National Archives Sidestep Obsolescence
National Archives Sidestep Obsolescence
May 7th, 2006: The Australian National Archives announces the completetion of its triad of digital document management tools with successful migration of 'XML Electronic Normalising of Archives' (Xena).
Following its move to the OpenDocument file, the ANA formalised it use of the the Open Source-developed (via Sourceforge). Xena is an application that converts digital documents into two XML-based formats. This, given that at least one form of XML looks as if it will rule the roost in decades to come, is aimed at enabling legacy documents to be read in future.
The two conversion formats, both of which are are:
Bitstream: this is a metadata-wrapped bitstream version of the record, which is considered a secure original copy of the record. This version contains all of the information from the original, but requires access to the original hardware, operating system and application software for performance.
Normalised version: the process of normalising converts the record from its original format into eXtensible Mark-up Language (XML). The XML version is not considered to be an original copy of the record as some information may be lost during the normalisation process. However, the performance of the normalised object is the closest to the original that is currently possible. Xena is being continually improved so, over time, the performance of normalised versions is expected to more closely replicate the original.
Ross Gibbs, Director-General of the National Archives, "In 2002 the Archives determined that digital records of archival value, created in any format, were to be preserved. This principle has guided our research and development of software and hardware infrastructure to support digital preservation. "
Xena completes a triad of applications in the National Archives strategy for digital asset management.: Quest and the Digital Preservation Recorder (DPR) being the other two. The former, "Creates and maintains links between digital objects stored in the Archives' digital repository and their metadata. The metadata includes the unique preservation identifier of the object, whether the object is normalised or wrapped bitstream, what version of Xena processed it, its file type, and what other records were transferred at the same time".
While DPR captures an audit trail of the digital object from transfer to storage using four phases.
Transfer: Collection of information about the context of the data object, including the objects that were sent to the archives in the same transfer.
Quarantine: Collection of information about the media on which the data object was transferred to the Archives, what virus definitions it was checked against, and how long it stayed in quarantine. The DPR ensures the integrity of the data object by recalculating its checksum and comparing it against the checksum provided by the agency.
Preservation: Recording details of Xena's conversion of the data object into bitstream and normalised archival data formats.
Repository: During the process of transferring the data object into the digital repository, the DPR continues to ensure the integrity of the records using checksum technology. The DPR also records information about access requests for records held in the repository.
Related Article:
National Archives Embrace OpenDocument