Multimedia treasure trove goes online

A new online archive of multimedia footage was launched at UQ’s Ipswich campus recently.

The Australian Creative Resources Online (ACRO) is a digital database of creative material that has been saved from the cutting room floor.

A lot of film, video, television, music, photography and radio footage is discarded and wasted when it does not make the director’s cut. This footage is still a valuable resource.

ACRO saves, digitises and stores this material in and online archive, ensuring the information is not lost and forgotten. Anybody wishing to study, understand, or capitalise on Australia’s creative potential can access the archive.

ACRO also stores material that was previously restricted by copyright law. It allows access to large amounts of high quality multimedia material with open content licences.

The launch is the start of an online trial with schools and other key stakeholders testing the system prior to it going ‘live’. A comprehensive backend is being developed to ensure ease of operation.

The content and interactive nature of ACRO will show the benefits of broadband and will be a pioneer of such activity over the network within Australia.

The project will be ever changing and in high demand. This demand will be magnified as it expands to the international arena.

ACRO is a federally funded collaborative project between UQ's Business School, Queensland University of Technology, The Australian National University, Avid Australia, and Strong Point.

Details about ACRO can be found on its website: http://www.uq.edu.au/acro

For further information, contact Ashley Jones from UQ’s Business School (telephone 07 3381 1542, mobile 0412 104 491) or Elizabeth Kerr at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2339 or email: e.kerr@uq.edu.au).