The Semantic Annotation Tool
The Semantic Annotation Tool is a drop-in video annotation solution for the web that is made from two parts: Waldorf.js and Statler.
Waldorf.js is a drop-in jQuery module that facilitates the creation and sharing of time- and geometry-based media annotations on the Web. Waldorf.js wraps all HTML5 video tags on a page with an intuitive authoring and presentation environment for time-based video annotations. Annotations are loaded from and saved to Statler, a linked data-compliant server that communicates with the plugin to collect and disseminate user-generated comments and tags compliant with the W3C Web Annotation specification. This system creates an end-to-end open source video annotation workflow that can be used as either an off the shelf or customizable solution for a wide variety of applications. Waldorf.js was specifically designed to present time-based annotations in an accessible interface that is compatible with screen readers.
Waldorf.js and Statler are both open source software. A demo site is available to preview the system, and the current beta versions of both components are on GitHub:
Waldorf.js and Statler were created through a partnership between the Media Ecology Project and the Virtual Environments and Multimodal Interactions Lab with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
