BUSMAN sets out to design, implement, validate, and trial a secure and efficient system for both delivery and access of video and for creation of and querying video databases across mobile, fixed and distributed networks. The issues that need to be addressed to solve these problems are defined in eight logical workpackages:

· WP1: MANAGEMENT - Project Management comprises all co-ordination and management activities at both project and workpackage level. It manages the overall operation of the project (technical, administrative and financial aspects), ensuring that the CEC is informed regularly of the project progress. It represents the project actively in all relevant co-ordination mechanisms and liaises with other projects with which a close association can be beneficial. Given that the detailed activities of this WP are of concern only to the consortium, no further information is presented here.

· WP2: REQUIREMENTS & HUMAN FACTORS - Requirements Analysis and User Centred Design comprises analysis and definition of requirements in the scope of smart video databases. It also includes system architecture, system design according to human factor requirements, as well as development of appropriate groups of requirements tailored to the envisaged application scenarios, and development of user requirements for query structure.

· WP3: WATERMARKING - Development of Data Embedding Techniques comprises all issues related to the development of techniques to embed watermarks with different levels of robustness and capacity according to different application scenarios and the project objectives. The development activities within this WP target the user requirements and application scenarios recommended by WP2.

· WP4: INDEXING & RETRIEVAL - Specification of the Video Indexing and Retrieval Subsystem comprises all issues related to the development of techniques for efficient video indexing and retrieval, development of a meta-search engine to search content databases using a query example and its embedded DII. The development activities within this WP target the user requirements and application scenarios recommended by WP2.

· WP5: SYSTEM - System Implementation, Integration and Testing comprises implementation and test of all modules developed and specified in WP3 and WP4, including testing in a mobile communication environment. This WP also addresses implementation of all user interfaces for authentication, browsing, retrieval and relevance feedback according to the human factors specifications recommended by WP2, as well as construction and documentation of a complete end-to-end system integrating all implemented modules.

· WP6: USABILITY - Usability Testing comprises all evaluation tasks to be carried out with representative user groups throughout the project, for both the single modules and system prototypes that will be developed. Suitable acceptability criteria will be derived from the initial user requirements developed within WP2.

· WP7: ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION - The Main Assessment Based on Effectiveness Study comprises all tasks dealing with trials and statistical analysis of obtained results. It addresses the identification of an objective tree for the project and the establishment of measures for assessment of the eventual level and degree of success in achieving these objectives. This forms a framework for self-assessment of the project. This WP will develop mechanisms for monitoring the project objectives and re-orientation of the project if the objectives change.

· WP8: DISSEMINATION & EXPLOITATION This WP elaborates and carries out the plans for the dissemination of knowledge gained during the work, and exploitation plans of the results for the consortium as a whole, as well as for each consortium member, including strategic partnerships. It interacts continuously with standardisation bodies, specifically MPEG-7 and MPEG-21.