Fotoware Alto supports different kinds of metadata concepts: unstructured data input, like free text, and structured data input, similar to Excel tables.

Unstructured data

You can define all required information for every piece of content as free text, and you can also put all information in one single field if you like. An Image itself is also unstructured information, as you have to look at it to see what it is about.

👍Pro: simple setup

👎Con: a data mess (wrong spellings, typos, a nightmare when you change a product name, and many more

Structured Data

You can use structured data input in the form of tags, which is common in popular systems your users work with. For images, this means adding AI Tagging in Fotoware Alto to get keywords for images and video, which you give context and additional information.

👍Pro: prepared for AI and automation (computers love structured data), data consistency, easy quality control

👎Con: You must define your content model

Fotoware Alto also offers Business Rules that help you structure your unstructured data by parsing filenames, embedded metadata information, or autotagging capabilities. 

Schema.org

A schema is a way to determine the structure, content, and, to some extent, the semantics of any content, about metadata: a form where data is entered. See metadata schemas: DC, IPTC, XMP, and many more. Other schemas are also well known in database design, on the web (Open Graph), and others. Different schemas as per schema.org

• Generic Item: https://schema.org/Thing
• Vehicle: https://schema.org/Vehicle
• Individual Product: https://schema.org/IndividualProduct
• Product: https://schema.org/Product
• Person: https://schema.org/Person
• Accommodation: https://schema.org/Accommodation
• Event: https://schema.org/Event
• Website: https://schema.org/WebSite
• Checkout page: https://schema.org/CheckoutPage
• News Article: https://schema.org/NewsArticle