Preserving complex digital objects

This ground-breaking edited collection explores the challenges of preserving complex digital objects such as simulations, visualisations, digital art and video games. Drawing on the outputs of the JISC-funded Preservation of Complex Objects (POCOS) symposia, enhanced with specialist pathfinder solutions, this book will cover topics such as the legal and technical challenges of preservation, curation and authority, and digital archaeology. Written by international experts from a broad background of library, collecting institutions, information and computer science, and digital preservation backgrounds, this collection showcases the state of the art of the discipline and brings together stakeholder perspectives from across the preservation community. The collection is structured around six parts: Why and what to preserve: creativity vs preservation The memory institution: data archival perspectives Digital preservation approaches, practices and tools Case studies A legal perspective Pathfinder conclusions. Readership : Academics and students on digital preservation, digital humanities and information management courses, and those working in preservation and collecting for memory institutions will find this a valuable read. It will also be of particular interest to computer scientists, artists, games and emulation communities, archaeologists and digital forensic scientists. |This ground-breaking edited collection explores the challenges of preserving complex digital objects such as simulations, visualisations, digital art and video games. Drawing on the outputs of the JISC-funded Preservation of Complex Objects (POCOS) symposia, enhanced with specialist pathfinder solutions, this book will cover topics such as the legal and technical challenges of preservation, curation and authority, and digital archaeology. Written by international experts from a broad background of library, collecting institutions, information and computer science, and digital preservation backgrounds, this collection showcases the state of the art of the discipline and brings together stakeholder perspectives from across the preservation community. The collection is structured around six parts; 1) Why and what to preserve: creativity vs preservation; 2) The memory institution: data archival perspectives; 3) Digital preservation approaches, practices and tools; 4) Case studies; 5) A legal perspective; 6) Pathfinder conclusions. Academics and students on digital preservation, digital humanities and information management courses, and those working in preservation and collecting for memory institutions will find this a valuable read. It will also be of particular interest to computer scientists, artists, games and emulation communities, archaeologists and digital forensic scientists. Title page 4 Contents 6 Foreword 10 Preface 12 Contributors 14 Glossary 28 Introduction 36 PART 1 Why and what to preserve: creativity versus preservation 50 1 Standing on the shoulders of heavily armed giants – why history matters for game development 52 Abstract 52 Introduction 52 A first-person shooter perspective 53 An emotional framework 55 First-person shooter (FPS) and role-playing game (RPG) crossovers 56 The birth of contemporary first-person games 57 Pushing the boundaries – thechineseroom 58 Leadership 60 Notes 61 2 Archaeology versus anthropology: what can truly be preserved? 62 Introduction 62 Preservation 63 History 63 Literature 64 Art 65 Conclusion 68 Notes 68 References 69 3 Make or break? Concerning the value of redundancy as a creative strategy 70 Introduction 70 A cultural determinacy? 70 A technological interdependency 74 A reading and a writing 75 References 78 4 Between code and space: the challenges of preserving complex digital creativity in contemporary arts practice 80 Introduction 80 Shifting from the digital to the hybrid 81 Case study I: incorporating live external data streams 82 Case study II: linking to unstable media repositories 84 Case study III: introducing analogue materials and processes 85 Case study IV: blending virtual, physical and networked spaces 88 Case study V: integrating time-based, collaborative content 90 Case study VI: creating within interdisciplinary contexts 92 Conclusion: retaining the essence of ‘digital’ art 94 Acknowledgments 95 References 95 PART 2 The memory institution/data archival perspective 96 5 Preservation of digital objects at the Archaeology Data Service 98 Background to the ADS 98 ADS collections policy 99 The Big Data project 100 The VENUS project 101 ADS archival strategy for complex datasets 102 Guides to good practice 104 Where is all the complex data? 106 Conclusion 107 Notes 108 References 109 6 Preserving games for museum collections and public display: the National Videogame Archive 112 Introduction to the National Videogame Archive 112 Types of material within the NVA 113 Challenges of games preservation 115 Public exhibitions 117 Note 120 References 120 7 Bridging the gap in digital art preservation: interdisciplinary reflections on authenticity, longevity and potential collaborations 122 Digital casualties: challenges for digital art preservation 122 Long-term accessibility of digital art: previous work 123 An interdisciplinary methodological approach to the preservation of digital art 124 Reflections on authenticity and longevity of digital art 127 Instantiations, authenticities and documentation in digital art 128 Cultural institutions and cross-sectoral collaborations in digital preservation 131 Conclusions: for a dynamic preservation model of digital art 134 Acknowledgments 134 Note 134 References 135 8 Laying a trail of breadcrumbs – preparing the path for preservation 140 Introduction 140 Traditional objects and the digital counterparts 141 Preservation approaches 141 Digital ubiquity: a preservation challenge 143 An unspoken promise 144 Preservation planning 146 The specification document 148 Upgrades, upgrades 149 Human factors 152 Notes 154 PART 3 Digital preservation approaches, practice and tools 156 PART 3.1 A good place to start: software preservation 158 9 Digital preservation and curation: the danger of overlooking software 160 Introduction 160 How should I approach software preservation? 162 Purposes and benefits of software preservation 162 Seven approaches to software preservation 164 Acknowledgements 171 Notes 171 Further reading 172 10 How do I know that I have preserved software? 174 Introduction: software preservation 174 Software preservation approaches 176 What do we need to support retrieval? 179 What do we need to support reconstruction? 180 What do we need to support replay? 181 How do I judge now that what I have preserved is ‘enough’? 182 Conclusion 185 Acknowledgments 186 Notes 186 References 187 PART 3.2 Tools and techniques 190 11 Digital preservation strategies for visualizations and simulations 192 Introduction 192 The main DP challenges and key responses 192 Key issues in response to the DP challenges 197 Notes 202 References 203 12 The ISDA1 tools: preserving 3D digital content 204 Introduction 204 3D Utilities 205 The Conversion Software Registry 209 Software servers 210 Polyglot 212 Versus 212 Conclusion 213 Acknowledgments 213 Notes 213 References 213 PART 3.3 Metadata, paradata and documentation 216 13 Ecologies of research and performance: preservation challenges in the London Charter 218 Introduction 218 The London Charter 218 Preservation issues raised by the London Charter 220 Preservation of mixed reality objects 223 Preservation, access and enhancing practice 225 Case study – the Abbey Theatre, Dublin 226 Notes 232 References 232 14 A tangled web: metadata and problems in game preservation 234 Preserving virtual worlds: an introduction 234 Problems in game description 235 The wisdom of OWL 243 A few remaining problems 247 Acknowledgements 248 Note 248 References 249 15 Metadata for preserving computing environments 250 Introduction 250 The TIMBUS project 251 The TIMBUS approach 254 Example preservation of a business process 254 Metadata for preserving processes and computing environments 257 Core digital preservation metadata and computing environments 258 Software preservation and technical registries 260 Conclusion 261 Acknowledgements 262 References 262 16 Preserving games environments via TOTEM, KEEP and Bletchley Park 266 Introduction 266 KEEP games initiatives 267 Games environments metadata: background to the challenge 268 Game-specific preservation metadata schemas 270 Games’ systems requirements 271 Technical environment metadata models 272 TOTEM 273 The KEEP emulation framework 275 The emulation framework software 276 The emulation framework user interface 277 The emulation framework administration 278 Software preservation and computer history museums 279 Conclusions 280 Notes 280 References 281 17 Documenting the context of software art works through social theory: towards a vocabulary for context classification 284 Introduction 284 The context of software art as a sociotechnical system 285 A vocabulary for context classification 288 Population scale 289 Infrastructural context 291 Spatial context 294 Temporal context 295 Aesthetical context 297 Social processes 299 Conclusion 301 Acknowledgements 302 Notes 302 References 303 PART 4 Case studies 306 18 The Villa of Oplontis: a ‘born-digital’ project 308 Introduction 308 Advantages of the e-book 308 Linking the 3D model with the database 312 From archives to digital reconstruction 313 Conclusion 320 Note 321 References 321 19 Preservation of complex cultural heritage objects – a practical implementation 322 Six issues to deal with 322 Lack of methodology for documenting and exchanging 3D CH objects 322 Lack of communication methodology 323 Lack of stimuli to document and preserve 325 Lack of long-term storage and digital preservation strategies 326 Lack of business models for re-use and exchange 326 Lack of updating methodology 327 Conclusions 327 Notes 328 20 In homage of change 330 Introduction 330 Swords to ploughshares 330 Computational death and renewal 331 Restless concerns 332 Time is the devil 334 Disentangling the art from the architecture 336 Emancipation 338 Acknowledgements 339 References 339 21 Archiving software and content in visual film effects: an insider’s perspective 340 Introduction 340 The profit motive 340 Archiving in a competitive environment 341 Bespoke solutions and the chaos of production 342 Third-party software producers 343 Conclusion 344 Notes 344 22 Preserving interaction 346 Introduction 346 Interaction as performance 346 Complexities of interaction and documentation challenges 349 Defining the essence of interactive works 350 Strategies for approaching documentation 353 Conclusion 357 Notes 357 References 358 PART 5 A legal perspective 360 23 The impact of European copyright legislation on digital preservation activity: lessons learned from legal studies commissioned by the KEEP project 362 Introduction 362 The KEEP project 362 European copyright law: a very brief overview 364 The ‘three-step test’ 367 Limitations and exceptions within Community law: the Information Society Directive 367 Limitations and exceptions within Community law: the Computer Programs Directive 368 Limitations and exceptions within Community law: the Database Directive 369 Implications of the rules on technological measures of protection 370 Other key legal issues examined 371 General conclusions of the KEEP legal studies 372 Acknowledgements 372 Notes 372 24 Issues of information security applicable to the preservation of digital objects 374 Introduction 374 Relevant standards 376 Summary 382 Notes 382 PART 6 Pathfinder conclusions 384 25 Pathfinder conclusions 386 Introduction 386 Digital preservation strategies for visualizations and simulations 386 Practical issues in preserving software art 390 Practical issues in preserving gaming environments and virtual worlds 393 From the publishers’ standpoint 397 Recommendations 404 Definitions 404 Preserving technical environments 405 Preserving software 406 Preserving hardware 406 Preservation practice 406 Community input 407 Notes 407 Index 410

This ground-breaking edited collection explores the challenges of preserving complex digital objects such as simulations, visualisations, digital art and video games. Drawing on the outputs of the JISC-funded Preservation of Complex Objects (POCOS) symposia, enhanced with specialist pathfinder solutions, this book will cover topics such as the legal and technical challenges of preservation, curation and authority, and digital archaeology. Written by international experts from a broad background of library, collecting institutions, information and computer science, and digital preservation backgrounds, this collection showcases the state of the art of the discipline and brings together stakeholder perspectives from across the preservation community. The collection is structured around six parts; 1) Why and what to preserve: creativity vs preservation; 2) The memory institution: data archival perspectives; 3) Digital preservation approaches, practices and tools; 4) Case studies; 5) A legal perspective; 6) Pathfinder conclusions. Academics and students on digital preservation, digital humanities and information management courses, and those working in preservation and collecting for memory institutions will find this a valuable read. It will also be of particular interest to computer scientists, artists, games and emulation communities, archaeologists and digital forensic scientists.

Janet Delve is co-leader of the interdisciplinary Future Proof Computing Group in the School of Creative Technologies at the University of Portsmouth. She is a member of the Digital Preservation Coalition Technology Watch Editorial Board. David Anderson is co-leader of the interdisciplinary Future Proof Computing Group at the University of Portsmouth. He is the Director of CiTECH (the Centre for Cultural and Industrial Technologies Research) in the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries.