Knowledge base of format-specific preservation risks: the OPF File Format Risk Registry
Johan van der Knijff
<p>Many file formats have features that are not compatible with the aims of long-term preservation. For example, the use of encryption may result in content becoming inaccessible over time, and files that have dependencies on external resources (e.g. fonts that are not embedded) may not be rendered correctly. Such features are potential preservation risks, and for digital archives it is important to be aware of the fact what risks are associated with a specific format, and how files can be assessed for the presence of a risk. The overall aim of this deliverable is to address this situation by presenting an open knowledge base of format-specific preservation risks.</p>

<p>This was realised by creating a platform that is called the OPF File Format Risk Registry (FFRR), which is part of the Open Planets Knowledge Base Wiki. For a given format, FFRR lists the risks that are associated with it, it provides information on how to test if a file is affected a risk, and it gives recommendations on how to deal with file objects that are affected by a risk. It also provides evidence in the form of sample files. FFRR content was created for the formats JP2 (JPEG 2000 Part 1) and PDF. These formats were chosen because of their particular importance to other SCAPE partners, and they are used here as a proof of concept of the FFRR approach. Research was done on tools that are able to detect preservation risks for these formats. The results of this research were included in FFRR. As no suitable tool existed for JP2, a new tool was developed for this format. As file format risks may be explicitly addressed by institutional policies, a general methodology was developed for an automated assessment (or validation) of files against a policy.</p>
digital preservation