Podcast Pinpointer: a Multimedia Semantic Web Application

In late 2004, a new method of publishing multimedia broadcasts on the Internet became popular called ‘Podcasting’. Podcasting incorporates existing feed description formats, namely RSS 2.0 (Really Simple Syndication), to deliver various enclosed files which allows users to subscribe to feeds, receiving updates periodically. Originally intended for self-publishing and syndication of audio files, usage of Podcasting for video files has become quite popular. Indeed, thousands of Podcast feeds are now available, reaching a wide range of listeners and viewers. The rapid development of such a technology proves the demand for structured formats of describing multimedia data, facilitating location and retrieval of desirable media for consumers. This paper proposes a specification to allow Podcast feeds be integrated into the Semantic Web framework. We are thus able to combine data from Podcast feeds with instance data from other sources and also able to reuse existing Semantic Web technologies such as repositories and user interface applications.