This document discusses eBooks and the process of publishing eBooks at FEUP. It outlines the current production cycle and motivates the need for a new production cycle using a collaborative tool. The proposed tool would use a three-layer architecture with a web-based interface to facilitate information sharing between authors, editors, and other roles in a more efficient manner. Future work is aimed at implementing standards for content structure and metadata and developing output interfaces for various formats.

1. eBook publication: the technology, the contents, the how to do :
a challenge to competences share and team work
Ana Azevedo, Carlos Oliveira, Nuno Portela, Pedro Faria, Tiago Pereira

2. Agenda
What are eBooks ?
Current and future technology
eBook publishing at FEUP
Current production cycle
Motivation for change
New production cycle
Proposed tool
Future work

3. What are eBooks ?
eBooks are electronic books that offer the
convenience of size and portability and in most
cases, are cheaper than their 'hard copy'
counterparts.
eBooks provide features that give an enhanced
reading experience, like highlight, annotation,
zoom and embedded media.
eBooks have security settings which may
prevent or limit printing and copying.
In order to read an eBook, you will require a
small piece of free software known as an eBook
Reader.
eBooks come in different formats and each
format has it's own Reader software.

4. Current and future technology
Acrobat Reader
fac-simile presentation, reflow for accessibility
print (if not protected by DRM)
Multiplatform
Powerful multimedia embedding and scripting
Microsoft Reader
fixed size
automatic text reflow
no print
Windows only

5. Current and future technology
E Ink (www.eink.com)
Uses oil-filled capsules in
which particles of titanium
dioxide are suspended.
A charge to selected
particles (white or black)
create the image.
Photo courtesy of Philips

6. Current and future technology
E Ink recently announced an advanced
electronic paper color prototype
featuring 12-bit color in a 400X300
pixel format with a resolution of 83
pixels per inch.
It featured a high-brightness layout
(RGBW) that preserves the paper-like
whiteness of the backround page while
enabling deep blacks for text and a
range of colors and tones for images.
Photo courtesy of E Ink Corp.

7. Current and future technology
Sony® Reader
Electronic paper technology provides clarity
and resolution that rival paper itself.
The screen is as easy to read in full daylight as
indoors, and can be viewed from nearly any
angle.
Its rechargeable battery powers through up to
7,500 page turns.
Photos courtesy of Sony

8. Current and future technology
Photos courtesy of iRex Technologies and Tianjin Jinke Electronics

9. Current and future technology
E Ink founders had a vision of a flexible
newspaper with the versatility of digital
control and wireless update to life.
Photo courtesy of Plastic Logic

10. Current and future technology
Philips unveils world’s
first ‘Rollable Display’
pocket e-Reader
concept READIUS
Photos courtesy of Polymer Vision

11. eBook publishing at FEUP
“FEUP edições” is a publisher of learning books, exploring complementary media:
books, ebooks and elearning platforms.
Construction safety eBook MatLab eBook

12. Production cycle
The eBook production goes
through an iterative cycle,
where content authors team up
with information architects,
media producers, designers
and programmers, under the
supervision of an editor.

13. Motivation for change
Problem:
The whole process, since the vision and draft versions until the final publication, is
usually very long and resource intensive
Most of the idle time is due to the slow information interchange between the actors
involved and the different information environments
A common information environment should ease the information interchange for the
most critical steps.
Goal:
Our goal is then to define and develop a tool that enables the automated information
interaction between the actors, under an web environment.

14. The new production cycle
Advantages:
1.Central information storage
and access point
2. Abstract (XML) representation
of the content
3. Flexible content organisation
output, depending on user

15. Proposed tool
Three layered architecture:
Client side
Presentation layer
Server side
Business logic layer
Data access layer
Platforms:
Rich client - Macromedia Flex
Server side - Flex + PHP

16. Proposed tool
Features:
1. Web based,
platform agnostic
2. Groupware tool
3. Author focus in
structure rather
than in style
4. Easy drag&drop
interface
5. Pedagogically
oriented eBook
design

17. Future work
Storage:
1. IMS Content Packaging standard for content structure
2. IMS Learning Resource Metadata standard for content description
3. Access and rights management using ExLibris Digitool

18. Future work
CISCO Reusable Learning Objects methodology for pedagogic organization
An RLO is a combination of information objects built upon a single objective,
consisting of content items, practice items and assessment items, further classified
as a concept, a fact, a procedure, a process or a principle.

19. Future work
Output interfaces:
1. HTML based, for rapid prototyping
2. ADL SCORM, for use in elearning systems
3. PDF-X for integration with eBook production tools

20. FEUP – RUA DR.ROBERTO FRIAS
4200-465 PORTO – PORTUGAL
TEL: +351 22 5081400
FAX: +351 22 5081440
URL: http://www.fe.up.pt
E-mail: feup@fe.up.pt
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