A Look Ahead - The Impact of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) on Museum Web Projects
Greg Jacobson, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, USA
Lawrence Swiader, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, USA
http://www.ushmm.org

Mini-Workshop: Image File Formats

Recently, a new technology has been introduced that has the capability to greatly enhance a museum visitor's viewing experience. This technology, called Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), has the potential to revolutionize the way in which museums communicate information to their visitors both within the physical walls of the museum and over the Internet. SVG is an open standard language maintained by the W3C that allows you to describe and manipulate images and text using an XML based standard.

This paper will explore the various advantages and disadvantages of SVG as related to a museum's unique environment. It will also illustrate how SVG can be used by museums to communicate information in an effective and visually appealing manner. Finally, the paper will close with some examples of possible real world applications using SVG in museums.