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OAIS
From JISC Standards Catalogue
- Entry
- OAIS
- Area
- Non-Technical Frameworks
- Standard
- OAIS is an ISO standard which specifies a reference model for an open archival information system (OAIS). It was developed by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) to provide a framework for the standardisation of long-term preservation initially within the space science community, but with wider applicability to long-term preservation in any domain or context. The model provides an abstract framework for communication about the long-term preservation of, primarily, digital materials for a specified Designated Community. The reference model comprises the OAIS environment of Producer, Consumer, Management and OAIS Archive. The OAIS Archive contains a set of 6 key Functional entities with a number of sub-functions within each; and the Information model which specifies how information is managed and transported through the OAIS from Ingest to Access. There are a small set of mandatory responsibilities necessary for compliance to OAIS.
- OAIS is NOT a metadata standard, rather it is a conceptual framework for discussion, or designing archival systems or repositories.
- Standardisation
- OAIS (ISO 14721:2003) is owned and maintained by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization.
- Versions
- The Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) standard was approved as CCSDS 650.0-B-1 in January 2002 and was approved as ISO standard 14721 in 2003. This is the same as the CCSDS 650.0-B-1: Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS). Blue Book. Issue 1. January 2002, which supersedes the Red Book, issues 1, 1.1, 1.2 and 2.
- Maturity
- The Standard was approved by ISO in 2003 as ISO 14721:2003.
- Risk Assessment
- OAIS as a reference model does not proscribe standards or technical architectures for archives or repositories, rather it gives a framework and an ontology for communication. There is a small set of mandatory requirements for compliance to OAIS. The flexibility allowed by OAIS is seen as a strength by many, although it does beg the question of what compliance to OAIS means in practice. The documentation is quite long and complex and this may prove to be a barrier to smaller repositories or archives without the resources necessary to map or re-structure their functions and information model to reflect the standard.
- Take-up Elsewhere
- RLG are engaged in a number of OAIS activities, including repository certification against OAIS. RLG maintain a list of institutions who have adopted OAIS. The TNA and UKDA have undertaken an assessment exercise to map their compliance with OAIS. In the UK, institutions who have mapped their archives against OAIS include the AHDS, Edinburgh University Library and the National Library of Wales.
- Further Information
- Author
- Julie Allinson.
- Contributors
- Julie Allinson
- Date Created
- 29 September 2006
- Version
- v1
