.com.au/aboriginal-profile/aboriginal-profile.rat) which allows the browser to interpret the labels attached to content. The Labels point to the service URL because it is possible that several services would use the same rating system (I might use the system http://www.cinemedia.com.au/aboriginal-profile/ratingsystem.html with different terms and conditions such as Philip had a team of experts rate these pages and his labels are super accurate....).

So, in short, you need to create a service URL which is pointed to by your labels. The service URL should contain information on how you rate and include a pointer to your rating system and service description file. The rating system page should describe the categories and their values, and point to the service description file. The service description file (*.rat) should be downloaded by the user, and the policy of the user set in the browser. Then it's safe surfing... 8-)

>Are there any models to follow?

Think about the text of the service, and the categories of the rating system. Ren and I can help with the mechanics of a *.rat file and labels.

You should be aware that it is important to state the policy of hom you are rating. From the last PICS Working Group meeting in London, a good policy is to label the html pages, and not the individual objects on them because what you are rating is indeed the entire experience, not the components of it.

Regards, Philip

On Tue, 1 Jul 1997, Simon Pockley wrote:

>Does this mean I will have to create a Ratings file at Cinemedia?

Yes, but does not have to be at Cinemedia - in fact you could put the RAT file at http://metadata.net/ - happy to do it for you

> Is this a screen which shows what the Ratings mean?

You can associate some longer descriptions with each category, which the Browser can display when the user is setting up the config...

> Are there any models to follow?

You mean to create a standard Ratings file ?

Cheers... Renato

On Tue, 1 Jul 1997, Simon Pockley wrote:

>META http-equiv="PICS-Label" content="People of aboriginal descent should be warned that this is an historical/archival site concerned with preservation. It contains digital images and the names of people who are now dead. It also contains digital images of places and objects which may be forbidden.">

Hi Simon, you will need to firstly define the Ratings file, then you can create the Labels. In your case, a label may look like:

<META http-equiv="PICS-Label" content=' (PICS-1.1 "http://www.cinemedia.com.au/aboriginal-profile/" labels on "1996.12.31T023:59-0000" until "1999.12.31T23:59-0000" for "http://www.cinemedia.com.au/seagulls/picture00001.html" ratings ( dead-people 1 forbidden-object 1 forbidden-place 0)) ' >

The Ratings file (defined at: http://www.cinemedia.com.au/aboriginal-profile/) is where the attributes (such as "dead-people" - my guess!!) and potential values are all defined.

Hope this helps - We would like to see you use PICS as it is an interesting deployment.....

Cheers... Renato

Phillip, Jim, Renato,

You may remember me and `The Flight of Ducks'. One of the remote Aboriginal groups (The Warlpari Media Association) has been expressing concerns about the 1933 photographs within the site. Implementation of PICS compliant metadata would seem to be the answer, as they already filter out broadcast television.

I am trying to involve them in the generation of this metadata so that together we can start to build a metadata protocol for on-line work.

I am not sure if I have the syntax right here or what you might consider appropriate. Perhaps I am being apallingly ignorant:

<META http-equiv="PICS-Label" content="People of aboriginal descent should be warned that this is an historical/archival site concerned with preservation. It contains digital images and the names of people who are now dead. It also contains digital images of places and objects which may be forbidden."> Do you know if PICS been used to protect cultural sensitivities before?

Will I need to use a special label?

I think I understand the theory - but what is actually involved in implementing this?

Kind Regards

Simon Pockley