MPEG will receive and evaluate proposals for one or more of the following MPEG-7 elements as they address one or more media types:

• Descriptors (Ds)
• Description Schemes (DS)
• A language to specify Description Schemes, i.e. a Description Definition Language (DDL).
• Schemes for coding the Descriptions

It is not necessary for a proposal to address all the areas called above . It is possible for a proposal, for example, to only propose Ds for some set of features, or DSs or parts of DSs. Selected aspects of different proposals may be incorporated into a common model during the collaborative phase of the standard (called the eXperimentation Model (XM)) with the goal of building the best possible model. Procedures and criteria for evaluating and testing proposed technologies and developing the XM in a collaborative phase are discussed in the MPEG-7 Evaluation and Test Procedures Document.

A significant number of systems-related MPEG-7 requirements were introduced during the Atlantic City meeting which are now incorporated in the section of the MPEG-7 Requirements document relating to systems. The Requirements and Applications documents for MPEG-7 point to the need for MPEG-7 systems capabilities. Therefore MPEG has recognised the need to extend the call for proposals to include submissions addressing these requirements. Technologies that address the open issues related to MPEG-7 systems architectures are also welcomed. The requirements for MPEG-7 systems have not been developed to the same level as those requirements for the normative parts of MPEG-7 such as the DDL and DS. As a result there has been no determination of the evaluation criteria for systems-related functionality. In recognition of this, all submissions will be considered as candidate tools for the construction of the experimental model (XM) and participation in the Core Experiments (CE) on merit during the Lancaster Evaluation AHG. (Presentations and/or demonstrations of proposed systems tools will not be part of the evaluation in Lancaster but may be given at the MPEG meeting in Seoul in March, 1999.) To manage the review process, those who plan to submit a proposal in this category must pre-register their intention using the form in Annex B of the MPEG-7 Evaluation and Test Procedures document and identify the submission as being related to "Systems Tools". The format of the proposals is left open for the proposer but the file format must conform to the MPEG standard for contributions (Word 6.0).