E-ARK - European Archival Records and Knowledge Preservation

Scope: SIP creation and ingest of records

This pilot focused on the initial stages data and information transfer from the producer to the archive. Before the data can be moved, it has to be organised and packaged in a way that meets the standards of the archive where it will be processed further. The pilot consisted of three scenarios with various types of content of different size and form.

(1)  Database content

(2)  Content related to the Noark-4 standard

(3)  Content related to the Noark-5 standard

The format of the content was of interest to the E-ARK project inasmuch as it had to be validated according to local standards. Three types of software developed by one of the other partners (ES Solutions AB) in the E-ARK project were used:

(1)  ESSArch Tools Producer (ETP). This is aimed at data producers.

(2)  ESSArch Tools Archive (ETA). This services the front end of the repository/depot.

(3)  ESSArch Preservation Platform (EPP). The repository/depot solution.

The tools all use international metadata standards such as OAIS, METS and PREMIS for the description of structure and actions on the content. During the pilot, the overall success of applying the tool support was evaluated. At a more detailed level, how size considerations versus time consumption, and details regarding the OAIS, METS and PREMIS implementation etc. were also assessed.

Scope: Migration and Ingest of Business Records from a Bespoke Business System

Often, the cost of migrating information to a newer system can prove complex and prohibitively expensive. When commercial or private sector data is stored or left in databases that are then untouched for significant periods of time or become out of date, retrieving and reusing information can be difficult.

Companies need solutions to extract information that is still valuable though not in active use, but which needs to be kept for a variety of reasons – legal, compliance, business – and then reused. In this pilot the National Archives of Estonia worked alongside the Estonian Business Archives. As a service company to the private sector, the latter has extensive experience of and are familiar with the needs and requirements of the private sector.

This pilot tested the E-ARK Database Preservation Toolkit (DTP) at the SIP (submission information package) creation stage, allowing information to be transferred from old platforms to an interim standardised format which is then digestible by newer systems. The SIARD (Software Independent Archiving Relational Databases http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/fdd/fdd000426.shtml) tool was piloted to understand how to keep the data alive and sustainable for future use. It is hoped that SIARD will become the de facto industry standard in due course.

Scope: Ingest from government agencies

The process of moving information from government agency record management systems to national archives where it can be sustained and made accessible can broadly be divided into four phases:

(1) Selection     (2) Extraction     (3) Transfer     (4) Acceptance

Usually, this is information which needs to be retained for an indefinite period of time and is relevant to both the agency that created it and to the nation as a whole. Each country must follow similar pathways yet naturally, there is much variation, which had led to a lack of a common approach or methodology.

The movement of material of archival value and the related metadata was tested in this pilot using a series of tools which implement the E-ARK information packaging specifications. It can be hard to persuade institutions to develop their own processes for doing this. By involving multiple partners and stakeholders in E-ARK, a universally available standard process has been created that means that individual agencies and archives will no longer need to find bespoke, customised solutions.

Scope: Preservation and access to records with geodata

This Pilot developed and tested guidelines and tools for archiving digital geographical maps which have in the past been used as a basis for decision making in government and other official procedures (e.g. granting planning permission and building permits, assessing where to levy taxes and in monitoring pollution).

Focusing on digital geographical data in vector format, the pilot produced guidelines that can be used for archiving the digital geodata and the required documentation, and which will ensure a proper understanding of and reuse of these records in the future. It also demonstrated that the integration of existing open source tools and the tools developed in the E-ARK Project can support the archiving process and access to such data.

Users benefited by gaining access to a wider range of geodata and by, using location-based search tools, by having the opportunity to use and compare additional descriptions of the required documents for the interpretation of and, significantly, the re-use of the geodata.