Maine GeoArchives Project and the Digital Archives Concept

1
Maine GeoArchives Project and the Digital
Archives Concept

• Presented at NAGARA, SAA, CoSA joint conference,
  Washington, DC, August 3, 2006
• Jim Henderson, Maine State Archivist

2
Digital Archives Goals

• Preserve permanently valuable State of Maine
  official records that are in digital form, either
  "born digital" or digitized for access, and
• Provide continuing digital access to these
  records.

3
Digital Archives Context

• State has spent a billion dollars in the past
  fifteen years creating systems to produce digital
  records.
• Often to replace "legacy" systems whose records
  are not accessible media deterioration or
  obsolescence, software or O/S obsolescence,
  inadequate documentation.
• Little has been done to protect the long-term and
  permanent value of these assets.

4
The Problem - Examples

• State Planning Office data on 8 floppy disks no
  longer readable
• GIS data deleted by agencies that have no
  current need
• Human Services scanned vital records
  inaccessible, indexing database corrupted.
• E-mail containing policy level material either
  deleted or exists on obsolete e-mail systems no
  longer supported.
• Hundreds of thousands of indexes to marriage
  records 1967-1976 lost when Human Services' data
  became unreadable.
• Agencies embarrassed, A.G. concerned, Governor
  very concerned when legal discovery and FOI
  requests bungled in 2006!

5
Archives Digital Experience

• 1999 Digital Records Management Plan from Camp
  Pitt process and NHPRC
• E-mail guidance for State employees since 1997
• Scanned/cataloged hundreds of documents for Maine
  on-line museums and learning environments
• Mass digitization 19,000 images from archival
  microfilm - 2004
• Education of Maine IT professionals and other
  agencies on need to retain selected digital
  records
• GeoArchives GIS preservation project 2005, now
  institutionalized
• Maine Digital Archives Planning - 2005-2006

6
Overall Strategy

• Born Digital - targets of opportunity
• GIS
• E-mail
• Digitized Analog
• Media paper, film, analog tape
• For access researchers, agencies, Archives staff

7
Digital Archives Process
8
GeoArchives Project Goal, Objectives

• Goal
• Digital system, based on current research
  and standards, to preserve and provide access to,
  State GIS records having permanent value.
• Objectives
• Immediate reduction in the loss of archival GIS
  records
• A prototype for continuing development and
  application for all State and local GIS records.
• A model for others to critique, improve, apply

9
Project Scope - Limited

• Preservation
• Data (layers, images) in GeoLibrary only
• A large subset of all GIS records in agencies
• Vetted for FGDC metadata compliance
• Select Test Data from GeoLibrary
• Relatively stable - municipal boundaries
• Relatively dynamic - E911 Roads
• Orthophoto Imagery from Fly Overs
• Access
• Use existing GeoLibrary
• Compare layer status (boundaries, roads) at any
  historical time
• Overlay different layers (boundaries 2005 roads
  2010)

10
GeoArchives as OAIS
11
Project Process

• Research
• Project Team - true collaboration
• User needs - survey
• Functional Requirements
• for the project
• for the outcome
• Consultants - multiple
• Metadata Requirements
• Dublin Core, MARC 21, FGDC
• Crosswalks FGDC v. archival standards

12
Project Functional Requirements

• Identify GIS administrative records
• Set appraisal level - attributes, layers
• Appraise data layers
• Determine additional metadata needs
• Provide for data integrity and security
• Provide access to archival GIS data
• Define Archives administrative procedures

FOR MORE INFO...
Functional requirements document http//www.maine
.gov/geoarch/Project20Proposal20and20Documents/
Frgeo08.doc
13
FGDC Metadata for Appraisal and Archival
Description

• Originator Administrative records
• Title Unique Identifier
• Series_Name Descriptive name
• Abstract Legal, informational, evidential value
  related digital data
• Purpose Evidential value
• Time_Period_Information Beginning_Date Existing
  archival layer
• Ending_Date Existing archival layer
• Status
• Progress Periodicity of
  accession
• Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency

• Point_of_Contact
• Contact_Organization_Primary Administra
  tive records
• Contact_Address Administrative
  records
• Overview_Description
• Legal, informational, evidential
  value
• Entity_And-Attribute_Overview
• Legal, informational, evidential
  value
• Use_Constraints Access restrictions
• Source_Information
• Originator Scope and content
  accuracy
• Contribution Scope and content
  accuracy

14
Additional Archival Metadata

• Creators content in FGDC Metadata
• Assess completeness for archival description
• Enhance as needed
• Archives content in FGDC Metadata
• Citation - Maine State Archives as data owner
• Keywords - Library of Congress Thesaurus
• Contact - MSA phone, address ,etc.
• Process Description - description of accession
  process
• Metadata Access Constraints - notice no changed
  permitted to archival version

15
Appraisal Process
16
Outcomes Retention Formats

• Preservation
• All formats likely to change
• Embed archival records in systems holding
  critical operational records
• Migrate archival records along with others
• Export to XML initially, new solutions as needed
• Access
• ESRI - the 900 lb. gorilla, with tools
• Exportable to non-ESRI formats

17
Manual for Managing the GeoArchives

• Appraisal Process
• Key metadata fields
• Decision-making process
• Accession Process
• Review current metadata
• Add archival metadata to change ownership
• Administrative Records
• Post Accession (error correction)

18
Tools Required by Archives

• Storage (ArcSDE versions 9.2?)
• Data storage for snapshots
• Use SDE Archive functions to track changes
• Management (ArcCatalog)
• Metadata style sheets to support appraisal
• View complete metadata for accession
• Editing to add archival metadata fields
• GIS Viewer (many free options)
• View samples of data during appraisal and
  accession
• Provide researchers access to GeoArchives

19
Maine GeoArchives Status

• A model for Digital Archives design, experience
• Snapshot layers on Data Catalog
• http//megis.maine.gov/catalog/
• On-going assessment for continuous layer
  history solution
• Manual for Managing the GeoArchives
• Receiving update alerts for data layers
• Appraisal and accessioning continues

20
The Devil - Lessons on Details

• communications with IT partner clear and
  continuous
• documentation of applications supporting the
  GeoArchives complete and understandable
• documentation of servers hosting archival layers
  - location and physical controls complete,
  understandable
• metadata for layers accessioned must be complete
  and consistent with the GeoArchives Manual
• Archives staff specifically assigned to
  GeoArchives maintenance

21
Maine GeoArchives Web Site

• Agendas, Minutes
• Project Documents - raw and refined
• Functional Requirements
• Manual for Managing the GeoArchives
• Administrative Records Schedule
• Consultant reports
• Project Final Reports

FOR MORE INFO...
GeoArchives Web http//www.maine.gov/sos/arc/Geo
Archives/geoarch.html