Galatea Image Library

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Galatea Image Library(www.galatea.be)
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Goals of Galatea

• provide direct access to large quantities of
  visual material
• develop an easy-to-use tool for creating course
  materials
• allow students and teachers with the necessary
  communicational infrastructure to facilitate Open
  and Distance Learning

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Registration

• new users can register by filling in the
  appropriate form
• the administrator subsequently confirms or
  rejects the subscription
• an email is sent to the user providing an
  automatically generated password which can be
  changed online

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Creating pages

• text and images are added through an MS Word-like
  interface using ActiveX technology
• for non-windows machines or browsers other than
  Explorer, a java-applet is provided

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Adding an Image to the database

• images can be added directly from within the
  browser
• via an easy to use interface, descriptive
  information and comments for the user can be
  supplied
• images are uploaded in jpeg-format and
  automatically resized by the server for optimal
  performance and quality

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Searching the Image Library

• Extended search-capabilities allow for optimal
  use of the available material
• Galateas explicit focus on art-historical and
  cultural education make it well-adapted to
  function in specific contexts

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Searching the Image Library (2)

• when the required material is located, the user
  can browse through the library at a more
  leasurely pace
• when needed, information and comments can be
  updated instantly

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Creating a Gallery (1)

• galleries can be created independently from
  courses and shared among users
• materials can be added from any browser at any
  point in time

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Creating a Gallery (2)

• while browsing the library, images are selected
  and added to the gallery
• images are shared between users and courses

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Viewing a Gallery (1)

• Galatea automatically generates a thumbnail
  overview
• the number of images used is virtually unlimited

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Viewing a Gallery (2)

• the image gallery can be browsed at leasure
• an information window displays additional
  database entries
• a comment window provides information from the
  teacher about the slide

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Viewing a Gallery (3)

• a zoom function allows for detailed
  scrutinization of the image
• this function is indispensable for images such as
  plans, overviews and architecture

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Moving images

• film fragments can be inserted into the Galatea
  system
• moving images are encoded in the international
  MP4 standard, allowing playback on multiple
  platforms and players

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Communication Platform

• a tree-structured forum permits easy contact
  between teachers and students
• for real-time communication a chat function is
  included, making Galatea excellently suited for
  distance learning

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User Management

• users are administered through a userfriendly
  interface
• a system of profiling provides a solid yet simple
  means of security

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The future of Galatea (1)

• close integration with Cumulus image database
• users are able to select images from external
  databases through an easy-to-use Galatea
  interface and insert them directly into their
  galleries

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The future of Galatea (2)

• embedding of Galatea into the ARIADNE Foundation
  for a European Knowledge Pool
• implementation of direct interfacing between
  university LDAP services and the Galatea user
  management module

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Galatea.be by

• Maerlant Center
• (www.maerlant.be)

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And by

• Institute for Cultural Studies
• (www.culturalstudies.be)