DAISY Consortium 10th Anniversary LogoDAISY Consortium 2006 Annual Report

Editor: Lynn Leith
For Presentation at the DAISY General Meeting May 2007

Digital Accessible Information System, A Better Way to Read, A Better Way to Publish

Welcoming Comments from the President and Secretary General

Elsebeth Tank, President of the DAISY Consortium

Elsebeth TankThe world is constantly undergoing transformations, in every field, on every continent. This is not news, in fact, it could it be seen as a tedious, meaningless statement. But to me it doesn't feel tedious at all. Each of our organizations or companies, all of us involved and working with the DAISY Consortium, are influenced and affected by the exponential rate of change resulting from the digital revolution.

This "revolution" creates new opportunities but also brings with it threats and risks that must be addressed and challenged. We are working diligently and enthusiastically to adapt to the digital knowledge society, and like all others involved in a developmental environment, we must invent and implement our programs while we continue to provide exceptional services to those we serve. We do not have the luxury of being able to put our services "on hold" - we have to lay out the rails while the train is moving. Many of our Members have done just this, and have done it well.

The DAISY Consortium has achieved a great deal in its first ten years, 2006 being our 10th Anniversary. This year's Annual Report highlights many of the Consortium's achievements for this special year. It also briefly touches upon the work and challenges we face in the years ahead. I am also pleased to report once again that the audited statement of accounts has demonstrated that the DAISY Consortium continues to be managed within its budget.

On behalf of the DAISY Board I ask you to read about our achievements in the 2006 Annual Report, and to join us as we strive to make the DAISY Consortium Vision and Mission a reality.

George Kerscher, Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium

George Kerscher Elsebeth's metaphor of laying track while the train is running brings alive the image of moving powerfully into new territories while continuing to provide great service. We have many kilometers of track behind us and we can be proud that DAISY technology is now considered to be the most successful of all the technology used by the community comprised of those who have a visual or print disability. Yet, we see that there is a very, very long way to go before we reach our vision of the future. There are many landscapes ahead on which we must lay track.

The success of the DAISY 2.02 standard is much of the track we see behind us. However, the transition to the advanced specifications of the DAISY/NISO Standard is going slowly. This is due, in part, to the great success of the DAISY 2.02 specification. To state this another way, we are our own biggest competition, but this "internal" competition is not unique to us. It is quite possible for example, that XP may in Microsoft's view, be the biggest competition to Vista.

Text rather than audio, and the ability to transform to other formats, will drive the adoption of the more advanced standards forward. DAISY 2.02 has an obvious audio-based focus, which has been perfect for the transformation of collections from an analogue format to the digital domain. However, we are now at a crossing where many organizations will see an opportunity to focus on text to expand and enhance their services and to reach more users. This text-based approach is where I see most of our future development and innovation.

What does a consumer who has a visual or print disability want: braille, text, audio or quite possibly more than one of the possible options? How can the inclusion of the full text of the original publication in the DAISY file set (that is, in the DAISY book) enable the delivery of what the consumers want and need? How can we deliver what they want, when they want it, and in the format they prefer?

The tracks we lay over the next few years will reveal more landscape and a new brilliant world before us... "All aboard!"

Mission and Vision

In 1995 the seeds of the DAISY Consortium were sown. In 1996 "DAISY" was born and the journey began. The year 2006 was a year for celebration - the 10th anniversary of the DAISY Consortium.

2006 GM of Elsebeth at podium with 4 people to her left
Elsebeth Tank thanking Angela Johnson, John Churchill,
Lynn Leith, George Kerscher and Nesbit at the dinner
following the 2006 spring Board Meeting in Princeton

Vision

Our vision is that all published information at time of release to the general population, be available in an accessible, highly functional feature rich format and at no greater cost to persons with print disabilities.

Mission

Our mission is to develop, integrate and promote international DAISY standards, technologies and implementation strategies to enable global access by people with print disabilities to information provided by mainstream publishers, governments, and libraries in a way which will also be of benefit to the wider community.

DAISY: The Most Broadly Adopted Access Technology

DAISY Website users July-September 2006The DAISY 2.02 Specification is the most broadly adopted access technology ever created. It is twice as popular as screen readers. There are approximately 100,000 screen readers, and over 200,000 DAISY reading systems (players) in the world.

 

 

Highlights: Standards

Standards Area of the Web Site Redesigned

The Standards area of the DAISY Web site underwent a complete redesign and revision. An issues tracking database was added, supporting the submission and tracking of standards related issues.

The DAISY Consortium continues as the maintenance agency for the DAISY/NISO Standard.

DAISY/NISO Standard Update Released

The DAISY/NISO 2005 Standard Advisory Committee issued a maintenance update in September, releasing DTBook 2005-2. The XML DTD (DTBook) was updated to resolve identified issues. This update did not impact content produced under the previous version.

Modular Extensions and Related Specifications Proliferate

Project Charters for "Braille in DAISY" and "SVG in DAISY" were approved in the third quarter of 2006. Intense working group efforts brought "MathML in DAISY" Specification closer to approval. Formal processes for the development of modular extensions are well established, with the MathML in DAISY Project being the first to follow the new process. Updates on specification development are available in the Projects area of the DAISY Web site.

Inclusion of DAISY into IDPF Specification

The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), known previously as the Open eBook Forum (OeB), began a revision to its specification for eBooks. The DAISY navigation model and DTBook, the element set for XML, have been proposed for inclusion. Developments are now underway to formally approve the inclusion of these DAISY developments into the IDPF specification.

Highlights: Projects

MathML in DAISY

MathML in DAISY LogoThe MathML Project objective is to develop and submit a formal proposal (including all supporting documentation) for a MathML modular extension to the DAISY/NISO Standard (ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2005) in accordance with the modular extension guidelines. The first public release of the Specification for a Digital Talking Book Modular Extension for Mathematics was made available September 8, 2006. Submission and approval of the MathML Modular Extension by the DAISY Board is scheduled for early 2007.

The Project Charter was written and approved by the DAISY Board of Directors in the spring of 2005.

Braille in DAISY

Braille production is complex, time consuming and expensive. The primary goal of this project is to improve the efficiency of braille print production from DTBook, automating the process to the greatest extent possible. Various deliverables are scheduled from February through to December 2007. Challenges include the need for solutions that enable easy localization, the development of a vocabulary for braille editing in DTBook, and the need for a printer independent, non-proprietary and universal "embosser ready" braille format. There is also the issue of compression which is used in many braille codes. Ultimately, the goal is to enable the automated production of embosser ready braille from DTBook.

The Project Charter for Braille in DAISY was written in October 2006 and was approved by the DAISY Board of Directors.

SVG in DAISY

The value of images, charts and graphs in books, particularly textbooks is undeniable; however there are no specific recommendations for the inclusion of graphical content into DAISY books. The primary goal of the SVG in DAISY working group is to develop a simple, achievable set of guidelines for incorporating scalable vector graphics (SVG) into the existing DAISY standard and to ensure that DAISY-compliant SVG will be renderable in a variety of accessible media, such as tactile, audio/tactile, speech, and selectively enhanced visual formats. This project will also develop recommendations for the design and deployment of DAISY-related SVG training materials and recommendations for additions and extensions to DAISY-related software applications. Deliverables are scheduled for 2007.

The SVG in DAISY Project Charter was prepared in October 2006 and was approved by the DAISY Board of Directors.

DAISY Pipeline (DMFC)

The modeling and design of the DAISY Pipeline began in 2004. The Pipeline is an open source and far reaching project, with participants from numerous organizations in a variety of countries developing transformers to meet multiple conversion requirements. The DAISY Pipeline and GUI were made publicly available in August 2006 to facilitate extended testing and feedback gathering. In October the name DAISY Multi-Format Converter was officially changed to DAISY Pipeline. One of the primary goals of this project is to ensure that existing DAISY collections around the world are "future safe". Another is to develop and make available tools that convert (transform) files in various formats into and from DAISY. The First Release of the Pipeline is scheduled for the second quarter of 2007.

The Urakawa Project

Urakawa Project LogoUrakawa is an open source, international collaborative project lead by the DAISY Consortium. The primary goal of the Urakawa Project is to create a software development framework that can be used to build multimedia authoring applications. Project members are:

An alpha version of Obi, a simple DAISY/NISO Digital Talking Book production tool for audio-based DAISY books, was released in November 2006. Obi is being developed to demonstrate the capabilities of the Urakawa SDK (Software Development Toolkit), and to provide an easy to use, accessible and internationalized DAISY production tool. Obi is released under the LGPL license, and is available at no cost to everyone.

The Urakawa Joint Project Charter was released in November 2005.

DAISY OK

DAISY OK LogoThe goal of the DAISY OK Project is to define what "DAISY OK" is and how it can and should be applied. The primary purpose of the DAISY OK Project is to encourage both Reading System developers and DAISY book producers to create products that provide a truly enhanced reading experience. DAISY OK requirements that describe and define both a conforming DAISY Reading System (player) and a conforming DAISY book were developed and made available in August 2006. Both required functionality and advanced features were identified. Online DAISY OK self-certification for Members and Friends of the Consortium will be available in 2007.

Protected Digital Talking Book (PDTB)

In support of libraries and agencies which operate under legally-mandated requirements to protect intellectual property, the DAISY Consortium developed a PDTB specification. This original specification was not made publicly available, as it did not fully meet the needs of many of the libraries producing and distributing DAISY books. PDTB2 was approved, and in April 2006 the First Public Release was made. This second PDTB specification was designed to be flexible in order to meet different needs of agencies around the world producing DAISY books. Each library may choose to adopt or ignore the various optional components.

Work on this specification has now moved into maintenance.

ZedVal

ZedVal LogoThere were two new releases of ZedVal, the DAISY/NISO Validation tool, in 2006. Support for validation of ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2005 DTBs was implemented, with continued support for ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2002.

ZedVal is an open source tool developed by the DAISY Consortium.

Highlights: Membership

Three New Membership Options

Following a thorough review of the DAISY membership categories, it was clear that the existing options left some groups without a good membership "fit". To fill this need the "Friend" membership category was extended to include "Developers". This change in the membership category to "Friends and Developers" widens the scope and opens the DAISY membership door to developers of tools and systems around the globe. In addition, two new membership categories were created:

Publishers, Educators, and Advocates

The "Publishers, Educators, and Advocates" membership category is designed for groups which utilize the DAISY standard and tools to meet the reading needs of individuals who require accessible reading materials. This level of membership is applicable to groups such as:

Individual Supporters

Those who believe in the fundamental right to access to information and who believe in the Mission and Goals of the Consortium and in the DAISY Standard, now have an opportunity to join as an Individual Supporter. This level of membership is applicable to, for example:

New Members and Friends

New Full Members in 2006

Since the formation of the DAISY Consortium in 1996, this is the first year in which more than one new Full Member has joined - another reason to celebrate in the 10th Anniversary year of the Consortium.

The Norwegian DAISY Consortium was formed, pooling the resources and commitment of the following organizations:

Each of these five organizations previously held an Associate Membership in the DAISY Consortium.

National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in the USA increased its commitment from Associate Member level to Full Member.

New Associate Members in 2006

New Friends and Developers in 2006

New Individual Supporters in 2006

In total, there were two new Full Members, four new Associate Members, four new Friends/Developers and five new Individual Supporters. The Consortium and all of its Members and Friends extend a warm welcome to each of these organizations, companies and individuals. At the close of 2006, the Consortium was comprised of 14 Full Members, 55 Associate Members, 22 Friend/Developers and 5 Individual Supporters. There is a great deal to be done, and working together toward common goals will make it possible.

Highlights: Communications

In 2006, as a result of the review and analysis carried out in 2005, the DAISY Web site was redesigned. This major overhaul was both structural and cosmetic, with the inclusion of graphics and improved accessibility, making it easier to use. Some of the enhancements implemented include:

There is a variety of categories incorporated into the "Contact Us" form, directing the inquiries to those best suited to respond. It has allowed the Consortium to respond to inquiries more quickly and more efficiently, and at the same time, has significantly reduced the quantity of "spam" received by members of the staff.

The DAISY Web site is one of the Consortium's primary communication tools. It is an excellent source of information for those who have just learned about DAISY and want to find out more, and also provides up to date information about developments and standards, for those who wish to remain current with DAISY and DAISY related activities.

There are further enhancements to the Web site planned for 2007, including:

Other features such as online surveys, forums and podcasts are being considered to further enhance DAISY communications.

Highlights: DAISY For All (DFA)

Nippon Foundation logo All DAISY For All Project activities are generously funded by the Nippon Foundation.

Additional focal points were established in Asian developing countries, International Trainers Training seminars for DAISY Production were conducted, and a new version of AMIS, the open source DAISY player being developed by DFA was released in 2006:

Focal Point Establishment Activities

DAISY seminars and training course were held, as outlined below, to establish a focal point to coordinate national implementation of DAISY in each country.

International Trainers' Training Activities

The purpose of this training program is to provide in-depth training for those who will become a qualified trainer within their respective country and provide support in neighboring countries. Each Focal Point may send at least one core technical staff to these training programs.

Open Source Development Activities

Local language implementation for DAISY playback tools and books is a key to successful implementation in developing countries. DFA has therefore focused on the development of local languages for playback and production software tools.

AMIS Development Activities

Other Open Source Development Activities

Other DFA Activities

DFA activities were supplemented by additional efforts to better understand the requirements of disaster preparedness and mitigation for persons with disabilities in developing countries and to integrate this knowledge within open standards work.

Highlights: Events

In 2006 the DAISY community was well represented at numerous conferences. One of the major highlights was the DAISY Technical Conference, "Reading the Future", held in Stockholm in March.

ATIA January 2006

The Assistive Technology Industry Association conference is one of the largest of its kind, and is held each year in Florida, USA. At the 2006 conference an entire track (topic stream) was devoted to NIMAS and DTBook files. NIMAS, the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard, is a subset of DAISY, and is the national file format adopted in the USA. George Kerscher attended and reported that the DAISY Standard and related activities have become increasingly prevalent each year at this conference.

CSUN, 21st Annual International Conference, March 2006

The number of DAISY and DAISY-related sessions at CSUN continues to grow each year. In 2006 there were more than fifteen presentations touching on topics ranging from adoption of the DAISY standard around the world, to production and playback tools, to disaster preparedness. Some of the sessions given by DAISY, its Members and Friends were:

"Reading the Future":
DAISY Technical Conference

This two day conference held in Stockholm Sweden was hosted by TPB (The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille), March 30 - 31, with more than 200 people attending. The keynote speech was given by George Kerscher, Secretary General of the DAISY Consortium. More than twenty papers were presented, with topics ranging from digital production and distribution, copyright, online distribution to publishing in XML.

In addition to the Technical Conference, this event marked Ingar Beckman Hirschfeldt's retirement from TPB. Ingar was the first President of the DAISY Consortium, and she devoted herself to ensuring that the goals and mission of the Consortium were met. In honour of her dedication and achievements, Elsebeth Tank, President, presented Ingar with the DAISY Culture of Sharing Award.

DAISY 10th Anniversary General Meeting

The 2006 DAISY General Meeting was held in Princeton, USA, on April 29th. It was preceded on 27th by the DAISY Board Meeting and on the 28th by a Symposium on Learning Disabilities. The Board and General Meetings and the Symposium were hosted by Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.

The 10th Anniversary of the Consortium provided those in attendance with an opportunity to reflect on ten years of challenges and successes, and to look to the future as adoption of the DAISY Standard continues around the globe.

Australian Round Table on Information Access, May 2006

At the invitation of Vision Australia and The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind, both being members of the DAISY Full Member group The Australia New Zealand Accessible Information Group (ANZAIG), George Kerscher attended the Australian Round Table Conference. Although this was the primary purpose of his visit, he took the opportunity to visit key DAISY organizations in Auckland and Melbourne. DAISY was prominent on the Round Table program and it was clear that DAISY is the technology that has been adopted. There was a major focus on Web delivery of DAISY content in both countries. George met with senior staff members at both RNZFB and Vision Australia, reporting on DAISY Consortium activities and directions and providing an opportunity for questions and discussion.

ICCHP Austria, July 2006

The 10th Annual International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs (ICCHP) was held in Linz, Austria, July 12 to 14. The conference explored Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Assistive Technology (AT) for people with disabilities, the aging population, and for those with learning difficulties. A live Web cast of the conference made global access possible. George Kerscher presented the paper: "The Essential Role of Libraries Serving Persons Who Are Blind and Print Disabled in the Information Age".

Numerous "tracks" covering a variety of disabilities were available for participants, including:

Korean Braille Library: DAISY and the Integrated Digital Library Workshop, August 2006

On August 17 and 18 the Korean Braille Library, Full Member of the DAISY Consortium, hosted "DAISY and the Integrated Digital Library Workshop". Presenters included Elsebeth Tank, President of the DAISY Consortium and Hiroshi Kawamura, DAISY Board Member. The workshops and tour were well attended and well received.

DAISY Board Meetings in 2006

The DAISY Board meets three times a year as the decision-making body to set the strategic direction for the Consortium. In addition to the Board meeting held in Princeton prior to the 10th Anniversary General Meeting, there was a Board meeting held in Zurich Switzerland, February 3 and 4, and in Madrid, October 19 and 20.

Information about DAISY related conferences and events in 2006 is provided in "Past Events" on the DAISY Web site

Future Projects/Developments:
A Brief Overview of What Lies Ahead

Technical Directions Review

Technological developments move forward at an astounding rate, and it is essential that the DAISY Consortium remain in the forefront. The DAISY Standard is being adopted more widely each year, and new Members and Friends join the movement to establish DAISY as the primary access standard and technology around the globe. To achieve its goals, mission and vision, the Consortium will review its technical directions and approach changes with enthusiasm and the developmental skills that have brought the DAISY Standard to its current level of international adoption.

DAISY Open Source Developments

Several of the existing tools created by the DAISY Consortium have been open source projects, including the DAISY 2.02 Validator, the Regenerator and ZedVal. Two current projects, the DAISY Pipeline and the Urakawa Project are open source developments. AMIS, being developed through DAISY For All, is also open source. The Consortium is moving toward a formal commitment to open source development and in the coming year will endeavour to further nurture the DAISY open source community.

DAISY/NISO Production Tools

One of the outcomes of the Urakawa Project is a basic audio-based DAISY/NISO production tool, Obi. The Consortium has also identified the need to meet the production requirements of organizations with DAISY production which is text-based, that is, XML source-based. Development of a text-based DAISY/NISO production tool is planned to begin in 2007.

Modular Extensions

The success and anticipated adoption of the MathML Extension for the DAISY/NISO Standard in 2007, open the door for additional modular extensions which will enhance the Standard to meet the additional needs. DTBook is an XML vocabulary which is an essential part of the Standard that provides a core set of elements needed to produce most types of DAISY books. It was not however intended to be exhaustive. Some other extensions that have been identified are, for example, video support, testing, workbooks, music, dictionaries and chemistry. The DAISY MathML modular extension to ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2005 was developed in accordance with the modular extension guidelines, a process for developing interoperable extensions within the constraints of the 2005 revision of the standard.

Online Delivery of DAISY Books

Interest in online delivery of DAISY books has grown steadily. With the increase in broadband Internet access in many parts of the world, online provision of DAISY books is now feasible. A number of Members and Friends of the Consortium have been involved in pilot projects or plan to implement online DAISY book delivery. Development of DAISY online requirements and the DAISY Online Delivery Specification are planned for 2007. Cooperation and collaboration are critical to this project to ensure interoperability between libraries for the blind around the world.

DAISY in the Mainstream

One of the goals of the DAISY Consortium is to: "...demonstrate the effectiveness and promote the adoption and implementation of the open non-proprietary DAISY standards among mainstream publishers, governments, libraries and manufacturers of consumer hardware and software." and to "advocate internationally for the adoption of policies that encourage publishers and all other providers of information to adopt accessible practices that support access to information which is a fundamental human right."

Discussions with publishers, and national and international publishers' associations will continue in the coming year as will efforts to have the DAISY Standard incorporated into commercial technologies.

DAISY Reading Systems

As implementation of the DAISY Standard increases globally and the number of DAISY books produced grows, new DAISY reading systems, both hardware and software, become available. New developments, including the incorporation of DAISY playback in some commercial hand-held devices and in some mobile phones, increase the DAISY reading options. This trend is expected to escalate over the coming years.

Participation Around the Globe

Some of organizations with which the DAISY Consortium is affiliated are:

Continued involvement with organizations sharing a similar vision is critical to the global implementation of the DAISY Standard.

Message for the 2006 International Day of Disabled Persons on Access to Information

Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations:
"The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ... can give additional impetus to this trend. States that choose to become party to the Convention will thereby commit themselves to taking steps to provide 'information intended for the general public to persons with disabilities in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different kinds of disabilities in a timely manner and without additional cost'....

On this International Day, let us pledge again to do our utmost to achieve the vision of an inclusive, people-centred, development-oriented information society. And let us redouble our efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities can exercise their human rights and play their full part in the economic, social and political lives of their societies." United Nations

Worthy of Special Note

DAISY Consortium Board of Directors

  Elsebeth Tank
Elsebeth Tank (President)
Danish Library of Talking Books and Braille, DBB
  Bernhard Heinser
Bernhard Heinser (Treasurer)
Swiss Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired, SBS
  John Churchill
John Churchill
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, RFB&D
  Elke Dittmer
Elke Dittmer
Media Association for Blind and Vision Impaired People, MediBuS
   Tim Evans
Tim Evans
Australia New Zealand Accessible Information Group, ANZAIG
  Kjell Hansson
Kjell Hansson
Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille, TPB
  
Hiroshi Kawamura
Hiroshi Kawamura
Japanese DAISY Consortium, JDC
  Stephen King
Stephen King
Royal National Institute of the Blind, RNIB
   Arne Krykjebø
Arne Krykjebø
Norwegian DAISY Consortium, NDC
  Francisco Martínez Calvo
Francisco Martínez Calvo
Spanish National Organisation of the Blind, ONCE
   Margaret McGrory
Margaret McGrory
Canadian DAISY Consortium, CDC
  Maarten Verboom
Maarten Verboom
Dedicon - Accessible information for People with a Print Impairment (Netherlands)
  Keun Hae Youk
Keun Hae Youk
Korean Braille Library, KBL

Closing Thoughts from Elsebeth Tank, President of the DAISY Consortium

I would like to express my profound gratitude to the community in and around the DAISY Consortium, or rather, should I say that the community is the DAISY Consortium. It is a great pleasure to be a part of the development of this Consortium and to recognize how the Consortium grows, has successes and consolidates to make itself ready for future "tiger leaps".

The DAISY Consortium is the primary key to information access equality. Without the Consortium we would not be a unified "community" moving toward a better society in which all information will be accessible to everyone.

Thanks to many clever, hardworking, collaboratively-minded people, and to their organizations or companies, for backing and supporting the goals and projects of the Consortium with resources and moral commitment. Special thanks to all who have supported the Consortium with financial support. Without this support, our Goals, Mission and many projects would be in jeopardy.

I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to the small but highly spirited and resourceful DAISY staff team.