INSTANT ARCHITECTURE: HOSTED ACCESS TO THE ARCHIVISION RESEARCH LIBRARY WITH BUILT-IN IMAGE MANAGEMENT & PRESENTATION TOOLS

- The Archivision Research Library is a collection of 100,000 digital images of art and architecture professionally photographed by a trained architect. It documents the built environment--from ancient monuments to cutting-edge contemporary constructions--with extensive, standardized descriptive metadata. Archivision is accessible for research and teaching through a web-based application--a dedicated hosted instance of MDID--with vrcHost LLC delivering full services and technical support: installation, integration, and maintenance. This combination provides not only instant access to Archivision, but also to sophisticated tools for managing images using an open source media management system to discover, aggregate, study, and present digital media.


INTRODUCTION
In today's technology-filled world, we are surrounded by art and architecture, often spontaneously snapping and sharing the images that capture our attention.Yet, seeing the built environment through the eye of an architect is a singular experience.The Archivision Research Library of 100,000 digital images does exactly this [1], with the added bonus of also providing extensive descriptive information and seamless hosted access in the Madison Digital Image Database [2].MDID provides sophisticated tools for managing this inspiring vision of the built environment using a freely distributed, open source media management system to discover, aggregate, study, and present digital media, while vrcHost LLC delivers full hosted services and technical support [3].This summary explores the depth and breadth of Archivision and demonstrates the utility of accessing the digital images in MDID for research, study, and teaching.

ARCHIVISION
The Archivision Research Library contains over a 100,000 digital images of world architecture, urban design, gardens, landscapes, archaeological sites, and art in museums and public places, professionally shot by Scott Gilchrist, photographer and trained architect (Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Architecture) [Figure 1].The collection has been meticulously built over the last 25 years capturing the architectural world, from ancient monuments to cutting-edge contemporary constructions.
One of the strengths of the library is the completeness of the visual documentation of any given architectural work, from overall views to exacting details.For example, Archivision holds 295 images of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, showing exterior and interior views as well as fascinating details [Figure 4].Similarly, for a sculpture example, there are 51 images of Cellini's 'Perseus with the Head of Medusa' in Florence [detail in Figure 5].What also separates the Archivision material from the casual shots many of us take as we travel is the mesmerizing quality of the images, this detail of the San Francisco Federal Building by Thom Mayne of Morphosis (102 images) and an interior view of the Monastery of Sainte-Marie de la Tourette by Xenakis and Le Corbusier (242 images) are good examples [Figure 2].
Then, there is the extensive descriptive metadata that is applied to each architectural or artistic work.For example, standardized terminology like Deconstructivist, government office buildings, precast concrete, galvanized steel, perforated steel panels, architecture and city planning, etc. are all used to describe Mayne's Federal Building mentioned above [Figure 3].The descriptive metadata follows the VRA Core data standard for the description of images and works of visual culture [4] and Archivision staff can provide clients with this metadata in Microsoft Excel, Core 4 XML, and RDF with linked open data.For structured terminology, the Getty Vocabularies provide authoritative information to insure efficient online search and retrieval [5].Expansive information from resources such as Grove Art Online is added to the description field for research and study purposes [6].
Archivision is a growing collection with 9,000 new images and descriptions added annually.Intended for use primarily in educational contexts, the Archivision Research Library can be licensed to own in perpetuity, allowing it to be added to any existing digital collection or preservation repository, either by individual modules or in its entirety.Or, it can be accessed through subscription or hosted services.Many institutions cannot or do not want to load the images and metadata locally, therefore Archivision partners with vrcHost LLC to make the collection accessible and usable for research, study, and teaching through MDID, a web-based application with great functionality (extended information below).In this way, the Archivision content can be instantly accessed through a dedicated hosted instance of MDID with vrcHost LLC delivering full services and technical support, such as installation, integration, and maintenance.MDID provides sophisticated tools for: managing the Archivison collection of digital images, studying art and architecture, and presenting a variety of digital media in educational contexts.

MDID and vrcHost
MDID is a freely distributed, open source web application originally developed at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and now supported mainly by vrcHost LLC.MDID is a digital media management system with sophisticated tools for discovering, aggregating, and presenting digital media in a wide variety of learning spaces [Figure 4].The project started in 1997 in response to increasingly digital curriculum requirements within JMU's School of Art and Art History.It evolved over time into a cross-disciplinary instructional application used at several hundred institutions in the United States and around the world.It is freely available for download from the Internet under an open source license.
MDID has support for audio and video, flexible metadata structures, a rich and robust discovery interface, granular access controls, PowerPoint compatibility, support for composite objects, and novel presentation mechanisms that run on most operating systems.It ships with a companion application, the MediaViewer, used primarily in mediated classrooms to display slideshows (groups of ordered images), featuring intuitive zoom and pan controls, intelligent navigation, image caching, catalog data display, and support for dual monitors or projectors for high resolution image comparison [Figure 5].
Andreas Knab at vrcHost started offering commercial support for locally hosted instances of MDID and the hosting of fully managed MDID instances in 2013.This service saves institutions from the worries of installing and administering a server and application software, allowing users at educational institutions to concentrate on their immediate tasks of collection curation, lecture slideshow creation, or research and study.The partnership with Archivision pushes this even further by preloading the application with a large number of high resolution art and architecture images accompanied by rich descriptive metadata.

CONCLUSION
European institutions are encouraged to join the over 200 existing clients worldwide who are finding the Archivision Research Library to be a key educational resource.Hosting in MDID is highly recommended for instant access and the use of powerful tools that enhance research, teaching, and the study of art and architecture.This collection, curated by a trained architect and professional photographer, provides an inspiring vision of the built environment and access to many other associated art works.People want to get their information online and this Archivision/vrcHost collaborative wants to contribute to the development of digital libraries for current and future learners.