Automation tools rely on data interoperability. Or in other words, the easy sharing of data used to allow automation system to know what they need to do. CSD-JSON is a proposed new industry specific standard to make this happen.
CSD stands for “Cinema Session Data“. JSON is defined as “JavaScript Object Notation” or in other words, a structured message for sharing data. Together we have a structures data definition for sharing cinema data.
Session data is used in many services.
- Google absorbs session data as so it can be displayed in Google knowledge graph and Search Results. See this video for more detail.
- Digital signage solutions can uses this data source so it knows what posters to show and when.
- Websites can utilises this data source for automatically displaying your session times on your website.
Typically vendors of software used by distributors and exhibitors have developed a custom method to sharing this data. Then building lock-in tools to access this data.
Here at SCO, we believe this sharing of data should be standardised as so different vendor tools can utilise each others capabilities.
For example, Imagine you swapped out a POS system to another system. Does this mean you also have to install a completely new digital poster system that supports your new POS providers data source? Or should the “Digital Poster System” be able to talk a common JSON protocol to both? We believe this should be the case and so are working on a standards document to archive this.
We will be contacting many industry vendors in an attempt to get feedback.