Next up in the ‘Sitting Down With’ series is Inflight Dublin’s Metadata Team Lead and expert, Rika Argadireja. She discusses the importance of high-quality metadata in the IFE industry, challenges faced, and predicted trends for the future of IFE metadata. Enjoy!

How much importance is placed upon IFE metadata when it comes to working with airline clients?

Metadata management for inflight entertainment is essential – without good metadata, content may never be chosen to watch! Any data that we put onboard will be seen by the client and most importantly, their passengers, so it is a core selling tool to entice passengers to view the content. At Inflight Dublin, we ensure that any information, synopsis, or images we provide are of the highest quality and are age and culture appropriate based on the airline’s requirements. Furthermore, we do a number of internal quality checks before signing off the metadata to be delivered to the airline.

What are the main challenges the Metadata team faces each cycle and how do you tackle them?

No two days are the same in the metadata department. We face a range of challenges during every update, from managing strict overlapping deadlines during busier months, to having to edit the content images we’re putting onboard so they’re SFW (safe for work). Fortunately, we can rely on our ever-improving time management and task planning, and there’s nothing a little Photoshop magic can’t solve!

Is there any unique processes or methods that IFD uses to ensure the delivery of accurate and timely metadata?

To ensure complete accuracy, we do thorough quality control for every airline client. Once we’ve completed the metadata entry on the integrator’s documents or portals, we would manually check the information we’ve uploaded, make any necessary changes, and double-check again after any corrections have been made. We also work with other internal departments in Inflight Dublin, such as the Account Management department, to do final metadata checks before signing off.

And to deliver metadata in a timely manner, we meticulously record and track all the deadlines we have for the month in our internal system. The Metadata team also work very closely together and keep a constant communication stream open to work as efficiently as possible – in some instances where there are tight deadlines, the team will work collaboratively with tasks so deadlines are always met without any delay.

Do you predict any changes or trends in the future of metadata in terms of what passengers expect or want to see on their seatback screens or personal devices?

Another responsibility of the Metadata team is the managing of our clients’ microsites. These have become even more popular to have as it allows airlines to provide an up-to-date and interactive content catalogue to excite their passengers before their flight and encourage engagement with the system.

The popularity of Wireless Inflight Entertainment systems is also growing rapidly. These require additional Metadata requirements that Inflight Dublin has extensive experience with, particularly with our own wireless IFE system, Everhub. I think passengers are starting to expect multiple ways to view and learn about the content on board, such as they do at home. This will result in more thought going into how the content and metadata is displayed and accessed by passengers to give them the most immersive and enjoyable inflight entertainment experience.

Want to learn more about Inflight Dublin’s services? Get in touch mail@inflightdublin.com