Road Map to Implementation of DAISY

by George Kerscher
& Markus Gylling

This document outlines the benefits of and process for implementing a smooth transition from the DAISY 2.02 specification to the DAISY/NISO Standard, formally the ANSI/NISO Z39.86, Specifications for the Digital Talking Book. throughout this document we will refer to this simply as the DAISY/NISO Standard.

The latest version of the DAISY/NISO standard was released in May 2005. also at this time the DAISY Consortium was named as the official maintenance agency for the DAISY/NISO Standard. The maintenance agency web site is: http://www.daisy.org/z3986/.

DAISY 2.02 is a stable specification being implemented today in many countries around the world; however, the DAISY/NISO Standard offers benefits to implementers, hardware and software developers, and consumers alike. This document is maintained and designed to highlight where we are today and then outline where we are going in the future; this document is revised on a regular basis..

It is the Consortium's goal that all those involved in digital production can gradually move forward toward the DAISY/NISO Standard with confidence that they have an understanding of how to do so strategically.. Remember that the DAISY Staff and the Consortium's listservs are always available to respond to questions.

General Concepts

When we begin to consider what is involved in the transition from the current specification, we realize that it is essential to keep the following general concepts in mind.

• Standards evolve;
• Your collections must last forever;
• New technologies must have clear benefits; and
• Transitions must not disrupt organizations.

The current Recommendation is DAISY 2.02

DAISY 2.02 is:

• the last of the 2.x generation;
• based on XHTML and the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) 1;
• extensively used for audio plus navigation; and
• the replacement for audio cassette.

Be Prepared to Migrate your Content in the Future

To be in the best position to migrate to the next generation of DAISY, it is important that the content you have developed already, as well as what you will develop from now until you make the transition is the best it can be. Working to upgrade DAISY 2.02 content now and continuing to maintain quality control as you move forward will serve you well in the long run. We strongly recommend that organizations:

• use the TPB Regenerator to upgrade your DTB to DAISY 2.02;
• validate your DAISY 2.02 DTB; and
• store your original audio uncompressed.

Note that it is possible to extract audio from MP3 files, but the audio quality may suffer.

Did We emphasize that your DTB should be valid?

While DAISY 2.02 is a stable recommendation, it does not reflect advancements in the technology upon which it is based. DAISY is dependent upon recommendations established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). DAISY 2.02 is based upon the XHTML recommendation; whereas the DAISY/NISO Standard is based on a book oriented XML tag set.

What is important to remember is that a valid 2.02 DTB is future safe because it can be updated using tools under development that are based upon standards accepted worldwide.

At this time, a migration path is being established. A DAISY upgrade system requires that the content be examined by several pieces of software. The path would look something like this:

1. Daisy 2.02 Regenerator;
2. Daisy 2.02 Validator;
3. DAISY/NISO XML Migrator; and
4. DAISY/NISO Validator (ZedVal).

Support in Production, Training, & Technical Support

So, as you consider the migration process, keep in mind that there is training and technical support available to DAISY Members now. We are working to incorporate the migration path into the Membership benefits and training and support activities.

• Five recording tools available;
• Other DAISY production tools, including those that generate audio files using TTS;
• Training courses available upon request;
• Training materials;
• Translations of some of the training materials available in Spanish;
• DAISY Knowledge Network on the DAISY Web site; and
• Training & Technical Support list for discussion and questions.

Many Different Playback options

Currently, there are many different playback options for DAISY 2.02. A brief overview includes:

• Seven companies marketing hardware playback options;
• More than ten software playback options; and
• More support on the way.

Skippability in DAISY 2.02 is the Last Feature to be Implemented

Skippability is an extremely valuable feature of DAISY 2.02, especially for students. When this feature is included in a DAISY production, and that production is played using a playback device that has implemented the feature, a user can skip elements in the document such as pages, sidebars, and notes. For a user of DAISY technology, skippability equates to visually selecting what you want to read in a book. What follows is a brief sketch of the history of skippability.

• First defined in the Daisy 2.01 specification (1999)
• Implementation started 2002
• Tools available now!

For more information, see the skippability recommendation for DAISY 2.02 at http://www.daisy.org/publications/specifications/d202skiprec/d202_skippability_rec.html.

DAISY/NISO Standard, ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2005 is an Approved Recommendation

This recommendation:

• was developed between DAISY and the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) to ensure a single worldwide standard;
• was developed within the National Information Standards Organization (NISO); and
• uses SMIL 2 and rich XML;

Today:

• The DAISY Consortium and NLS collaborate on the maintenance of the standard.
• The DAISY Consortium is the official maintenance agency for the standard;
• It is a living standard with additions and improvements expected.

As we move forward, we expect that we will make progress in the following areas.

• Math, Drama, Poetry, Dictionary, and other modules will be added over time.
• In the future, we will consider introducing the DAISY/NISO Standard to the International Standards Organization (ISO).

All New Developments will Focus on the DAISY/NISO Standard

Projects targeted at adding features and functions will use the DAISY/NISO Standard.

Text in XML (DTBook) is the Foundation for the DAISY/NISO Standard

Here is a list of some of the features and benefits of the DAISY/NISO Standard.

• DTBook is the XML vocabulary to identify components of books.
• It is a target DTD especially suited for the conversion of books.
• It offers rich semantics that can enhance the reading experience.

DAISY/NISO Standard also:

• offers native support for rich structural navigation;
• provides native support for skippability; and
• supports refreshable and paper braille;

Finally, perhaps one of the most important advantages of the richness of the DAISY/NISO Standard is that it offers us the opportunity to begin to realistically explore how we can use DTBook as the source for publisher collaboration.

What Is in Place?

Today, with respect to the DAISY/NISO Standard, the following are in place:

• the standard is approved and well defined;
• The "Structure Guidelines" (revised in September 2005) is a foundational document upon which we will build;
• Sample pages from a highly graphical book that demonstrates correct markup is available;
• the maintenance agency and committee have been established and are working successfully;
• the committee is open to committed interested individuals;
• the minutes are posted;
• there are mechanisms for making recommendations and reporting errors;
• an XML Techniques working group has been formed;
• validator (code named "ZedVal")for Z39.86 is available;
• DAISY Knowledge Network as a sophisticated training and information sharing tool is coming online;
• detailed plans are under way for transition to the DAISY/NISO Standard.

What is being Developed to Support the Transition?

• DAISY Multi Format Converter (DMFC) to assist in the manipulation of content into DTBook and to other formats;
• automated Migration tool for DAISY 2.02 to DAISY/NISO Standard;
• expansion of content in the DAISY Knowledge Network to provide a sophisticated training and information system;
• Project (code named Urakawa) to develop a Multimedia data model along with an SDK to facilitate development of production and playback tools;

Protecting Your Investment: Moving Your Content to the DAISY/NISO Standard

As you prepare for the future, you will want to take the following steps:

1. Start by converting all new production to DAISY 2.02.
2. Incorporate validation into your work flow.
3. Use the regenerator to upgrade all your previous content.
4. Be prepared to automatically migrate your content to the DAISY/NISO Standard.

What is Needed in the Future?

As the Consortium plans for the future, we see that there is much work to be done, but the result of the DAISY community's efforts and cooperation will be to expand current DAISY productions so that each document can offer those with print disabilities an extremely flexible multimedia reading experience. Many of these activities are slated for our focus in 2005 ; while others will be completed in the next few years. Projects include:

• Advancing ZedVal to include all six types of books;
• obtaining and validating XML files of an entire book with a complex lay-out;
• Making available a sample test suite of DAISY/NISO Standard conforming DTB generated from production tools;
• compiling a list of conversion vendors who produce XML;
• compiling a list of software tools to use in XML production;
• developing a training course for XML production;
• Offering native support in recording tools; and
• Identifying and helping to promote support for DAISY/NISO Standard in hardware and software playback.

Who Should be Most Interested in Embracing the DAISY/NISO Standard

In short, everyone involved with DAISY development and implementation should begin to consider embracing the DAISY/NISO Standard today. Some organizations will make the transition more slowly than others, but already, there are those who have experience and can offer guidance. Organizations and companies that recognize the need to stay current with evolving technology will include:

• Organizations interested in full text and audio DAISY DTB;
• Braille producing organizations;
• Organizations interested in text only DTB;
• Organizations in countries that have hopes of obtaining publisher files;
• Friends who have XML conversion in their business plan;
• Organizations that want to move to multimedia and distance learning;
• Organizations interested in emergency preparedness information;
• Companies who want to differentiate their playback system in the marketplace.