US Efforts Towards ISO Archiving Standards - Overview

ISO has encouraged the development of standards in support of the long term preservation of digital information obtained from observations of the terrestrial and space environments. ISO requested that the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems Panel 2 coordinate the development of those standards. (CCSDS has subsequently reorganized and the work is now situated in the Data Archive Ingest (DAI) Working Group.)

The initial effort has been the development of a Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS). The OAIS Reference Model has been reviewed and pending some editorial updates, It has been approved as an ISO Standard and as a CCSDS Recommendation.

The development history of this effort can be seen by surveying the many past US, French, British and International workshops. With the growing acceptance of the OAIS Reference Model, attention is turning to identifying and starting additional archival standardization efforts. This is reflected in the Digital Archive Directions (DADs) Workshop and the Archival Workshop on Ingest, Identification, and Certification Standards (AWIICS).

AWIICS identified significant interest in starting new standardization efforts, and provided starting documents related to Ingest, Identification, and Certification of Archives.

An effort examining the Ingest area has produced the Producer-Archive Interface Methodology Abstract Standard.

Current efforts are:

• development of standards for XML-based Submission Information Packages (SIPs) that are being developed in conjunction with the CCSDS Information Packaging and Registries Working Group
• development of archive certification criteria in conjunction with the Research Libraries Group (RLG)
• the comment period for possible updates to the OAIS Reference Model

A series of international workshops, augmented with e-mail exchanges and occasional teleconferences, is traditional for CCSDS Working Groups and it is expected to be the primary international mode of working. The timing of the international workshops on archiving standards is planned to coordinate with CCSDS DAI Working Group meetings. National workshops and development efforts take place between the international meetings. These activities are focused on developing national positions and input for the international efforts.

Participation in US Efforts

We welcome all participants who we feel can make positive contributions to development of US positions and who are able to contribute to completion of US work items.

We hope to distribute materials we develop for wide review and we welcome any users who would care to review the developed materials or any who just wish to track the status of our efforts.

To register your interest in supporting one or more of these efforts, please use the following forms:

• Producer - Archive Interface.
• Identification.
• Certification.

Upcoming Workshops

• Also see the list of International Workshops
• Future meetings are not yet planned. However we expect to have an international meeting approximately every six months. The international meetings are likely to be in the April-May and October-November time frames in coordination with planned CCSDS DAI Working Group meetings. We expect that there may be national meetings between the international meetings.

Selected Past Workshops

• Twentieth US Workshop at NARA Archives II in College Park, MD on April 10-12, 2001
• Nineteenth US Workshop at NARA Archives II in College Park, MD on February 20-23, 2001
• Eighteenth US Workshop at NARA Archives II in College Park, MD on September 14-15, 2000
• Seventeenth US Workshop at NARA Archives II in College Park, MD on July 19-20, 2000
• Archival Workshop on Ingest, Identification, and Certification Standards (AWIICS) (held in place of the Sixteenth US Workshop) at NARA Archives II in College Park, MD on October 13-15, 1999
• The Digital Archive Directions (DADs) Workshop (held in place of the Twelfth US Workshop) at NARA Archives II in College Park, MD on June 22-26, 1998
• See the entire list of past workshops.
• Also see the Overview of International Effort for past International Workshops

Related Efforts

• The Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information sponsored by The Commission On Preservation and Access and The Research Libraries Group
• The Research Libraries Group (RLG) maintains an Open Archival Information Systems (OAIS) Resources Web Site and mailing list as part of the RLG Long-term Retention Initiative.

Current Workplans

• the comment period for possible updates to the OAIS Reference Model
• development of standards for XML-based Submission Information Packages (SIPs) that are being developed in conjunction with the CCSDS Information Packaging and Registries Working Group
• development of archive certification criteria in conjunction with the Research Libraries Group (RLG)

Reference Materials

• CCSDS 650.0-B-1: Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS). Blue Book (Standard). Issue 1. January 2002.
  [PDF (1,183,662 bytes)]
  Earlier versions are also available.
• CCSDS 651.0-B-1: Producer - Archive Interface Methodology Abstract Standard. Blue Book (Standard). Issue 1. December 2003.
  [PDF (265,116 bytes)]
  Earlier versions are also available.
  
  (If you have comments on these documents, please send them to John.Garrett@gsfc.nasa.gov.)
• Preserving Digital Information, Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information
• Metadata Requirements for Evidence, David Bearman/Archives and Museum Informatics and Ken Sochats/University of Pitburgh, School of Library and Information Science
• List of Papers Referencing the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System
  (If you have an addition to this list, please send the information to John.Garrett@gsfc.nasa.gov.)

Presentations Materials

OAIS Reference Model

• OAIS Tutorial presented at the Library of Congress, 2003-06-13 [PPT] (2,823,168 bytes)
• Presentation on the NSSDC OAIS Implementation presented at the Library of Congress, 2003-06-13 [PPT] (1,625,088 bytes)
• OAIS Tutorial, 2002-10-25 [PPT] (269,312 bytes)
• Presentation to AAAS, 2002-02-19 [PPT] (112,640 bytes)
• OAIS Tutorial, 2000-05-16 [PPT] (198,656 bytes)
• OAIS Tutorial, 2000-05-16 [PPT] (202,240 bytes)
• Presentation to CENDI, 2000-09-12 [PPT] (105,472 bytes)
• Presentation to FDLC, 2000-09-12 [PPT] (106,496 bytes)
• Presentation to IEEE Symposium on Mass Storage Systems, 1999-03-15 [PPT] (198,144 bytes)
• Presentation to USDA, 1999-02-19

Producer-Archive Interface

• Presentation at SpaceOps2004, Producer-Archive Interface Methodology Abstract Standard (PAIMAS), C. Huc/CNES, D. Boucon/CNES-Silogic, D.M. Sawyer/NASA/GSFC and John Garrett/NASA-Raytheon, 2004-05-15 [PPT] (1,827,328 bytes)
• CCSDS/ISO Producer-Archive Interface Methodology Abstract Standard, Don Sawyer/NASA, 2002-10-30 [PPT] (409,600 bytes)

(If you have a presentation for this list, please send the presentation to John.Garrett@gsfc.nasa.gov.)

Wider Views

Media Longevity Reports

• NAMA-01-F0061, An evaluation of Life Expectancies, Media Stability and Performance Characteristics of Denser Magnetic Media with Special Reference to IBM 3590 and Digital Linear Tape Systems. June 2002. [MS Word] (37,645,312 bytes)

(If you have a media longevity report for this list, please send the report to John.Garrett@gsfc.nasa.gov.)