Applying the Inherent Structure of Digital Records
Paul Arthur Berkman
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, USA
and EvREsearch LTD, USA
What is the fundamental difference between hardcopy and digital media that will lead to future information-management and knowledge-discovery opportunities? From stone and clay to paper onto digital, each media increased our capacity to transport, produce and integrate information. However, all information (whether hardcopy or digital) has three indivisible elements – content, context and structure – that together provide meaning. The paradigm shift created by digital technologies is the opportunity to utilize the structure of information as well as its content and context. For example, a printed book can be managed based on its content (as in libraries) or its context (as in archives), but it is not possible to break a book into smaller units that can be managed automatically. It is this ability to dynamically manipulate the granularity of information resources that distinguishes digital media from all of the hardcopy predecessors that have been applied throughout human civilization. Applications of automated granularity based on the structure of digital information resources will be demonstrated.