As presented by Eva Verdoodt at the 2019 FIAT/IFTA World Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia

1. Measuring clouds. A Large scale acquisition and
preservation service for (born) digital archives.
Eva Verdoodt
25 October 2019

2. De man die de wolken meet / Jan Fabre
Measuring clouds, trying to
quantify things that are
immeasurable…
isn’t this exactly what artists
are trying, day after day?
© Jan Fabre / De man die de wolken meet

3. Managing digital collections,
trying to quantify digital files
that are stored on different
carriers and multiple
locations…
isn’t this exactly what digital
archivists are trying, day
after day?
https://blog.archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/2012/07/07/the-modern-
archivist-working-with-people-and-technology/

4. Short
introduction on
VIAA

5. The VIAA model
professional
and efficient
digitization
sustainable
digital
preservation
a non-exclusive
right to use the
CP’s content on
our own
platforms
archivingdigitization (re-)use

6. 150+ content partners
Libraries
Archives
Museums
National broadcasters
Regional broadcasters
Government bodies
Heritage cells
Performing arts organisations

8. Digitisation projects finished
Wave 1: Betacam SP/SX VRT
Wave 1: Betacam Oxide
Wave 1: U-Matic
Wave 2: Wax cylinders
Wave 2: Wire recordings
Wave 2: VCR
Wave 2: Audio-CDR VRT
Wave 2: Betamax
Wave 2: Open Reel Video
Wave 4: VHS-VRT
Wave 4: VHS
Wave 6: Exotic formats
Digitisation projects going on
Wave 1: ¼” audio tape
Wave 3: Digital Betacam
Wave 3: Betacam SX
Wave 5: Lacquer / shellac disks
Wave 7: DV-formats
Wave 9: CD-DVD
Film: Threatened film CE
Film: Threatened film VRT
Film: Amateur film
Film: Special collections
Extra batches going on or planned
Wave 1: Audio cassette
Wave 2: Audio-CD-R
New projects in preparation
Wave 8: Vinyl
Wave 10: XD-cam
Digitisation status

9. Digitisation status
10.21% 14.34% 10.84% 9.88% 10.26% 9.85% 11.01% 6.38%
4.89%
2.55%
9.62%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Na 2023

10. After 6 years of digitization we noticed the need at
VIAA CP’s for a new service
 A Large scale acquisition and preservation
service for (born) digital archives

11. How did we
start?

12. Get more insight!

13. Questionaire
• Sent out in 2016 to 100 CP’s
• Question about:
 the types of digital collections and
variations of file formats
 Audio, video, images (photo collections)
 Mpeg, wav, mp3, tiff, jpeg, …
 the type of storage that is used to
store these collections at the CP’s 
RISK management
 Hard disks
 NAS
 External services
 the urgency for an external service
that provides long term preservation

14.  Answers from 64 organization
 59 organisations replied that they
are in need of extra service on
preservation of their digital
collections
 Breakdown of the type of
organisations
Feedback questionnaire (2016)
Archives
22
Museums
12
Herritage cells
15
Broadcasters
7

15. Broadcasters and
performing arts have the
largest video collections
Size of video collections

16. Heritage cells have the
largest audio collections
Followed by the archives
and museums
Size of audio collections

17. Size of photo collections
 Heritage cells and
archives have the
largest photo
collections
 Followed by the
museums and
libraries

18. State Library of Queensland
Pilot projects
VIAA made a selection based
upon
• the urgency for the CP and
• the type of collection
that was registered in the
questionnaire

19. Why pilot projects?
 get more hands-on experience on the different types of
collections and new file formats
 Identify all needs to be able to deliver a scalable service
(today +150 CP’s) for long term preservation

20. Pilot projects during 2017-2018
• Broadcasters
• VRT
• Focus-WTV
• BRUZZ
• RTV
• Performing arts
• Rosas
• Ultima Vez
• Museums
• Industriemuseum
• Huis van Alijn
• Heritage cell
• Erfgoedcel K.ERF

21. https://viaa.be/en/project/regional-broadcast-central-storage-focus-wtv-rtv-and-bruzz

22. https://viaa.be/en/project/the-museum-of-industry-digital-collection-digital-strategy

23. Learnings
1. The timing of a pilot project was very unpredictable due to the
dependence on the time spent at the project by the CP
2. Need for more technological knowledge and user-friendly tools
at the CP
3. Very heterogeneous collections, technical expertise is required

24. How do you
prevent ending
up in a tornado?

25. Learnings put into practice
1. Clear project scope definition
2. The current tools are too technical  User-friendly tools + training
3. Project lead time must be shorter and continuity must be monitored 
Extra manpower at VIAA + project management to watch over scope
and timing
4. Heterogeneous collections = complexity  Further development of
technical expertise

26. 1. Scope definition
IN SCOPE
Type of file: Single files
Type of collection:
• Audio
• Video
• photo(scans)
NOT IN SCOPE
Type of file: Complex objects
Type of collection:
• Websites
• Documents
• Games
• mail
• …

27. 2. User-friendly tools + training
• Learn how to make an inventory (using DROID)
• Make a selection (In scope vs out of scope)
• What makes a good archive master?
• Create md5 checksums
• Metadata mapping

28. Silver lining
Where do you draw the line?
© Mari Andrew

29. File extensions
© Jan Fabre / De man die de wolken meet

30. Mime types
© Jan Fabre / De man die de wolken meet

31. • Make a clear selection
• Selection is only
possible when you have
an inventory

32. 2. User-friendly tools + training

33. 3. Projectmanagement
 New methodology to deploy the service on a large scale
• Working with fixed milestones
• 2 types of projects:
• Continuous integration
• Batch intake
 Extra tooling for monitoring the projects

34. New tools for monitoring projects

35. Building new tools for reporting

36. Project planning
2 types of projects:
1. Continuous integration (using FTP upload protocol)
1. More development needed
2. Upload file + metadata (in VIAA datamodel format) on FTP
2. Batch intake
1. Define a batch (part of you collection)
2. Create a file based inventory
3. Calculate md5 checksums for each file
4. Export your metadata in a structured format (csv, xml)
5. Metadatamapping to the VIAA datamodel
6. Transfer the file via FTP or VIAA hard disk

37. Discovery Test Piloot Productie
Milestones

38. What has happened so far?
• 55 CP’s are included in born digital projects
• Pilot projects + 2 waves
• Total sum = 85 TB
• 27 different extensions and pronom id’s
• 18 mime types

41. Future work: Gradually extend the
scope and service
• Complex objects
• PILOTS:
• Ingest of newspaper digitisationprojects
• RESEARCH:
• how to build a generic ingest workflow for complex
objects
• Ongoing

42. Questions and
thoughts

43. Questions?
• To white list or not to white list?
• We are still investigating the scope of a white list
• Pre or post ingest transformation / transcoding?
• Pro’s and con’s?
• Levels of preservation planning
• Today = bit level preservation
• Reporting on file formats (codec and containers)
• Future work = preservation watch, risk management and
transformation / migration