Digital Technology Standards: What To Look Out For ECURE Conference October 11, 2002 Charles Dollar

What Are Standards? “Standards are documented agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or defintions or other characteristics to ensure that materials, products, processes, and services are fit for their purpose.” International Standards Organization

Standard Principles Consensus Industry-wide Voluntary

Types of Standards De jure (sanctioned standards organizations) De facto (industry practice) Proprietary (specific company practice)

What Makes A Standard Succeed? Addresses a real need Market place penetration Transparent Successful and failed standards

Strengths and Weaknesses of Standards Strengths Stability Interoperability Interconnectivity Portability Supports migration Weaknesses Lag behind technology Not necessarily the best technical solution Vendor compliance Change over time Unending migration

Digital Records Over Time Changing Technologies Digital Records Digital Records Changing Technologies Changing Standards Standards and Migration

Selected Standards that Affect Long- Term Access to Electronic Records XML JPEG 2000 PDF – X, A