The concept of digital sustainability introduces a holistic approach on how to maximize the benefits of digital resources for our society. The nine basic conditions for digital sustainability also provide a contribution to potential solutions to the challenges of digital preservation. Elaborateness, transparent structures, semantic data, distributed location, an open licensing regime, shared tacit knowledge, participatory culture, good governance, and diversified funding support the long-term availability of digital knowledge. Therefore, in this conceptual paper, we explain the links between digital sustainability and digital preservation in order to increase the impact of both. We conclude by presenting the political agenda of the Swiss parliamentary group for digital sustainability.

1. iPRES 2016 – Stewardship & Sustainability II:
Digital Preservation through
Digital Sustainability
Dr. Matthias Stuermer & Gabriel Abu-Tayeh
Research Center for Digital Sustainability
Institute of Information Systems
University of Bern
13th International Conference on Digital Preservation
3 October 2016, Bern, Switzerland

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Research Center for Digital Sustainability
Team of 10 members and 3 PhD students at the Institut of
Information Systems at University of Bern, founded in 2014
Research, teaching and consulting on…
> Digital sustainability: SDGs, digital commons etc.
> Open source software: Community governance,
business models, maturity models, Inner Source etc.
> Open data: Open data apps, interactive data
visualizations, open aid, linked open data etc.
> Open government: Transparency, participation,
impact models, participatory apps (FixMyStreet) etc.
> ICT procurement: No-bid contracts, vendor lock-in,
open standards, agile procurement, requirements etc.
www.digitale-nachhaltigkeit.unibe.ch

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Matthias Stürmer
> Since 2013 post-doc and head of Research Center for Digital
Sustainability at the Institut of Information Systems at University of Bern
> 2010 until 2013 senior consultant/manager regarding open source
software, open data, social media, IT architecture, IT security, IT audit,
and IT procurement at EY (Ernst & Young)
> 2009 until 2010 business development and project manager at Liip AG
> 2006 until 2009 assistent at ETH Zürich at the Chair of Strategic
Management and Innovation (D-MTEC) of Prof. Georg von Krogh
> 2000 until 2005 licentiate in business administration and computer science
at University of Bern
> President of tcbe.ch – ICT Cluster Bern, Switzerland
> Member of the board of CH Open
> Co-founder and member of the board of Opendata.ch
> Secretary of the Parliamentarian Group for Digital Sustainability
> Member of the city parliament of Bern
Dr. Matthias Stürmer
Post-doc, head of Research
Center for Digital Sustainability
University of Bern
Institut of Information Systems
Engehaldenstrasse 8
CH-3012 Bern
Office: +41 31 631 38 09
Mobile: +41 76 368 81 65
Secretary: +41 31 631 38 79
Twitter: @maemst
matthias.stuermer@iwi.unibe.ch
www.digitale-nachhaltigkeit.unibe.ch

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Sustainable development
Environment Humans
Economy Knowledge

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Related research
> Sustainable Development
(World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)
> Digital Preservation (Smith Rumsey 2010)
> Open source software: Private-Collective Innovation Model
(von Hippel and von Krogh, 2003)
> Knowledge Commons / Digital Commons (Frischmann et al. 2014)
Sources:
• World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987. Report of the World Commission on Environment and
Development: Our Common Future.
• Smith Rumsey, A., 2010. Sustainable Economics for a Digital Planet: Ensuring Long-Term Access to Digital Information.
Blue Ribbon Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access.
• von Hippel, E., von Krogh, G., 2003. Open Source Software and the “Private-Collective” Innovation Model: Issues for
Organization Science. Organization Science 14, 209–223.
• Frischmann, B.M., Madison, M.J., Strandburg, K.J., 2014. Governing Knowledge Commons. Oxford University Press on
Demand.

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10 Basic Conditions of Digital Sustainability
Ecosystem
Digital
artifact
1. Elaborateness
2. Transparent structures
3. Semantic data
4. Distributed location
create use
World
5. Open licensing regime
6. Shared tacit knowledge
7. Participatory culture
8. Good governance
9. Diversified funding
10. Contributing to sustainable development (NEW)

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1. Elaborateness
> Elaborateness is determined through their completeness,
modularity, integrity, accuracy, security, robustness etc. regarding
the quality of their substance.
> Link to digital preservation:
— Problem: errors in documents and their metadata
— Challenge: growing demand for data storage
in order to preserve high data quality
— Need: financial ressources

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2. Transparent structures
> Technical openness of digital artifact: spec, source code, data etc.
> Transparency enables control and improvements from the public
improving trust and reducing mistakes
> Link to digital preservation:
— Open standard should be mandatory for data
— Software is needed to be able to open complex data files (e.g. GIS)

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3. Semantic data
> Semantic information (metadata, ontologies) make complex digital
artifacts intelligible to humans and machines
> Semantic information enables individuals, organizations and
eventually society to absorb previously created knowledge and to
advance that knowledge.
> Link to digital preservation:
— Metadata is key (as we all know ;)
— E.g. Open Archival Information
System (OAIS) reference model
— ISO standard 16363 on
"Audit and Certification of
Trustworthy Digital Repositories"

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4. Distributed location
> Distributed location means data, software and other digital artifacts
are stored and operated on multiple sites e.g. through replicated
data storage or peer-to-peer technology.
> Increases long-term availability of digital artifacts and their
operational reliability to the benefit of society.
> Link to digital preservation:
— Example of peer-to-peer research platform:
LOCKSS (Lots Of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)
at the Stanford University Libraries

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5. Open licensing regime
> Everybody is allowed to use and change a digital good
> Previously created knowledge can be re-used at no costs,
«Standing on the shoulders of giants»
> Allows society to fully exploit the intellectual capacity of humanity
> Link to digital preservation:
— Open access principles important for libraries
— Granting long-term access without any legal limitations

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6. Shared tacit knowledge
> Many individuals and organizations who know via their experience
how to understand, use and modify the digital artifacts.
> Reduces dependence of society on a single or a few individuals,
corporations or other organizations. Thus it empowers individuals
and organizations to contribute.
> Link to digital preservation:
— Challenge: correctly interpret stored information
— Goal: maintain and interpret resources
in the long-term

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7. Participatory culture
> Participatory culture allows the creation of active ecosystems
> Brings together knowledge and experience of different contributors
> Peer-review enhances quality of contributions
> Link to digital preservation:
— Quality assurance and information gathering processes
— Crowdsourcing projects by GLAM institutions

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8. Good governance
> Governance not by a single individual or organization, but
decentralized among contributors and other stakeholders
> Governance-processes (elections etc.) define responsibilities
> Link to digital preservation:
— Decisions to be taken what to digitalize and what not
— “well-documented, well-argued and
transparent decisions” (Becker et al. 2009)

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9. Diversified funding
> Cost covering of infrastructures, contributions and other spending
from various financial sources.
> Reduces control by a single entity thus increasing the
independence of future improvements and decreasing the risk of
conflicting interests.
> Link to digital preservation:
— Diversified funding of digital preservation projects
supports scientific independence and
increases public awareness
— Goal: motivate private investments into
digital preservation activities

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10. Sustainable development (NEW)
> Creation and use of digital artifacts needs natural and social
resources. Are they being of sustainable origin, e.g. renewable
energy or fair wages?
> Digital artifacts should be used as a contribution for sustainable
development according to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
> Link to digital preservation:
— Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable:
“11.4 Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard
the world’s cultural and natural heritage”

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Linux Kernel
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeJoP1orbmE

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Wikipedia
Link: https://sites.google.com/site/myshkinonline/Home/research-and-publications/greenWikipedia.jpg?attredirects=1

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OpenStreetMap
Link: http://tools.geofabrik.de/mc/#16/47.4303/9.3727&num=2&mt0=mapnik&mt1=google-map

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Linked Open Data
Link: http://lod-cloud.net

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Bitcoin and Blockchain technologies
Source: Reuters Graphics

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More examples

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Voyager 1 and 2 (1977)
Source: NASA, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record

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Voyager Golden Record (1977)
> Gramophone records included in
Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts
> A „bottle in the cosmic ocean“ intended to
communicate to extra-terrestrials a story of
the world of humans on Earth
> Content: 116 images, natural sounds, classical
music, spoken languages
> Travelling at 60'000 km/h, now around
20 billion km away
> In about 40'000 years Voyager 1 and 2 will be
within 1.8 light-years of other stars
> Golden Records should last 500 million years
Source: NASA, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record

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Swiss Parliamentary Group for
Digital Sustainability
> Founded 2009 by the Swiss open source advocacy group CH Open
> 7 core team members from national parliament, total 45 members
> Political agenda:
1. Public funding should follow basic conditions for digital sustainability
2. Public institutions should prioritize open source software, open data etc.
3. Research funding should focus on open science principles
www.digitale-nachhaltigkeit.ch

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Questions and discussion
Dr. Matthias Stürmer
Post-doc, head of Research
Center for Digital Sustainability
University of Bern
Institut of Information Systems
Engehaldenstrasse 8
CH-3012 Bern
Office: +41 31 631 38 09
Mobile: +41 76 368 81 65
Secretary: +41 31 631 38 79
Twitter: @maemst
matthias.stuermer@iwi.unibe.ch
www.digitale-nachhaltigkeit.unibe.ch
Thank your for your feedback!