Linking multi-media archive content into the wider context of the nation’s cultural data

The technology and user revolution in mobile, IPTV and social media has significant consequences for our economy, our culture and the way we live. While RTÉ is already a successful Irish market leader in online and mobile delivery, the exponential growth of digital media requires a radical shift in how RTÉ engages and collaborates with audiences.\\ Audiovisual content is a major challenge for Big Data solutions; while professional archives have consistently worked towards the development of standardised metadata within the closed business environment for different media, the exposure of this data outside of the business systems presents major challenges in the opening up these archives to the digital landsacpe. The data is complex, not digital “ready” in non-standardised in format, without common or consistent metadata and ontologies and subject to complex rights issues.\\ RTÉ Digital is developing new ways to repurpose, repackage, discover, analyse and exploit archival content to meet business needs and the ever changing expectations of RTÉ’s audience, and is embarking on a major project in collaboration with the Digital Repository of Ireland and the DERI Research Institute to develop a cross-archival content discovery platform for the semi-automated delivery of curated exhibitions.