Recommendations for metadata standards for 3D images on the Web

This paper discusses issues related to the development of standardized metadata schema for 3D images. Challenges are described and a method for analyzing existing metadata schema for still images is suggested as a starting point for finding appropriate elements for 3D images. Elements from 4 metadata schema are compared and analyzed for fit with 3D images. The use of 3D images as information bearing objects is rapidly becoming part of the next generation of web applications. The sooner we begin to build consensus on how best to describe, store, display, preserve and maintain these 3D datasets, the better able we will be to meet increasingly sophisticated user needs. This paper is a beginning attempt to put the issues of how we will do this before the research community at large.