Revolutionizing Data Management with Semantic Technology

From Customer Request to Semantic Data Platform

Elody began as a customer’s request for a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS). Leveraging a decade of DAMS experience, we envisioned a versatile platform, revolutionizing data & asset management.

Elody is now a semantic data platform with advanced capabilities, seamlessly integrating modern technology and innovative architecture.

Our multifunctional team, consisting of product managers, business analysts, software architects, developers, system engineers, UI/UX designers, backend developers, QA engineers, and customer support specialists, collaborated seamlessly to bring this vision to life.

Microservices and Event-Driven Design

Our software architects designed an innovative architecture for Elody, centered around microservices and an event-driven framework. This architectural choice laid the foundation for Elody’s success. It offers the flexibility to cater a multitude of data management challenges.

All microservices are built upon a Django backend and the backoffice application uses a Vue.js frontend for a dynamic and user-friendly interface.

Elody has an interface layer in GraphQL that let you create custom web and mobile applications on top of the microservices backend and thrid-party services. With this architecture, elody customers can enjoy improved performance, enhanced security, and easy maintenance while creating a fully customized user experience.

Linked Open Data and Semantic Technology

Linked Open Data and semantic technology are the driving forces behind Elody’s capacity to connect, contextualize, and manage diverse datasets.

• Data Connectivity: Linked Open Data connects datasets, enabling Elody to establish meaningful relationships between different types of information. This interconnectedness enriches data context.
• Metadata Enrichment: Elody employs semantic technology to provide metadata to assets, allowing for comprehensive contextualization. Metadata is linked to other assets’ metadata, creating a web of interconnected information.
• Versatility: Elody can manage a wide array of data, from IoT device data to art collections, bridging the gap between seemingly disparate datasets.
• Customized Solutions: Elody can be customized to cater to specific data management needs, making it adaptable to various industries and use cases.

IIIF Integration

Elody’s integration of IIIF transforms the way assets are visualized, shared, and accessed. Here’s why IIIF is a game-changer:

• High-Resolution Visualization: IIIF enables high-resolution visualization of assets, ensuring that users can explore every detail with clarity and precision.
• Interoperability: IIIF’s interoperable framework allows for a smooth integration with other IIIF-compliant resources and institutions, expanding the reach and utility of Elody.
• Effortless Sharing: With IIIF, users can easily share and collaborate on assets, fostering greater engagement and collaboration within teams or across institutions.
• Enhanced Research: Researchers benefit from IIIF’s capabilities, as it facilitates in-depth analysis and comparison of assets, making it an invaluable tool for scholarly work.

Development: Agile Work and Iterative Improvement

We followed an Agile development approach characterized by cross-functional teams, sprint-based cycles, daily standup meetings, and a user-centric focus. This allowed us to deliver results quickly and adjust to evolving requirements.

• Cross-Functional Teams: Our teams included software architects, developers, UI/UX designers, QA engineers, and product managers who collaborated effectively to create a future-proof solution.
• Sprint-Based Cycles: We work in sprints of two to four weeks, focusing on specific tasks and deliverables. This approach ensured steady and measurable progress.
• Daily Standup Meetings: Daily meetings kept everyone on the same page, enabling open communication about progress, challenges, and daily plans.
• User-Centric Approach: User feedback played a vital role in shaping Elody. We actively sought and integrated user insights to refine the platform continuously.

We maintained a commitment to continuous improvement, always looking for ways to refine and optimize Elody.

Versatile Solutions: Three Distinct Offerings

Our journey from a customer’s DAMS request led us to create three distinct solutions using Elody:

• Asset Management: Elody excels in managing digital collections within a digital environment. Notable applications include CoGhent and Digipolis Antwerp, which showcase historical assets through websites and interactive experiences.

Read CoGhent Case ➔

Read Digipolis Case ➔

• Context Management: Elody’s can provide context to data from various devices and combined services. Applications such as Police Zone Antwerp' IoT platform demonstrate its capacity to enhance data context.

Read Police of Antwerp Case ➔

• Dataset Management: The platform’s versatility extends to the creation and structuring of datasets. Tools like Virtuoso and GraphQL facilitate dataset development.

Elody a spin-off company by Inuits

In summary, Elody’s journey from a customer request to a semantic data platform, empowered by innovative architecture, collaborative teamwork, and cutting-edge technologies, stands as a testament to its potential to revolutionize data and asset management across diverse industries.