title: Ellipse – Long-term and Permanent Protection and Accessibility of Geodata
creators: Krystyna W. Ohnesorge Alain Mast Chiara Marciani
abstract: Archiving of geodata historically focused on methods of keeping digital geodata alive “almost forever”. Project Ellipse is a joint effort by the Swiss Federal Archives (SFA) and the Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo) running from 2011 to 2016. Its aim is to find a common solution for the archiving of geodata in order to implement the applicable legislation. Ellipse follows the entire archiving process chain: from the inventory and appraisal of geodata, to its submission to the digital archives and finally to the users, who expect geodata in a form that is authentic and accessible in a future technological environment. Archiving of geodata is a complex task that demands intensive cooperation among all stakeholders. Despite our efforts, not all questions have been solved successfully. In this paper, we will report our findings and solutions as well as the obstacles we encountered during the course of Project Ellipse.