Course Description for CSCM 818G: Large
    Multimedia Information Systems

Motivation :

As storage and communication technologies evolve, there is a greater demand for storing more and more data either on-line or near-line. Examples of data intensive applications include scientific applications, such as analysis of satellite sensor data, business applications, such as processing of stock market or banking transactions, and multimedia applications, such as delivery of on-demand video service. Efficient use of resources and proper design choices are key to achieving the necessary quality of service in large multimedia information systems.


Course benefits :

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Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in multimedia information systems

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Obtain a deeper insight into the design issues in multimedia storage servers

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Obtain a requisite background for original research in multimedia information systems

Course description :

This course will explore current research directions and design issues in advanced system architectures for storage servers. Specifically we will concentrate on multimedia information systems, and, as time permits, explore similar issues in parallel database systems and scientific computing systems. The objective of this course is to bring students up to date on research directions in large multimedia information systems and to provide the requisite background for original research in this area.

Specific topics covered in the course include (but are not limited to):

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Current storage device technology and technology trends (high performance I/O systems, disk arrays, tertiary storage devices) and their impact on application areas such as multimedia storage systems, parallel database systems, and scientific computing systems.

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Current interconnect technologies and technology trends and their impact on application areas such as multimedia storage and communication systems.

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Current compression technologies and technology trends and their impact on application areas such as multimedia storage and communication systems.

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Multimedia storage servers: data placement, scheduling and data retrieval, fault tolerance issues, data sharing techniques, admission control, and multilevel storage hierarchy design.

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Special topics on compression, image databases, content based access, multilevel memory management systems, etc.

And, as time permits:

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Database systems for multicomputer architectures: storage structures, parallel relational query processing, concurrency control and recovery.

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I/O intensive scientific computing applications: parallel file systems; storage structures and parallel I/O support software.
The topics in this course represent some of the major research directions today in large multimedia information systems. The material in the course will be based primarily on research papers. Students will be required to read the equivalent of approximately 20 conference/journal research papers. Grades will be based on a final examination, class participation, and a term report (which will include a class presentation and a term paper). Most reports are expected to be critical summaries and reviews of a small collection of papers in an area relevant to the course. However, reports describing original research are also possible. There are no prerequisites for this course; it is intended for junior level graduate students or senior level undergraduates.
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Leana Golubchik (leana@cs.umd.edu)