Metadata Independence and the Signiant Platform

The Signiant Platform enables teams to access and interact with all kinds of metadata from many sources thanks to a unique and flexible approach. Signiant has always been committed to storage independence, meaning we never resell or bundle storage. Assets remain fully within our customers’ control in their preferred storage, providing flexibility, agility, and cost efficiency.  

Our approach to metadata builds on that same philosophy and gives customers control over where and how metadata is stored. The Signiant Platform doesn’t serve as the authority for metadata; instead, Signiant connects to customers’ metadata sources and supports efficient access and interaction.  

This philosophy is embraced in a new option to customers, enabling them to leverage their own storage as an authoritative repository or intermediary source of additional metadata on top of standard metadata embedded in media containers and standard sidecar files. The platform can work with any technical or descriptive metadata to facilitate federated search across distributed storage, allow users to inspect metadata on assets prior to taking action, and to inform various operations with metadata. 

While the Signiant Platform interacts with metadata in various ways, this article will focus on adding custom metadata from both user input and external systems.  

The Signiant Platform and Metadata

Our approach to adding custom metadata is simple and flexible, keeping the customer in complete control of their assets and associated metadata. When bringing custom metadata onto the platform, Signiant uses standard JSON with a published schema that is stored in a sidecar file in the same storage location as the media asset itself. 

The metadata is cached by the Signiant Platform, and the cache is automatically updated any time the sidecar file is modified. With this approach, metadata isn’t locked into a proprietary database; instead, it remains in a published format within the customer’s storage, giving teams complete control to access and use the metadata as they see fit — true metadata independence. 

User Submitted Metadata 

A common mechanism to add custom metadata is to prompt end-users when they submit content using Media Shuttle. Each Media Shuttle portal can be configured with a custom metadata form, allowing for tailored metadata collection specific to each team or project’s needs. When an asset is uploaded and the form completed, a JSON sidecar file can be automatically created and saved in the customer’s storage alongside the asset. Since the sidecar file is stored within the customer’s storage and follows a published specification, it can be easily used to trigger workflows or be imported into other systems. 

Unified Metadata Views 

If the storage location where content is uploaded is enabled for Media Engine indexing, the custom metadata is cached by the Signiant Platform for search and display. This makes media files discoverable in search results whenever the metadata matches a search query. Additionally, the metadata is viewable in the Media Engine detail view. Anytime the sidecar file changes, the cache is updated automatically, and Signiant retains the authoritative copy of what was originally entered in the metadata form for chain-of-custody purposes. 

Metadata sidecar files can also be introduced through other systems beyond Media Shuttle, including Signiant Jet, Flight Deck, or any third-party system. As long as these sidecar files conform to Signiant’s specifications, the metadata will be associated with the corresponding media asset, integrated into Media Engine search results, and viewable in the Media Engine detail view. 

This flexible approach unlocks a range of possibilities, extending the capabilities of the Signiant Platform. Most customers keep assets across multiple storage locations, often with a mix of on-premises and cloud storage. The Signiant Platform provides a unified media-centric view across all storage locations, enabling users to browse, search, preview media, and initiate actions. With the ability to include custom metadata, customers can elevate discoverability, co-existing easily with third-party MAM systems or filling the whitespace where a MAM isn’t being used.