The Digital Media Project

 

DMP Procedures of work

 

1.     Purpose

This document defines the process through which DMP develops its Technical Specifications, Recommended Practices and Recommended Actions, hereinafter collectively called DMP Approved Documents (AD) in accordance with the DMP Statutes. Currently the types of DMP ADs are

This document is based on the procedures of similar bodies and may change over time to adapt to the evolving DMP needs.

In the event of any conflict between this document and the Statutes,  the latter will prevail.

2.     The development process of DMP ADs 

When the need to develop a DMP AD is identified, DMP develops requirements (RQ) and agrees on a time line for the development of the DMP AD. This is reported in the DMP Work Plan (WP) approved by the General Assembly (GA). This describes the current and planned work leading to DMP ADs.

As a rule a Call for Contributions (CfC) is then issued requesting Members and non-Members alike to provide their views on the requirements that should drive the development of the said DMP AD. A CfP is issued in case the AD is a TS or RP and a CfC is issued in case the AD is a RA.

The drafting of the CfC and the study of the submissions received in response to the CfP is assigned to a specific Development Committee (DC). The Secretariat posts all submissions received on the participants-only portion of the DMP web site. As a rule, any company, organisation and individual, irrespective of its membership in DMP, is entitled to submit a written contribution. All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the deadlines for submission established by the GA.

The Secretariat establishes an email reflector to enable participants to discuss the contributions. DMP Members can direct questions to non-Members having made a submission. As a rule non-DMP members shall not be permitted to join the email reflector.

At the meeting where contributions are discussed members can make presentations of their proposals. The time allocated to the presentation of a proposal is set by the DC Chair in consultation with the author of the proposal and the members of the DC. Non-members are allowed to attend the meeting when their contributions are presented.

Discussions on RQs, both at DC meetings and on DMP email reflectors, produce a Requirements document approved by the DC and the GA. This is an evolving document on which DMP members are welcome to make written contributions at any time. These are submitted to the Secretariat that will post the contributions on the members-only portion of the DMP web site. As soon as this document has achieved sufficient maturity and consensus is reached the document is posted on the public portion of the DMP web site. In case the DMP AD is a RA the DC in charge will start the development of the AD.

Otherwise the DC in charge initiates discussions aiming at the development of a Reference Architecture. These discussions eventually produce a Reference Architecture document. As soon as this document has achieved sufficient maturity and consensus is reached the document is posted on the public portion of the DMP web site. In case the DMP AD is a RP the DC in charge will start the development of the AD based on the Reference Architecture.

Otherwise this document is used to produce a Call for Proposals (CfP) for technologies that are needed to develop the specification. This is posted on the public portion of the DMP web site. In the event that a submission from a non-participant or a part of it is identified for inclusion in a specification the originator will be requested to immediately join DMP. If such non-participant elects not to join DMP the submission will be rejected.

One or more working groups and if necessary Development Committees are established to deal with the DMP AD. They will work on the basis of submissions received from the Call for Proposals. The AD will evolve through a series of drafts. When a draft has achieved sufficient maturity and consensus is reached it is posted on the public portion of the DMP web site.

At each stage of development of a document relating to the development of a specification, the DC in charge will identify the areas on which participants are requested to submit contributions. This will be confirmed by the GA. Submissions on other topics will be considered at the discretion of the DC Chair in consultation with the author of the submission and the members of the DC and will be referred to the GA. The DC may decide to establish special groups to collect opinions from potentially underrepresented groups of users.

During the development of specifications the need for new technologies may become necessary. These may be obtained through CfP, possibly restricted to DMP members. Such CfP may be originated by the DC in charge of development of a DMP AD.

3.     Unsolicited Input Contributions

Unsolicited Input Contributions (UIC) are defined as those requests for presentation and consideration by the GA whose topics do not directly relate to prior or outstanding CfPs, or are not part of the mandate of an ad hoc group established to progress work between GAs but are susceptible of becoming a DMP work item.

A decision regarding the suitability of such a request will be made by the Board of Directors in consultation with DC Chairs.

In order to provide the Board of Directors with sufficient time to decide on the suitability of a contribution UICs shall be registered and its files uploaded to the DMP secretariat no later then 7 calendar days prior to the opening of the GA in which the contributor wished to make the presentation. Files which are not available within the prescribed timeframe will be considered for presentation at the 1st available GA at the Board of Directors' discretion.

If it is decided that a presentation is acceptable a 30 minute slot, to be scheduled by the Board of Directors in order to accommodate all DMP business, will be allocated to the contributor for presentation and Q&A. The contributor may be asked to present a summary of the contribution in plenary and also a detailed presentation in a breakout session in order to insure proper consideration by experts who can return a recommendation on the disposition of the contribution to the Board of Directors and the GA.

Text and slides of contributions may be provided (uploaded) in a commonly available word processing or graphics processing system.

The disposition of UICs is at the discretion of the GA and shall be provided to the contributor no later than the close of the 1st GA following the GA at which the contributor presents the contribution.

4.     Maintenance of DMP specifications

DMP may decide to adopt and issue corrigenda to DMP ADs in accordance with the following provisions:

  1. Corrigenda may be adopted only where DMP ADs:
    1. contain material technical errors, omissions or ambiguities;
    2. do not further the goals of DMP, as set forth in the Statutes; or
    3. implementations of such DMP ADs are considered to be unacceptable.
  2. The necessity and rationale for a corrigendum must be notified to the Board of Directors.  Anybody, whether or not a DMP Member, may bring to the attention of DMP the need for a corrigendum by sending a request to the Secretariat.
  3. The GA will determine whether there is a need for a corrigendum.  If it so determines, the GA will designate a working group to develop the text of a draft corrigendum.
  4. The GA may approve, or modify, the draft corrigendum.  After approval by the GA, the draft corrigendum shall be posted on the public portion of the DMP web site for public comment for such period of time as the GA shall determine.  The Secretariat shall inform companies that are known to have developed products that implement the affected DMP specifications of the draft corrigendum.
  5. At its next meeting, the GA shall, after taking into consideration any comments it has received and, in accordance with the Statutes, decide whether to modify and adopt the draft corrigendum.

5.     DMP organisation

The GA consists of representatives of members. It is chaired by the President with the assistance of the Secretariat. It approves DMP ADs released by DCs at all stages of development, including the final stage. It approves resolutions at the end of each meeting to document the extent to which consensus is achieved.

DCs are established by the GA upon proposal by the Board of Directors. DC Chairs are appointed by the Board of Directors in consultation with the GA. The DC mandate is assigned by the Board of  Directors in consultation with the GA. The DC mandate typically consists of the development of a DMP AD or a part thereof by a given deadline. One or more editors are appointed by the DC Chair to actually draft the specification. DCs approve resolutions at the end of their meetings.

The GA and DCs may decide to establish ad-hoc groups (AHGs). These are governed by the following operating rules:

  1. AHGs are established for the sole purpose of continuing work between consecutive in person GA or DC meetings. The AHGs shall remain convened only during the period between such meetings and for so long as necessary to document or report the results of their progress at the beginning of the following meeting. They shall not hold physical meetings unless so established at the date of their creation;
  2. The task of an AHG may only cover preparation of recommendations to be submitted to the body that created it. Any other document produced has the status of "input document" to the following regular meeting;
  3. AHGs shall be established with mandate, membership, chairman, duration and meeting schedule at an DMP meeting by an appropriate resolution of the body that created it. A document will be produced that will contain all these data;
  4. Participation in AHGs shall not be restricted to the delegates present at the meeting during which the AHG is established;
  5. AHGs shall issue a report upon completion of their task.

6.     Numbering of DMP documents

  1. Document numbering scheme
    1. DMPnnnnRrr
    2. DC01nnnnRrr
    3. DC02nnnnRrr
    4. etc.
    where
    1. nn: serial number
    2. R (optional) for revision
    3. rr: (optional) 2 digits for revision number
  2. Documents should contain
    1. Title
    2. Author
    3. Affiliation
    4. Brief summary (optional, but strongly encouraged).
  3. A document submitted by a participant should be sent by email to the DMP Secretariat at the latest 2 working days before the start of the meeting at which the document is intended to be discussed. The subject field of the email message should indicate the DCs/WGs where the document is intended to be discussed. Submitted document will be numbered by the DMP Secretariat.
  4. Documents lists and the documents themselves will be posted on the restricted access portion of the DMP web site.