Dataarkivering

Dataarkivering refers to the long-term preservation and management of digital information for future access and use. It aims to maintain data authenticity, integrity, and readability across changing technology, and is distinct from everyday backups, which prioritize quick recovery of operational data.

The goals include compliance with laws and policies, preservation of institutional memory, enabling data reuse for research, and reducing information loss risk. Effective archiving relies on documented provenance, robust metadata, and trusted repositories.

The typical workflow includes appraisal (deciding what should be kept), ingest (bringing data into an archive), preservation actions (bit preservation, format migration), and access provisioning. Metadata should describe contents, context, rights, and technical characteristics (file formats, sizes, checksums).

Formats are chosen for longevity and openness; common strategies include migrating proprietary formats to open equivalents or using preservation-friendly containers. Integrity checks, such as checksums, detect tampering or corruption. Preservation planning anticipates technology obsolescence through emulation or transformation.

Governance emphasizes trusted repositories, clear access policies, and accountability. Standards such as OAIS (Open Archival Information System), PREMIS (preservation metadata), and ISO 16363 are often cited. National archives and research institutions frequently maintain dataarkivering services and repositories.

Challenges include rising data volumes, costs, and privacy concerns. Benefits include regulatory compliance, long-term data availability for future research, and reliable historical records.