What is UQ eSpace planning to do about format changes?
We are incorporating the Automated Obsolescence Notification System (AONS), which analyses digital repositories to determine whether any digital objects contained therein may be in danger of becoming obsolete. It uses preservation information about file formats and the software which supports these formats to determine if the formats used by digital objects are in danger. The information used is gleaned from various registries (PRONOM and LCSDF) and stored in a MySQL database. AONS then periodically checks the repository contents for formats at risk. When the repository is found to contain such formats, a notification report is sent to the repository manager. A notification report may trigger a migration event for a group of objects stored in the at-risk format.
