Future Proofing and Archiving

Keeping data in a future proof and reusable format has always been a problem in the fast-developing IT world. Relevant recommendations today are given in the iso open archival information systems (oais) reference model.

The Capish approach of conceptual modeling and keeping all data, metadata, and their relationships in standardized xml messages, is a solid foundation for digital archiving along these recommendations.

The semantic xml approach fulfills the criterion that the archived information can be read and understood by both computers and a human’s so called “naked eye”. The tagged flat files are also easy to secure both with respect to data integrity and digital signatures, through checksums. This assures the long-term preservation of the information.

Ingestion of information involves capturing and keeping the context of the information to keep it understandable for the different designated communities of the future. Capish solves this with the integrated Capish Ontology.

Furthermore, although the Capish Ontology is well defined and stable it is not completely static but changes as science and society develop. This does not pose any problems in defining or processing the Information Graph defined by the Ontology.

Altogether it is very beneficial to transfer selected data from the transaction systems to Capish for long-term preservation, understanding and dissemination. This is an optimum way of exploiting the future-proof Capish Holons and the fact that they are self-contained and organized in an Information Graph.