Standardized and in iiRDS format:
gds and c-rex.net optimize the provision
of information

Newly established cooperation facilitates process support through consolidated provision of information
Data Transformation Service extends standardized population of easybrowse
easybrowse now available for larger target group

Sassenberg, February 14, 2023 – Prepare information independently of its source system and transfer it to the easybrowse content delivery portal for delivery as needed: This is the goal of the newly established cooperation between gds GmbH and c-rex.net GmbH. In this context, c-rex.net will contribute the Data Transformation Service (DTS) within the framework of the partnership, which enables the conversion of various formats into the iiRDS standard. This allows gds to transfer data to easybrowse from a wide range of source systems, which in turn enables the delivery of the appropriate information at the right time.

“Readily available knowledge is indispensable for every information seeker when it comes to finding the right information as quickly as possible” says Jan Grüter, Product Manager Content Delivery at gds GmbH. This is exactly what a content delivery portal like easybrowse provides. “However, the market is full of information creation systems such as editorial systems and editors which do not always support the iiRDS standard. Our partnership with c-rex.net provides us with the iiRDS Connector, an integrated solution that can be easily connected to many source systems.”

Standard formats simplify data transfer

To open up easybrowse not only for the delivery of content created in gds’ in-house docuglobe or XR editorial systems, the Competence Center for Technical Communication and Information Management relies on data exchange via the Intelligent Information Request and Delivery Standard (iiRDS). Although this is becoming increasingly popular in technical editorial departments, it is far from being supported by the editorial systems used across the board. Thanks to the newly established partnership, information can now be provided from a wide range of systems.

In future, c-rex.net will initially transfer the data to the Data Transformation Service. The cloud-based solution enables information structuring into virtually any format and the automatic assignment of metadata. In addition, information can be extracted from various source formats and transferred to standards such as iiRDS. This makes them usable for easybrowse. The special thing about it is that the conversion runs completely in the background, so that no additional action is required from the easybrowse administrator. In the further course of the collaboration, the c-rex.net system will also be used to enable the automatic extraction of content and metadata from PDF files. This makes the files more easily available, and chapters can be recognized, enriched with metadata and made directly accessible.

“By partnering with gds, we can fulfill our mission, which is to optimally provide the information needed in a situation” explains Markus Wiedenmaier, CEO of c-rex.net GmbH. However, c-rex.net is not visible to the end user. “Instead, we are using this cooperation to make our system available for more use cases, increase its use and therefore act as a data preparer for more customers.”