The Google Art Project Expands Virtual Collection

"The Art Project is a collaboration between Google and 151 acclaimed art partners from across 40 countries. Using a combination of various Google technologies and expert information provided by our museum partners, we have created a unique online art experience. Users can explore a wide range of artworks at brushstroke level detail, take a virtual tour of a museum and even build their own collections to share. With a team of Googlers working across many product areas we are able to harness the best of Google to power the Art Project experience. Few people will ever be lucky enough to be able to visit every museum or see every work of art they’re interested in but now many more can enjoy over 30,000 works of art from sculpture to architecture and drawings and explore over 150 collections from 40 countries, all in one place. We’re also lucky at Google to have the technology to make this kind of project a reality."

Source | http://www.bespacific.com/

International Name Authority Project Moves to OCLC

International Name Authority Project Moves to OCLC

VIAF (Virtual International Authority File), a project that virtually combines multiple name authority files into a single name authority service, has transitioned to become an OCLC service. OCLC will  continue to make VIAF openly accessible and will also work to incorporate VIAF into various OCLC services.

This transition from an interim, shared-governance arrangement to OCLC is done in agreement with  institutions participating in VIAF. The change has been made to assure that VIAF will be well-positioned to scale efficiently as a long-term, cooperative activity. The transition also assures that http://viaf.org will continue to have an appropriate infrastructure to respond to rising levels of traffic as VIAF gains momentum and popularity as a resource for library authority work and linked data activities.

The institutions contributing to VIAF will continue to help shape VIAF’s direction through participation in a
newly formed VIAF council, which will provide guidance on policies, practices,and operation of VIAF. At present, 22 agencies from 19 countries have contributed data to VIAF. Data is contributed on a nonexclusive basis.

Concurrent with the change in governance structure, OCLC has begun moving operational responsibility for VIAFfrom OCLC Research to OCLC’s production areas. VIAF will continue to be made available through http://viaf.org.

“Matching national authority files  for persons and corporate bodies enables their mutual consolidation at the international level,” said Bruno Racine, president of the National Library of France. “VIAF allows the exposure on the Web of highly trusted data, demonstrating the value of authority work done for so many years by national libraries and bibliographic agencies. The new Agreement confirms the free re-use of VIAF data, including the commercial re-use of data according to the ODC-By license. We expect that this broader opening of access to VIAF will encourage multilingualism and the creation of new services beyond the library world,  including for data mining, intellectual property rights management, etc.”

Source: OCLC

UK opens Biobank to medical researchers

UK opens Biobank to medical researchers The UK has completed the first phase of its Biobank project and is making its database of anonymised information on morethan 500,000 participants available online to public health researchers.

The Biobank was officially launched several years ago and is fast becoming the largest, most comprehensive
collection of health and lifestyle data. It will be used to help scientists understand why some people get illnesses like heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia and arthritis and others do not.

People enrolled in the Biobank are aged between 40 and 69 and donated samples of blood, urine and saliva for long-term storage and analysis, including genetic testing.

They also had a wide range ofmeasurements taken at enrolment, including blood pressure, pulse rate, height,
weight, body fat, lung function, bone density, grip strength, arterial stiffness, vision, hearing and general levels of fitness. Follow-up testing will gauge their health status over the coming years.

Researchers who want to access the database need to register with the Biobank and submit details of their proposed research projects, which will be assessed by a committee. Access to stored samples can
be arranged for a fee.

Research carried out using the Biobank data must be published and the results added to the database so other researchers can draw on the findings.

Dame Sally Davies, chief medical  officer at the Department of Health, said: "It has huge potential for
future generations and will help us understand how our children and our children's children can live longer, healthier lives."

Meanwhile, this week the government has also launched its e-health service the Clincial Practice
Research Datalink, which will give life sciences companies unprecedented access to large sets of anonymised NHS patient data.
Source | http://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/