ERIC Number: ED385297
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1995-Aug
Pages: 27
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-1-887334-42-4
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Oversize Color Images Project, 1994-1995. A Report to the Commission on Preservation and Access.
Gertz, Janet
This report provides results of the first phase of a project to identify acceptable preservation and digital access techniques for dealing with oversize, color images associated with text. The goal of Phase I was to provide a preservation-quality photographic archival copy, a digital version for online access, and paper printouts. Five maps from brittle volumes were scanned, along with single-frame color microfiche of the maps, and 4"x 5" color transparencies. Printouts were made from many of the digital images. The report concentrates primarily on resolution and display issues relevant to modern printed maps, which consists of text superimposed on images made up of a relatively small range of colors without subtleties of shading. The report points out that image quality for both capture and display involves many factors that are not always easy to evaluate separately. They include: characteristics of the photographic intermediaries and how they were produced; scanning and display resolution; compression; storage; display hardware; display software; and network transmission limitations. It is concluded that evaluation of the digital files and the highest quality printouts shows that fine details can be captured successfully from paper original, microfiche, and transparency. For the purposes of creating an archival-quality storage medium combined with the potential for increasingly sophisticated electronic presentation of such materials, the project has been successful. However, at this time the ability to capture information outstrips capacity for easy access and display with average equipment. Therefore, the immediate online use of high resolution files is somewhat limited. Appendices include a description of vendor products, a chart of effective resolution (approximate), and the bibliographic record for the project. (Contains nine references.) (MAS)
Descriptors: Access to Information, Archives, Color, Maps, Preservation, Records Management, Reprography
Commission on Preservation and Access, 1400 16th Street, N.W., Suite 740, Washington, DC 20036-2217 ($10).
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Commission on Preservation and Access, Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A