IAMLADP Task Force on Digital Solutions for Conference Services
Digitalized Workflow at WFP
Background
WFP has successfully implemented a digitalized workflow system since June 2008 for the
dissemination of the proceedings of official meetings and the production of transcribed
records.
The new system is currently in place at WFP for the Executive Board, Bureau meetings and
official consultations. WFP Executive Board consists of delegates from 36 member countries
that meets three times a year to discuss WFP’s operational, financial and administrative
affairs and make policy decisions. All WFP Board sessions and the informal consultations
held each year are attended by observers from more than 50 countries.
At these meetings, the Conference Services Unit (REBC) organizes interpretation in Arabic,
Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian, and ensures that transcripts of the sessions are
available for staff use.
Preparatory work
A project team was set up and started its work by visiting the other Rome-based United
Nations agencies to learn from their experience and involving WFP’s Information and
Technology (IT) Division to research the market.
The IT and Building Services Division prepared the auditorium for installation, and training
was conducted at the end of May 2009 with the aim of launching the system at the Annual
Session of the Board in early June.
System overview
The system supports automatic registration of multiple audio and video channels.
The logging tool « logdepot » logs one videochannels and up to 7 audiochannels (for different
microphones from e.q. interpreters).
The logdepot platform is composed of two logdepot video and two log depot audio for
redundancy and fetcher server. As shown in the following figure.
Arbor Video Encoder
IP address
10.11.40.182
Fetcher Server
Windows 2003 Server
IP Add. 10.11.40.186
Http://10.11.40.186/logdepot
VIDEO
VIDEO FEED TRANSCEIVER
Arbor Video Encoder
FROM
IP address
AUDITORIUM
10.11.40.188
WFP HQ LAN
Floor
English
French
Spanish
Arbor Audio Encoder
IP address
10.11.40.181
HQ LAN USER
Arabic
Chinese
Russian
Arbor Audio Encoder
IP address
10.11.40.184
System Infrastructure
Video
LogDepot Video is able to record in Windows Media Format in every available bitrate, from
56kbit/s up to 10Mbit/s. Additionally, LogDepot Video allows you to export to other
Windows Media Video (WMV) formats.
Audio
The LogDepot Audio server digitalizes and streams up to 7 audio channels from the
auditorium, currently the channels are: Floor, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese,
Russian. Each incoming source can be recorded in different qualities. Low quality for
browsing and web applications and high quality for archiving or rebroadcast.
Debates Recording System
The DRS (or Debates Recording System) is especially designed for recording audio and video
and metadata for parliamentary hearings and debates.
The DRS provides extensive options to ingest debates metadata, schedule meetings, playback
the different sections in a hearing (called sequences), and show important information such as
current speaker, language and duration.
To transcribe the information, a special version of a Player is included in the system. This
player provides special options such as time stretching and has the option to display the
metadata belonging to the selected debate or sequence.
The DRS is fully web-based, which means that it easily integrates into any existing or new
local area network, without installing any software on any workstation in the network.
All standard functionalities are available from the web client to search, visualise and select a
debates or a sequence.
Transcription Tool
The transcription player is a transcription tool with direct access to LogDepot, Audio/Video,
archives. The player can be used to play audio and video files in various formats. It’s not just
a media player. It also offers users a variety of other extra features; such as the special
keyboard hook functions in combination with the new time-stretch function.
Special functions also operate when the focus is set on another window; for example when a
text editor is on the foreground. The player even can be controlled by an external footswitch.
This makes the player very suitable for transcription work.
The LogDepot Channel Selection offers the users a selection of the configured LogDepot
channels. The user can play out the audio or video files, just by selecting the right date and
time for the appropriate channel.
Sequencer
A sequencer (cutter application) is used to insert debate metadata like speaker and agenda
information and segmentation of the audio recordings of a debate in several sequences for
transcription purposes or export to multimedia platforms.
Sequences can be automatically (time or triggered) or manually generated and associated with
the necessary metadata information for further use in the Debates Recording System.
Client/ Features
To use the LogDepot system, no dedicated software is needed to be installed on the client
PC’s. LogDepot is using a web-based architecture to make all the recordings available by use
of a web browser on a PC through the Network. A Webclient, is also available for Mac
devices.
Key Features of the recording system:
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Web-based environment (streaming the requested audio and/or video segments over
the network) with user-friendly interface
Each type of user can fulfil different tasks with the DRS system.
Database for storage of the inserted and indexed metadata, including links to the
corresponding audio and video files recorded by the system. The database can be used
for web publishing applications, e.g. to synchronise live web streaming of a debate
with real time metadata.
Instant access to material being recorded.
Meetings can be restricted (secured with a password) and archived.
Exports in several format including scheduling of DVDs or XML format.
Records are easy to index because they are transcribed and indexed with DTsearch
Objectives of the project:
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Replace the obsolete tape recording of meetings with digital sound and video
recording because of increasing difficulty in renting recorders, high cost of operation
and low quality of the recording;
We have decreased costs thanks to the elimination of dictaphones, which are very expensive
and often not meeting our exigencies (ex. most of them don't have the option to switch from
one language to another)we still hire a person to distribute and monitor the workflow.
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Prepare the stage first for possible remote transcription of proceedings and for the
posting of audio files on the web (in a password- protected area and available only to
Permanent Representatives);
Improve the accessibility and storage of recordings and thus create a multimedia
archive.
Staff involved:
During the sessions around 15 staff members and consultants from the Translation &
Documents Unit (REBT), the Conference Unit (REBC) and the Information Technology
Division work full-time for the digital recording.
Dissemination of media files:
WFP holds an audio and video collection managed by the Conference Unit. The collection is
stored in the Conference Service Office (REBC).
Webcasting of session is available live on WFP Network for all staff.
Results:
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Excellent sound quality;
Time saving on each recording compared to previous tape system; quick access to
speeches through the metadata.
 Full control over the workflow;
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Tape recorders have now been substituted by Arbor introducing metadata operators
and we still use footpedals because we think that they facilitate the work of the
audiotypists.
 Full corporate archive (audio and video) of all meetings
 Communication between WFP Headquarters, its six regional bureaux and its many
country offices (more than 10,000 staff members throughout the world).
For more information please contact:
Ms Keiko Izushi, Head, Conferencing Unit. Email: Keiko.Izushi@wfp.org
Ms. Marie Francoise Perez, Head, Translation and Documentation Secretariat of
the Executive Board. Email: MarieFrancoise.Perez@wfp.org