NIMAC UPDATE Julia Myers May 2008. What Is the NIMAC? NIMAC is a central repository for NIMAS file sets. NIMAS file sets are source files that can be.

NIMAC UPDATE

Julia MyersMay 2008

What Is the NIMAC?

NIMAC is a central repository for NIMAS file sets. NIMAS file sets are source files that can be used to produce accessible, student-ready specialized formats, such as Braille and audio, for students in K-12 with qualifying disabilities.

What does the NIMAC do?

• The NIMAC receives, reviews, and catalogs publishers' electronic files of print instructional materials in the NIMAS format.

• We also sign up registered users, provide the searchable web interface, provide feedback to publishers and vendors, and answer questions from NIMAC stakeholders and others.

• OverDrive, Inc. is the vendor who is providing the database software and off-site storage for the NIMAC’s file sets.

NIMAC Expectations

• Catalog 2,400 NIMAS file sets per year (Projection provided by AAP and basis for OSEP- approved NIMAC plan/grant request)

• Register authorized users from 50 states• Provide searchable web interface• Provide ability for registered users to download

files• Protect copyright • Begin operations by December 4, 2006

Key NIMAC Accomplishments

• Opened for operations, as scheduled, on Dec. 3, 2006.

• Searchable web interface available for all to search from Dec. 3, 2006.

• Ability for registered users to download files available from Dec. 3, 2006.

• Began receiving and processing publisher file submissions from Dec. 3, 2006.

Key NIMAC Accomplishments

• Cataloged and made available for download 6,570 NIMAS file sets in 16 months.

• This is more than double the projected number of NIMAS file sets NIMAC was built to handle in that time period.

Key NIMAC Accomplishments

• Coordinated with 51 states and outlying areas.

• NJ, OK, PA and TX currently in process of coordinating.

• Registered 75 Authorized Users and 55 Accessible Media Producers.

Key NIMAC Accomplishments

• Copyright protection provided via multiple methods, including:

• Coordination and Limitation of Use Agreements

• Digital Rights Management (i.e., digital fingerprinting and watermarking of files)

• Secure environment • Two tiered repository access (AUs and

AMPs).

All Figures Correct as of May 1, 2008

NIMAC: Account Statistics

• Publishers working with NIMAC: 60

• States Coordinating/Outlying Areas: 51

• Authorized Users: 75 (from 40 states)

• Accessible Media Producers (AMPs): 57

All Figures Correct as of May 1, 2008

NIMAC: Download Statistics

• Unique Downloads by AMPs: 128

• Unique Downloads by AUs: 345

• Total Unique Downloads: 473

NIMAC: File Storage Statistics

• NIMAC files currently mass over 1 TB.

• NIMAC is receiving 35-60 GB of file sets per week.

• At current rate, NIMAC will add at least 2 more TB this year.

NIMAC: File Storage Statistics

• To put this in perspective:

– 2 Terabytes = An academic research library.

– 10 Terabytes = The print collections of the U.S. Library of Congress.

(From "How Much Information", 2003. University of California at Berkeley: Lyman, Peter and Hal R. Varian. Retrieved from http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/how-much-info-2003 on April 15, 2008.

Outreach and NIMAC

• Outreach was an important part of NIMAC’s work in 2007 and continues to be a key aspect of our work in 2008.

• NIMAC routinely offers training webcasts and does further outreach through conference calls and participation in conferences and workshops.

Outreach in 2007-2008

• In 2007/2008, NIMAC conducted 29 Webcast trainings and outreach conference calls with various user groups.

• Participants included: Authorized Users; NIMAC State Coordinators; NIMAS/NIMAC coordinators; vendors; publishers; and Accessible Media Producers.

• Conference calls and meetings with individual publishers, state or local educational agency staff, NIMAC Advisory Council, OSEP, OverDrive were also conducted.

More Outreach in 2007/2008…

NIMAC staff presented at:

• Two webinars hosted by other organizations: EASI and the National Center on Disability & Access to Education (NCDAE)

More Outreach in 2007/2008…

NIMAC staff also presented at:

• Fifteen conferences & workshops, including: NIMAS Development Committee; New York Institute of Special Education; Association of American Publishers RPAC; SLATE; IRCBVI; State Vision Consultants; APH Annual Meeting; FL AFB NIMAS Training; Getting In Touch With Literacy ; APH ESAC and EPAC; NIMAS Implementation Council; NIMAS Standard Board; CA AFB NIMAS Training ; CTEVH; PA AER

Challenges for NIMAC

• Number of files being received is 5 times greater than planned

• Metadata errors in the OPFs of almost 2/3 NIMAS file sets received

• Size of files being received versus those provided for NIMAC in development

• File size driven by images• File size affects uploading and processing

from publishers as well as downloading by NIMAC users

Plan versus Reality

• File sizes larger than planned—Why?

– Few files received in development phase and those averaged 30 MB

– Largest file received in development phase was 200 MB

– Reality is that files of 7 GB have been received and 10 GB to 12 GB have been forecast by publishers

Plan versus Reality

• Thousands more NIMAS file sets received than planned, per estimate by AAP—Why?

– “Published after” effective date versus “sold after:” thousands of file sets are pre-2006 (about 25% of total file sets in NIMAC inventory are pre-2006.)

Plan versus Reality

– Unanticipated materials: receiving flash cards, black line masters, sections of Teacher editions, etc. (Only about 20% of certified file sets to date are textbooks.)

– State editions

– Supplementary Readers: 4,473 of the 6,570 accepted files are readers

Files, Files, Files

• Number of file sets is a capacity issue

– NIMAC funded and staffed to handle 2,400 a year.

– NIMAC certified 6,570 NIMAS file sets in only 16 months.

– OverDrive was contracted to handle 2,400 NIMAS file sets a year, with an anticipated NIMAS file set size much less than what we actually are receiving.

Files, Files, Files

• For full 5-year grant, NIMAC was prepared to handle 12,000 NIMAS file sets.

• In less than 16 months, NIMAC has received 12,000 NIMAS file sets.

• In first third of 2008, NIMAC certified 2,590 NIMAS file sets.

• NIMAC received 4,000 file sets in March and April 2008.

Errors in OPF Files

• NIMAS file sets deposited typically pass validation of XML.

• NIMAS file sets (64%) frequently have errors in OPF—the packing slip that describes the NIMAS file set.

• The impact on NIMAC workload is substantial.

Errors in OPF Files

• High file resubmission rate increases NIMAC workload by about 2/3 as files must be reviewed a second time after correction.

• Publishers/vendors often take weeks or even months to correct and resubmit file sets.

• Ultimately, this delays the availability of NIMAS files as files must be corrected and resubmitted by publisher/vendor.

Images and File Size

• Images--their number and size--drive NIMAS File size.

• NIMAS File sets received can be 7 GB and may reach 12 GB in size--or more.

• NIMAS Textbook Files contain thousands of images.

• File size can mean slow downloading, even for those with fast connections. (T-1 is dial-up slow at these sizes.)

Images and File Size

• PNGs are 5-10 times larger than JPEG.

• NIMAS File size in context: typically a 90-minute movie is less than 1 GB. (This is due to compression method used for MPEG.)

• Impact: Huge file sizes are a considerable obstacle for end users attempting to download files as well as for publishers submitting files for batch load.

NIMAC Seeking Solutions: File Sizes

• Decrease file sizes, retain image quality

– Best practices for compression and creation of images (e.g. not from layout, not cropped, techniques for recurring images)

– Consultant will be engaged to develop these best practices

– Share best practices with publishers

NIMAC Seeking Solutions: Number of Files

• Currently, NIMAC is expanding capacity by using overtime, contract staff and staff loaned from other APH depts.

• OverDrive has added staff, servers, multiple times to handle volume.

• OverDrive is loading files continuously--24/7.

NIMAC Seeking Solutions: Number of Files

• Short term, NIMAC will ask publishers to label “voluntary” submissions as such so that file submissions required by a contract or purchase agreement may receive priority processing.

• Long term, the solution is to increase capacity to match reality. Increasing capacity will be discussed with OSEP.

NIMAC Seeking Solutions: Errors in OPF

• Reconsider value of metadata in OPF; consider not requiring corrections for metadata in OPF or corrections only for select fields.

• Metadata in searchable database, XML data, and PDF would still be required to be correct.

NIMAC Seeking Solutions: Errors in OPF

• Expand OPF pilot project— NIMAC corrects OPF and sends corrected version to publisher.

• Publishers may take weeks or even months to correct and reload NIMAS file sets rejected for OPF errors, even though NIMAC provides a detailed report of how to correct the errors.

• Pilot project goal is to speed this process.

NIMAC Seeking Solutions: Errors in OPF

• Continue and expand publisher/vendor training, conference calls, and pre-review of sample OPFs.

• Meet with publishers in first AAP/NIMAC conference in June to provide training and focus on improvements.

NIMAC System Development: Key Remaining Issues

• System development on hold due to need to shift all OverDrive resources to handle processing of high volume of NIMAS file submissions.

• Louis/NIMAC federated search is on development list.

• APH is pleased to announce that we have contracted with Firebrand Technologies to move Louis to a new system that will support federated search via OAI.

Upcoming and Continuing NIMAC Outreach

• Webcast Trainings for AUs and AMPs

• Quarterly Conference Calls for Publishers

• NIMAC Advisory Council (Quarterly)

• NIMAC User Group (Bimonthly)

NIMAC Team

• Julia Myers, Project Director

• Nicole Gaines, NIMAC Manager

• Anne Ledford, NIMAC Support Specialist

• Tiffany Bradford, NIMAC Support Specialist

• OverDrive NIMAC Team

How to Reach Us

• http://www.nimac.us

• 502-899-2230

• 1-877-526-4622 (1-877-52-NIMAC)

• [email protected]