The DAISY Planet

Are You Ready for "Save As DAISY XML"?

If the avalanche of questions resulting from the announcement of the DAISY Consortium/Microsoft collaboration is any indication, we should be preparing ourselves for the upcoming release of "Save As DAISY XML".

What We Can Do to Get Ready?

DAISY Members and Friends, everyone in the DAISY community, and everyone who believes that DAISY is the "Best Way to Read and Publish" can:

1. Download and test the beta version of the translator if you are technically inclined - the first beta has been available for download from the Microsoft "Save as DAISY XML" SourceForge site, since January 27.
2. Report any bugs and make any "Feature Requests" for changes you think are needed on the Microsoft "Save as DAISY XML" SourceForge site.
3. Educate your team - ensure that everyone understands what "Save As DAISY XML" is and what this plug-in for Microsoft Word will do (information is provided in the Feature article in the November issue of the DAISY Planet.
4. Be prepared for inquiries and questions; prepare fact sheets for those who may receive calls or emails about "Save As DAISY XML".
5. Build transformers that provide DAISY-XML-to-DAISY-book conversion into your existing products and/or services, or create new tools that provide this support.
6. Join the Microsoft "Save as DAISY XML" discussion forum.
7. Provide digital images and accompanying permissions to the DAISY Consortium for collaborative marketing and publicity opportunities.

Why is the "Save As DAISY XML" Plug-in Important?

For the first time in the history of accessible content creation there will be a freely available tool that will allow many, many millions of people (perhaps that's billions of people) to create the "raw material" that can then be used to produce DAISY content: books, magazines, journals, letters, etc.

Do You Have a Product that Converts DAISY XML to a DAISY Book?

We know of a small number of products and services which have been developed by Friends of the DAISY Consortium that already have this capability built in. If you have a product that will transform DAISY XML to a full DAISY book file set (not necessarily including audio) please get in touch with us using the DAISY Contact Us Form ("Other" category).

DAISY Standard Recommended in France

An official report to the French Minister of Higher Education and Research recommends the DAISY 3 (ANSI/DAISY Z39.86) Standard as the required format from publishers for educational materials. It is available online in French.

The specific reference on page 45 is as follows: "Le Ministère devrait obliger les éditeurs de manuels scolaires et universitaires à fournir, à la demande, des versions numériques de leurs ouvrages au format standard XML NISO/DAISY Z39.86..." Roughly translated into English: "The Ministry should oblige the publishers of textbooks to provide, upon request, the digital versions their works in the standard format XML NISO/DAISY Z39.86..."

Ontario Canada

The province of Ontario in Canada is also working towards standardizing the format for accessible textbooks. The DAISY 3 Standard is one of the standards being promoted and given serious consideration.

Thailand

Monthian Buntan, newly elected Senator in Thailand, is promoting DAISY as the standard for electronic content in the Thailand Parliament.

DAISY In Action

Since last month's issue of the DAISY Planet, there have been a number of exciting events that have featured DAISY and what is going on in the DAISY "world".

2nd European eAccessibility Forum

DAISY was one of the "headliners" at this conference held January 28 in Paris France. Several presentations shed light on DAISY activities and projects. Of particular note is the presentation given by Markus Gylling. Bernard Ourghanlia from Microsoft gave a presentation in which he announced the beta release of "Save As DAISY XML". Emilia Persoon from Dedicon gave a plenary presentation on hybrid books in education, based on the DAISY Standard, and also led a workshop on the gh player. Lisa Friendly from Benetech also referenced the DAISY Standard in a plenary session and in her workshop.

And, last but far from least, Catherine Desbuquois from BrailleNet reminded the conference participants that the DAISY Standard is a basis for BrailleNet's Server Helene Architecture. For those interested in finding out more about this conference, the proceedings of the eAccessibility Forum are available online. Most of the papers are provided in English and French, however some are in one language only.

ATIA

"Collaboration" was the theme for DAISY at this year's ATIA Conference held January 27 to February 2. The DAISY staff team met with current and prospective DAISY Members and Friends to discuss DAISY open-source projects, DAISY developments, and requirements for the next DAISY Standard. The DAISY open-source development session was well attended, with a good deal of developer and mainstream interest. All groups are closely following the current Microsoft "Save As DAISY XML" developments.

• The DAISY staff team met with representatives from AFB, NFB, Dolphin, Microsoft, Code Factory, Kurzweil, TextHelp, TechAdapt, HumanWare and China Braille Press.
• DAISY functionality, implications for commercial publishing, tool development and moving DAISY forward were some of the topics discussed.

As the DAISY team stressed throughout the conference, all user and provider groups are urged to use the Requirements Gathering form to enter suggestions for the next version of the DAISY Standard.

O"Reilly Tools of Change Conference

The O"Reilly "TOC" Conference continues to be for anyone and everyone who cares about books and publishing. George Kerscher, Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium, knew he had to be there to promote and represent DAISY. The conference addressed all aspects of publishing from creation, to development, production, distribution, and consumption.

The Tools of Change conference, sponsored by O"Reilly Media, was held February 11 - 13 in New York City. This conference was intended to "…decipher the tools of change in this industry and help cut through the hype for a more profitable future in publishing."

George promoted DAISY and the advantages it brings in the following presentations and Lightning Rounds:

• Making Digital Publishing Accessible to Persons Who are Blind and Print Disabled (co-presented by Ivan Lagacé of HumanWare)
• Lightning Demonstration entitled "DAISY: The Best Way to Read, the Best Way to Publish" and "Open Source Publishing Tools from the DAISY Consortium"

Of interest to so many people in the content creation and publishing industries was the session DRM, Digital Content, and the Consumer Experience: Lessons Learned from the Music Industry. Standing room only does not describe the people crowding around the door unable to even get into the room. It was illustrated that sales of music increased dramatically when DRM was not applied, when the music was "DRM-free."

To monitor follow-up discussion from the conference, including the projected releases of video content, subscribe to the RSS feed for the Tools for Change Blog.

What's Coming Up?

There are two events being held during the next several weeks that will again put the spotlight on DAISY developments and activities. The DAISY Consortium and IFLA/LBS are co-hosting the seminar: "Networking, Collaboration and Co-operation - Introducing DAISY and IFLA" in Zagreb Croatia, February 27 and 28. Participants from Eastern Europe will have an opportunity to learn about the activities and projects of both organizations. Details are available in the DAISY Calendar. And then of course there is CSUN, which will be held March 10-15 in Los Angeles, California. There are numerous DAISY and DAISY-related presentations on the CSUN program, and, the launch of Microsoft "Save As DAISY XML" will coincide with the conference.

"Making Math Accessible" Blog

Developments will be announced and resources connected to math accessibility will be made available on the recently launched Design Science "Making Math Accessible" Blog. A signup tool is available on the blog for those who wish to receive updates by email.