Case studies

Structured information about selected projects,
reasons of development, ways of usage, number of clients and so on.

Case Studies / Universum

1. Project name

2. Short characteristic of the project

  • the most exhaustive Czech multimedia application based on its original book model – the project of Universum encyclopedia
  • It contains not only the encyclopedia digital replica including the picture-appendixes but it is combined with valuable video and audio examples 
  • it plays a searching role; the search runs through the encyclopedia enabling active access to data in a form of own literature search and links to internet 
  • regular updates; an option to configure the application to user needs
     

3. Customer profile

  • Euromedia Group, k.s., a daughter company of Bertelsmann AG; it is counted into the strongest and biggest business subjects on book market in the Czech Republic
  • it owns publishing marks Knižní klub (from 1992), Odeon (from 1999), Ikar, (from 2000) a Universum (from 2000)
  • Region of operations: the Czech Republic; as a part of the corporation, it operates over the whole Europe
     

4. Why the project was realized

  • digital class of Universum encyclopedia project
  • to supply printed versions of Universum encyclopedias with the added value – the digital media, which moved the work with encyclopedias to higher level.
  • because of success of media which were appended to the printed versions, the decision was made after three years to create a distinct multimedia encyclopedia
  • our company,  AION CS, s.r.o., win the tender thanks to rich opinions we got while digitalizing 40 volumes of Otto’s educational dictionaries
     

5. Time of realization

  • 1999-2000: Universum 1 - CD-ROM  for a 10 volumes encyclopedia (150 thousands entries)
  • 2001: Universum 2 – entire multimedia encyclopedia with both sequence search and full text search (135 thousands entries, 10 thousands entries, 110 videos and 240 audio examples)
  • 2002: Universum 3 – an encyclopedia which offered a new dimension of work with encyclopedias; from personalized settings to a search-history
  • 2002-3: CD-ROM to one volume encyclopedia (40 thousands entries, three and half thousands image appendixes)
  • 2003: Universum 3.1
  • 2004: Universum 4 – for the first time also as DVD-ROM; the user can add his own notes and literature searches just into encyclopedia’s entries
  • 2006: CDROM and DVD-ROM to Universum A-Ž
  • 2006: Universum 5 – a connection to Internet and online encyclopedias on cotoje.cz portal
  • 2007-until now: the most recent version of entire multimedia encyclopedia Universum 5.1 on DVD-ROM
     

6. Position on the market

  • number of pressed media approximately 80 thousands
  • during 10 years on the market, multimedia encyclopedias Universum win many awards, both from book and computers related expert-community 
     

7. Typical profile of Universum user

  • broad “encyclopedias community”
  • pupils, students
  • public sector, state institutions
  • libraries, schools of all educational levels
     

8. Way of operation of Universum encyclopedia

  • electronic media – CD-ROM, 2CD-ROM, DVD-ROM; both as a stand-alone product and also as a part of a printed publication
  • on-line encyclopedia on internet – http://www.cotoje.cz/
  • internal redaction systems to redaction-works over the content (input, structuring and interconnections between content sources mentioned above, output both to printed and multimedia off-line applications and to on-line encyclopedias on Internet)  
  • web servers and applications for advertisement and user support as actualizations, registration etc.
     

9. User interface

  • specially installed application with switched graphical design
  • internet connection highly recommended
     

10. Technologies used

10.1. Software

  • MS Internet Explorer version 6.0 and higher 
  • 32-bit MS Windows of any versions
  • 64-bit MS Windows of any version
     

10.2. Hardware

  • any PC
     

11. Solution description

  • Univesum project is balanced in text content and multimedia
  • is up-to-date multimedia encyclopedia
     

11.1. Pillars

  • wide and unique information
  • information is prepared by professional editors
  • XML, HTML 4, JavaScript 2.1
  • the most common browser and operating system platform
  • powerful searching off-line engine
  • splendid author and programmer team
  • great cooperation with our client
  • good ideas
  • maximum automation of data preparation
     

11.2. Some principles

  • encyclopedia decomposition into text, graphics and multimedia parts
  • text analysis with respect to branches, time and topography
  • backward connection of fragments to entries, pages and volumes
  • searching in entries both in catalogue-mode and full text
  • user luxury (graphic themes, text size)
  • active client (tabs on distinct entries, own notes, import and export of  notes, tied to internet – cotoje.cz, google.com)
  • client registration, mailing
  • encyclopedia updates (both by online packages and off-line media)