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Issues
Uses
of Internet-based image collections
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Educational
& research purposes: self-study & review for courses;
examination of remote image collections for research or long-distance
learning; sharing of resources--taking advantage of WWW distribution
network to provide greater exposure of image resources
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Exposure
& marketing of work via Internet: architects, artists,
commercial image vendors
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Resource
of images for re-purposing: images can be downloaded and/or
manipulated for new uses
Overview
& Resources Concerning Digital Imaging
Some
Technical Considerations
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Gopher vs Web: Although Gopher sites are known to offer
primarily text, they are certainly capable of supporting images.
Usually what is provided is a list of individual image files,
ex. Architecture
Image Repository(Gopher), SUNET. Web pages offer the capability
to combine text, often identifications, with images, including
displaying multiple images simultaneously, a considerable advantage.
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Web
browsers for image viewing: Lynx vs Mosaic or Netscape
Lynx - Web browser which supports text only; NOT images.
Mosaic - basic Web browser; downloads text first; then
graphics one by one (includes images)
Netscape - Most widely used Web browser; runs on 3 platfoms
widely used at MIT: Macintosh, Windows and Unix (Sun, Silicon
Graphics, IBM RS/6000); text and graphics download nearly simultaneously;
downloads single images nearly twice as fast as Mosaic; supports
enhancements to basic HTML.
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Viewing
options for image files, still and video: For faster retrieval
of images-heavy Web pages, you may select the option to delay
image loading in both Mosaic and Netscape, however, this is
especially helpful in Mosaic.
Video files are usually large files which can take some time
to retrieve. Therefore, they are often offered in different
file sizes to allow users to select small or large files allowing
for workstation capability and transfer rates.
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Image
manipulation: Many Web developers offer two image sizes:
inline GIF images which display along with the text and graphics
of the Web pages and larger images which are retrieved by clicking
on the inline image. Web browsers offer different capabilities.
Mosaic enables viewing of these larger images within a helper
application, ex. XView, which often provides image manipulation
functionality (cropping, rotation, flipping, color adjustments,
etc.). However, Netscape enables viewing of large image files
only within Netscape.
Copyright
Concerns
Possible
restrictions for downloading and re-purposing are real concerns.
Many images are not in the public domain and, therefore, certain
restrictions for their use may apply. Frequently, Web pages contain
copyright notices, restrictions or use information and/or watermarked
images (digitally encrypted copyright information). Also, some Web
sites may provide small, inline images but not larger images. And
some Web sites may provide access only to internal users and forbid
access to outside or external users.
On
the other hand, some Web pages have been constructed with the express
purpose of providing images to the public at large, although this
may require proper crediting.
More
information on this and related topics may be found at several Web
sites such as:
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