MASTERARBEIT Digital Preservation Preservation Planning in the OAIS

Digital objects have become the dominant way that we create, shape, and exchange information. They form a central part of our economy, and are becoming increasingly important for a longer period of time. The evergrowing heterogeneity and complexity of digital object formats together with rapid technological changes turn the preservation of digital information into a pressing challenge. The challenge is to keep electronic data accessible, viewable, and usable for the future, to ensure the survival of our digital artifacts when the original software or hardware to interpret them correctly becomes unavailable. A reference model for an archival system dedicated to preserving and maintaining access to digital information over the long term was published in 1999 by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). In 2003 the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) was adopted as ISO 14721:2003. The primary goal of an OAIS is to preserve information for a designated community over an indefinite period of time. In the community of digital preservation the OAIS model has been widely accepted as a key standard reference model for archival systems. Digital Preservation – the process of keeping electronic material accessible and usable for a certain period of time – has turned into one of the most pressing challenges within the field of digital repositories. A range of tools exists today to support the variety of preservation strategies such as migration or emulation. Yet, different preservation requirements across institutions and settings make the decision on which solution to implement very difficult. The Planets Preservation Planning approach allows the evaluation of all kinds of preservation actions against individual requirements and the selection of the most suitable solution. It enforces the explicit definition of preservation requirements and supports the appropriate documentation and evaluation by assisting in the process of running preservation experiments. This master thesis shows the Planets Preservation Planning approach in relation to the OAIS reference model. It examines the information flows in the OAIS Preservation Planning entity and with other functional entities. This work presents trigger events for preservation planning activities and the according information flow in the OAIS model. It further shows the implementation of the Develop Preservation Strategies and Standards function of the Preservation Planning functional entity through the Planets Planning approach. Moreover, the concept of a Knowledge Database is introduced and the planning approach is analysed in relation to Trustworthy Repositories Audit & Certification: Criteria and Checklist (TRAC) and Catalogue of Criteria for Trusted Digital Repositories from Nestor.