Achieving full control of digital assets and collections with DAM
First opened on the 20th of May, 1999, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum (Norsk Oljemuseum) stands at the heart of Stavanger, covering 5,000 square meters, and is dedicated to the history of the Norwegian Oil Industry.
The Museum stores large collections of digital assets, covering everything from documentation and historical files to on-site photography and marketing materials. By using the Fotoware Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum has built a system that is more scalable and secure, streamlining multiple workflows in the process.
Key challenges
Before implementing Fotoware DAM, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum experienced a range of difficulties in managing visuals:
Lack of control: The old system had limited options for access settings, resulting in reduced control of the stored collections and an increased risk of accidental duplicates or deletions.
READ MORE: 5 common challenges easily solved with Digital Asset Management
Missing or unstructured metadata: Without the option of systematically adding metadata during workflows or building customized data structures, the museum had difficulties ensuring that assets and collections were properly organized and easy to find and use.
Restricted server capabilities: With several people accessing and using the same server, it was prone to recurring performance issues, increasing the risk of slow processes, data loss, and data corruption.
Solutions
Metadata management
With the FotoStation metadata editor, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum was able to build a fully customized data structure, populating assets before ingestion. Furthermore, the metadata capabilities within the Fotoware DAM enable the museum to ensure that every asset is properly tagged with all relevant information, making them easily searchable and reducing the risk of faulty usage.
LEARN MORE: Metadata Management - What it is and why it matters
— "The ability to assign unique metadata to assets allows for seamless filtering based on project relevance. This customization ensures that assets are precisely organized and made available to the correct project stakeholders. Fotoware's role in creating a focused and streamlined workflow, tailored to each project's needs, significantly enhances our project management and collaboration efficiency."
Streamlined workflows
The museum also takes advantage of Fotoware’s workflow capabilities, enabling photographers to automatically populate relevant data dependent on the properties of an asset or collection. This makes internal processes much faster and ensures a single source of truth across the organization.
— “One notable improvement lies in the efficiency of workflows, primarily attributed to Fotoware's robust metadata editor. This facilitates efficient workflows through the consistent application of descriptive information and keywords.”
READ MORE: How Queensland Museum enhances sustainability through digitalization
Advanced access rights
With many people needing to access and use different visuals, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum needed a solution that could facilitate advanced set-up with role-based access. With the Fotoware DAM, they can now ensure that users only see what is relevant to them, as well as hinder people from accidentally deleting assets.
As an added bonus, the system also allows for seamless external sharing, offering the museum full control over who can view, download, or delete visuals - both inside and outside the organization.
LEARN MORE: Beyond digitization: How DAM helps Museums manage their collections.
— "I appreciate its feature that allows me to share albums with third-party collaborators, enabling efficient data collection and information exchange. The added bonus of access restrictions ensures that I have control over shared content, balancing collaboration with data security."
A scalable solution
Having a scalable system for data and asset management is a key factor in organizations' digital strategies, allowing for continuous development as the organization grows and changes. With the Fotoware DAM, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum achieves this, digitalizing collections and ensuring a single source of truth across platforms and channels.
READ MORE: Making Cultural Heritage Documentation Publicly Available with DAM
— "As a photographer, Fotoware is a daily game-changer. The emphasis on metadata-driven organization and versioning enhances my photo management. Customizable namespaces and security measures reinforce data integrity. Streamlined workflows with custom actions make my tasks smoother. Fotoware's versatility extends to secure third-party sharing, facilitating collaboration. It empowers me to make my work quickly available, ensuring easy access for my team. In essence, Fotoware optimizes efficiency, organization, and collaboration in my daily work."
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