Digital continuity
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Digital continuity is the ability to maintain the digital information of a creator in such a way that the information will continue to be available, as needed, despite changes in digital technology. It focuses on making sure that information is complete, available and therefore usable. Activities involved with managing digital continuity include
information management Information management (IM) is the appropriate and optimized capture, storage, retrieval, and use of information. It may be personal information management or organizational. Information management for organizations concerns a cycle of organiz ...
, information risk assessment and managing technical environments, including
file format conversion Data conversion is the conversion of computer data from one format to another. Throughout a computer environment, data is encoded in a variety of ways. For example, computer hardware is built on the basis of certain standards, which requires t ...
. Digital continuity management is particularly important to organisations that have a duty to maintain accountability, and to act transparently and legally, such as government and infrastructure companies. Digital continuity is also an important issue for organisations responsible for maintaining repositories of information in digital form over time, such as archives and libraries.


Focus of digital continuity

The focus of digital continuity differs from that of
digital preservation In library science, library and archival science, digital preservation is a formal process to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable in the long term. It involves planning, resource allocation, and appli ...
and
business continuity Business continuity may be defined as "the capability of an organization to continue the delivery of products or services at pre-defined acceptable levels following a disruptive incident", and business continuity planning (or business continuity ...
. While there is some overlap among these areas, they should be treated as related but separate issues. Business continuity focuses on making sure that critical business functions will be available to customers, suppliers, regulators, and other entities that must have access to those functions. Digital preservation focuses on long term strategies and requirements for storing digital information in an effort to stabilize the collection of digital records. Digital continuity is concerned with the ability to make digital information continuously usable for as long as required. What constitutes usable will be different depending on each organization's needs. For the purposes of digital continuity,
The National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...
believes digital information is usable when one can: *find it when needed *open it as needed *work with it in the way needed *understand what it is and what it is about *trust that it is what it says it is.


Digital continuity projects

The National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
began a digital continuity project for public use in 2007. The project is based on a four-stage process for managing digital information effectively in organisations: *Step 1: Plan for action: All employees in the organization need to be aware of the digital continuity project and have an understanding of what digital continuity means for the information they create. This step also includes assessing existing work practices in order to ensure that people working within the system have the potential to deliver continuity. *Step 2: Define your digital continuity requirements: Ensure that an effective records management system is in place so that it is understood what information needs to be kept and how it will be used over time, regardless of change. *Step 3: Assess and manage risks to digital continuity: This step involves a digital continuity risk assessment which highlights areas of concern. This may include identifying file formats in current use which are susceptible to obsolescence. Identifying risks will help mitigate potential problems. *Step 4: Maintain digital continuity: This step ensures that your organization will be able to continue to use the digital information it produces in the future through changes in technology. This involves embedding the concept of digital continuity into existing business processes. At
Archives New Zealand Archives New Zealand ( Māori: ''Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga'') is New Zealand's national archive and the official guardian of its public archives. As the government's recordkeeping authority, it administers the Public Records Act 2005 an ...
, the digital continuity project is entitled the ''Digital Continuity Action Plan''. The Archives New Zealand project is focused on ensuring digital information is available in the future, that the information remains authentic and reliable, and that the public has continuous access through a proactive approach to maintaining digital information. The
Digital Preservation Coalition ThDigital Preservation Coalition (DPC)is a UK-based charity that works with global partners to 'a welcoming and inclusive global community, working together to bring about a sustainable future for our digital assets'. Background The origins o ...
(DPC), which concerns itself with digital preservation issues including digital continuity, has published reports advocating the assessment of digital preservation needs in the UK, and has been consulted in the creation of the ''Digital Continuity Action Plan'' at Archives New Zealand. The National Archives is also a member of the DPC. Other digital continuity projects are underway at the
Welsh Assembly Government Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
in conjunction with the
University of Wales, Newport The University of Wales, Newport (), was a public university based in Newport, Wales, Newport, South Wales, before the merger that formed the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was founded as a mechanics' institute in 1841 ...
., and the
National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
.


See also

* Information Lifecycle Management *
Business continuity Business continuity may be defined as "the capability of an organization to continue the delivery of products or services at pre-defined acceptable levels following a disruptive incident", and business continuity planning (or business continuity ...
*
Digital preservation In library science, library and archival science, digital preservation is a formal process to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable in the long term. It involves planning, resource allocation, and appli ...
*
Digital Preservation Coalition ThDigital Preservation Coalition (DPC)is a UK-based charity that works with global partners to 'a welcoming and inclusive global community, working together to bring about a sustainable future for our digital assets'. Background The origins o ...
*
Digital dark age The digital dark age is a lack of historical information in the digital age as a direct result of outdated file formats, software, or hardware that becomes corrupt, scarce, or inaccessible as technologies evolve and data decays. Future generatio ...
*
Digital rhetoric Digital rhetoric is communication that exists in the digital sphere. It can be expressed in many different forms, including text, images, videos, and software. Due to the increasingly mediated nature of contemporary society, distinctions betwee ...
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References

Data quality Information technology management Digital preservation