CONCLUSIONS

Just as in the United States, digital-library-related efforts are being pursued by Japanese universities, governmental institutions and industrial organizations, with strong interactions among these three sectors. In the DIVL area, industry is much more active, as the area is closely tied to multimedia technology. The WTEC panelists feel that Japanese researchers and engineers are quite aware of related research and technology efforts underway in the United States. Largely due to the World Wide Web and exchanges of scholars, gaps in algorithm software/technology development are narrowing. Japanese industry appears to be quite aggressive in converting technology into marketable products. The companies also have a long-term view in many areas of DIVL. The concept of kansei computing, which the panel heard about at several sites, looks at making computing personal, with applications to HCI.

In terms of acquisition of digital content, the United States and Japan are about even. The Japanese seem to be more willing to subject their rare collections to repeated digitization than are Americans. However, this is not a technology-related issue. For years, the Japanese have enjoyed a significant lead in display devices. The panel was impressed with several VR tours built using superior display technologies. The impact of this technology on small portable display devices is debatable.