The DIGARCH interoperability framework is the basis for a federated, multi-institutional data network for scalable digital archiving. It supports a high degree of platform independence and data and metadata interoperability each of which is an essential component of long-term data interoperability.

The motivation for the framework is to provide an archival methodology that is highly independent of the platform implementation to facilitate data and metadata migration over time and technology changes. Interoperability and platform independence are essential aspects of digital longevity since they avoid the pitfalls of stove-piping data collections into proprietary representations and access methods and facilitate the automated harvesting and production of metadata in bulk and interactively. This latter feature is essential to cope with the volumes of metadata that are needed as data collections grow while maintaining a low-error rate and low labor costs and delays.

Interoperability Resources

• Interoperability Workshop III
• Interoperability Workshop II
• Interoperability Workshop I
• SIOExplorer
• DIGARCH Project Site
• Interoperability Framework Bundle

Funding: NSF IIS 0455998 and NSF MMI