Koormat

Koormat is a term used in information science to describe a proposed data container and metadata schema intended to package digital assets in a way that supports interchange and long-term preservation. The concept appears in theoretical discussions of digital archiving and interoperable file packaging, where consistency between content and descriptive information is valued.

A koormat file is typically composed of two parts: a metadata envelope and a content payload. The metadata envelope follows a lightweight schema that records elements such as title, creator, date, language, rights, provenance, and relationships to other records. It may also include checksums, format identifiers, and version history to support integrity checks and reproducibility. The content payload can be a single file or a structured collection of files, and is referenced by the envelope to enable independent validation of content and metadata.

In practice, a koormat is often realized as an archive with an explicit manifest that binds metadata to payload items. The envelope is designed to be language- and format-agnostic, using a machine-readable encoding such as JSON or XML and using established metadata vocabularies like Dublin Core or PREMIS for compatibility.

Uses and limitations: Koormat is discussed primarily in the context of digital libraries, museums, and research data management as a means to streamline packaging and preservation workflows. However, it remains a theoretical construct with limited broad adoption, and real-world implementations vary in schema detail and tooling.

See also: digital preservation, data packaging, Dublin Core, PREMIS, zip archive.