Portfolio Skills

Delve into our background: Browse through a selection of our projects based on our skills and see some of the innovative software, applications and web services we have created for and with our clients. We develop for many platforms and work with Windows, UNIX, Linux and OS X servers.

Financieele Dagblad – News, Image and Audio Archive

Financieele Dagblad – News, Image and Audio Archive

Financieele Dagblad

The financial news source for the Netherlands

Financieele Dagblad Multimedia News Archive (NIA)

The Financieele Dagblad (FD) is the “Dutch” Financial Times. So first of all they focus on the economy, and business news. Furthermore, they produce in-depth financial reports, background studies and analyses. While their own journalists and photographers are key to the FD brand and style of journalism, they also use content delivered by press bureaus (such as Reuters or ANP). Consequently they receive more than 3000 photos and articles each day from these sources.

BNR (part of the FD Mediagroep) prides itself on providing the most ‘up-to-the-minute’ radio news service in the Netherlands. BNR reports on news from both home and abroad, the financial world, politics and sport.

The combination of print and radio journalism presents a number of challenges. So when the Financieele Dagblad decided to create their own editorial system, they came to BSL. We designed and built a custom content management system: the NIA (News, Image and Audio archive).

financieele dagblad
Copyright Het Financieele Dagblad

BSL designs and develops an editorial system

Working together with the Financieele Dagblad, we created their NIA (News, Image and Audio Archive). First of all we introduced processes that import the stream of content that they receive each day. Thousands of images, videos, text articles, and artwork delivered from press bureaus. Likewise content provided by their own photographers and journalists. We store this content using Sybase ASE. As a result we can use Sybase FTS indexing technology to make searching for content fast, and flexible. After the initial introduction, we extended the system, importing and indexing audio produced by BNR (Business News Radio).
 
Financieele Dagblad news editors can create search profiles, describing the the content in which they are interested. As a result the NIA can automatically deliver matching images and text to their browser. The FD journalists then use the integrated text editor (along with a built-in  spelling and grammar checker) to write new articles. The text we select from their feeds is available, making it easy to copy/paste content, or to check their articles against external sources. When complete, the NIA exports the final text, alongside cropped and scaled images chosen by the photo editors. While the NIA was designed initially for print, new articles can also be sent to the FD website. Finally, published articles and pages are stored as text and PDF’s in the NIA. Creating an archive of published content.
Copyright Het Financieele Dagblad

At BSL, you have come to the right place for…

Search expertise

BSL has 20 years experience of advanced search and business intelligence technologies. These include Autonomy, Exalead, Oracle Text, Elastic Search and Sybase FTS. As a result, users can also quickly and easily make partial matches, combine search terms using and/or and apply wildcards. We can even support linguistic techniques designed to extract the meaning from content. These technologies ensure that we can find and select the most relevant information, even from millions of documents. Applying this technology, the NIA offers the Financieele Dagblad journalists fast and secure access to all their news and multimedia content.

Robust technology

News is a 24hr business. Hence software such as the Financieele Dagblad NIA must be available 24 hours a day. Importing new content, and managing the editorial workflow. Consequently our web applications are designed to be robust. Likewise, our experienced developers are familiar with the latest demands of Internet security. So we are familiar with using tools such as Veracode and Fortify, to keep your content private, and your users safe.

Long-term support

When a software product has entered production, users need long-term support and maintenance. Hence we offer clients a range of flexible support services. These can include many options such as 24/7 availability, guaranteed response times, and on-site visits. All at a fixed annual cost.

Probably the biggest challenge with this type of project is the steep-learning curve. In this case, learning about the type of content, the editorial workflow, and the needs of journalists. Consequently BSL has developed unique skills in picking up the information needed to design and create custom solutions. Why don’t you get in touch to discuss your next project?

Caroline Bos

Relation Manager, Bright Side of Life

NIOD – World War II Photo Archive

NIOD – World War II Photo Archive

Netherlands Institute of War Documentation (NIOD)

World War II Photo Archive

NIOD, World War II Photo Archive

The Netherlands Institute of War Documentation (NIOD) was established shortly after liberation on 8 May 1945. The NIOD is the most important resource for anyone interested in discovering more about the Netherlands (including the Dutch Indies) during the Second World War, or carrying out research in this area. The NIOD brought together numerous archives related to the German occupation of the Netherlands, and the Japanese occupation in the Dutch Indies, including illegal newspapers and pamphlets, posters, photographs, books and articles.

Unique collection

Prints and negatives deteriorate over time. To preserve the unique contents of their collection, the NIOD decided to digitize their most important images. Impressed by our FRS asset management software, they asked BSL to create a custom web application, managing their own image collection, as well as collections from other institutes. We created their WW II Image Bank using FRS, with custom interfaces developed to help them manage their unique collection. This included multilingual descriptions and attributes, and a public web site showing selected images. Researchers, newspapers, web site visitors and others can search the image archive, and order copies of the images for private use, or for research and/or publication.

Photo: Alphons Hustinx/NIOD

Photo: Alphons Hustinx/NIOD

NIOD, World War II Photo Archive

Shared online WW II Image Bank

The success of the NIOD WW II Image Bank encouraged over 30 other institutes to participate in the creation of a joint database. As well as the NIOD, numerous other world-famous organizations – including the Anne Frank foundation and the Resistance Museum of Amsterdam – now share the Image Bank, maintaining and publishing their own collections as part of a new online (multilingual) resource: the World War II Image Bank. This vast wealth of material – including much previously unpublished material – was made available online when the web site was launched by HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands in 2008. The World War II Image Bank was developed within the framework of the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and SportsWartime Heritage’ programme.

Keylane Careers Website
Rotunda Touchscreen Brochure

Rotunda Touchscreen Brochure

Rotunda Touchscreen Brochure

Rotunda – a Digital Showcase

In 2009, BSL was asked to create a so-called ‘Digital Showcase’ – Rotunda. The goals: promote sales in bookshops, and encourage lending in libraries. How? By presenting books, CDs, and other media in an attractive and innovative way, using touchscreens. Using these screens, library and bookstore visitors can browse through virtual bookshelves – simply using hand gestures. Rotunda was born. (more…)

BSL Company Brochure

BSL Company Brochure

BSL Company Information Brochure

BSL Company Information

BSL has many years experience of multimedia database solutions, and by making optimal use of the flexibility offered by our modular development strategy, BSL’s software is used by a broad range of customers, including PwC, Postbank/ING, ABN AMRO, the Dutch libraries service and NIOD… (more…)

BSL Top25 Utrecht Brochure – Dutch Language

BSL Top25 Utrecht Brochure – Dutch Language

BSL Top25 Utrecht Brochure

BSL Top25 Utrecht

Monty Python’s world-famous melody formed the inspiration for a successful company involved in the development of innovative multimedia database and knowledge management products: the ‘Bright Side of Life’ (known as BSL), located at Corridor 21G in Breukelen… (more…)

Contact BSL
Contact BSL