Beyond the sentiments and historical value of objects, subjects and moments there is an actual monetary value that is necessary for the digital preservation process and its subsequent sustainability. In this section we look at a Cost Models established for digital preservation in the Netherlands.
Digital Preservation Testbed
In 2005 a practical research was conducted by the National Archives of Netherlands with the aim of exploring long-term access to authentic archives via migration, XML and UVC (Universal Virtual Computer) approaches (Slats, 2005).
The resulting cost Indicators were considered
1. The costs of a digital archive system and its functionality for the
long term preservation of digital records
2. Personnel costs
3. The costs of the development/ purchase of software and methods/strategies for the
preservation of digital records
4. The costs of the actual performance of certain preservation actions
5. Other factors that influence the total costs of preservation
Develop preservation approach
To develop a preservation approach is a major part of the costs involved in digital preservation. The example underneath is based on preserving just a hundred spreadsheets a year (5 batches of 20 spreadsheets). There is a significant difference between developing a migration strategy (33,50 Euro per spreadsheet) and developing the UVC approach, more specifically developing a data format decoder program (769,10 Euro per item). Applying the XML approach is free of costs (assuming that there is an application available storing spreadsheets in XML with the appropriate metadata).
Figure 1 Four preservation approaches and their related cost
Among other things, this research concludes that XML Methods provides the most cost-effective option but recommends that this format provide for a conversion to a more open standard so it can survive beyond 10 years.
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