1. Open Archival Information System
ROMOR Workshop 5 September 2017

2. OAIS International Standard
OAIS is an international standard first published in 2003 as ISO 14721: Space data and information transfer systems -- Open archival information system (OAIS) -- Reference model
Emerged from NASA / Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems
In 2012, ISO issued a revised version of the Reference Model as ISO :2012

3. The OAIS is a ‘reference model’
What is a reference model?
A framework
for understanding relationships among entities of its domain
for development of consistent standards or specifications supporting the domain
A conceptual model which
is based on a small number of underlying concepts
describes key concepts and relationships, and how they interface to each other and the external environment
may be used as a basis for explaining domain specific concepts to non- specialists
OAIS is NOT an implementation model!

4. Purpose, Scope, and Applicability
Primary goal of an OAIS: to preserve information for a designated community over an indefinite period of time
The standard is a framework for understanding and applying concepts necessary for long-term preservation of digital objects (of any sort)
Note, here long-term means long enough to be concerned about technological change
Addresses the full range of archival functions
Actually applicable to all sorts of organisations and individuals dealing with information that needs long-term preservation (not just ‘archives’)

5. What is OAIS about?
Defining an OAIS: “An archive, consisting of an organization of people and systems that has accepted the responsibility to preserve information and make it available for a Designated Community”
‘Designated Community’ is a singularly important concept within the OAIS model and is defined as the community of stakeholders and users that the OAIS serves / will serve
The Reference Model is a high-level description of the
Environment
Functional model
Information model
of an OAIS

6. Model View of an OAIS Environment
(archive)
Management
Producer
Consumer
Producer is the role played by those persons, or client systems, who provide the information to be preserved
Management is the role played by those who set overall OAIS policy as one component in a broader policy domain
Consumer is the role played by those persons, or client systems, who interact with OAIS services to find and acquire preserved information of interest
The environment surrounding the OAIS is given by this simple model
outside the OAIS are :
producers : play the rôle of those who provide the information to preserve
management : play the rôle of those who set overall OAIS policy
consumers : play the rôle of those who interact with the OAIS services to find information of interest and to access this information 7

7. OAIS Functional Model

8. OAIS Functions (1)
Ingest: services and functions that accept SIPs from Producers; prepares AIPs for storage, and ensures that AIPs and their supporting Descriptive Information become established within the OAIS
Archival Storage: services and functions used for the storage and retrieval of AIPs
Data Management: services and functions for populating, maintaining, and accessing a wide variety of information related services visible to Consumer

9. OAIS Functions (2)
Administration: services and functions needed to control the operation of the other OAIS functional entities on a day-to- day basis
Preservation Planning: services and functions for monitoring the OAIS environment and ensuring that content remains accessible to the Designated Community
Access: services and functions which make the archival information holdings and related services visible to Consumer

10. OAIS is NOT an implementation model!
OAIS Functional Model
OAIS is NOT an implementation model!

11. OAIS Information Model
OAIS provides an information model for managing the digital materials as they pass through the system. The basis of this model is the Information Package (IP).
An IP consists of:
The digital object(s) to be preserved.
The metadata required at that point in the system.
The Packaging Information which relates 1 and 2.
OAIS specifies three types of Information Package:
Submission Information Packages (SIPs).
Archival Information Packages (AIPs).
Dissemination Information Packages (DIPs).

12. Information Package model

13. Information Object

14. Representation Information
Structure Information
Semantic Information
Other Representation Information (e.g. SW, algorithms, other textual info)

15. OAIS information packages
SIP: the package that is sent to an OAIS by a Producer. Its form and detailed content is typically negotiated between the Producer and the OAIS
AIP: the package that is actually preserved in the OAIS. May be made up of more than one SIP, or one SIP may produce several AIPs
DIP: what is delivered to the consumers. It is not necessarily the same as the AIP but will be derived from it in some way

16. OAIS is NOT an implementation model!
AIP Detailed View
OAIS is NOT an implementation model!

17. Summary OAIS is a reference model OAIS no implementation specification
Defines language, responisbilities, functionalities,...
Can be used for all kind of archives, institutions, organizations, systems
Can be used for all kinds of objects, physical or digital

18. QUESTIONS