Contact us
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BackgroundThe first version of PRONOM was developed by the National Archives’ Digital Preservation Department in March 2002. Its genesis lies in the need to have ready access to reliable technical information about the nature of the electronic records now being stored in our Digital Archive. By definition, electronic records are not inherently human-readable - file formats encode information into a form which can only be processed and rendered comprehensible by very specific combinations of hardware and software. The accessibility of that information is therefore highly vulnerable in today’s rapidly evolving technological environment. This issue is not solely the concern of digital archivists, but of all those responsible for managing and sustaining access to electronic records over even relatively short timescales. Technical information about the structure of those file formats, and the software products which support them, is therefore a prerequisite for any digital preservation regime. PRONOM was developed to provide this function, initially as an internal resource for TNA staff, and now on the Internet. PRONOM 2 was released in December 2002, and provided support for the development of multi-lingual versions of the system, through the replacement of field tags. Since that time, considerable effort has been devoted to the development of PRONOM’s content. Digital Preservation staff have undertaken intensive research and liaison with major software developers in order to create an initial core data set of software product information. This work is ongoing, although we would also encourage software developers and others to be proactive in providing information. The web-enabling of PRONOM (PRONOM 3) marks the latest stage in the evolution of this system. However, in many ways this represents the starting point for the development of PRONOM as a major on-line resource for the international digital preservation community. TNA has detailed plans for major enhancements over the next 2-3 years, including the development of a number of specific tools to support digital preservation activities. Further information about our future plans is available here. The development of PRONOM 3 has been made possible by the generous support of a number of organisations and individuals. Please see our acknowledgements list. Users of PRONOM may be interested in other resources that provide information about file formats. FutureOur plans for the future development of PRONOM can be illustrated by the following roadmap:
Technical File Format InformationAuthoritative information on file format specifications is required by digital archivists, software developers, and anyone with a responsibility for managing digital information. Although much useful information is already available, the need for a reliable and consistent portal for accessing this information has long been recognised. We will therefore be expanding the PRONOM database to allow detailed information about individual file formats to be recorded. This will include support for additional functions, such as automatic file format identification, and automatic metadata extraction. Product Life Cycle InformationPRONOM already records information on the support life cycles of software products (e.g. when a product was released, when support will cease). We plan to develop a tool to allow the automated reporting of products which are due to become obsolete. This will also allow highlighting of all file formats which are no longer supported by any current product. This information will be invaluable to digital archivists and IT managers who need to plan migration strategies. Migration Pathway GenerationMigration of data from one file format to another is an important strategy for preserving digital data in the long-term. However, planning the most appropriate pathway to use in order to migrate data from source format x to target format y can be complex. PRONOM records all file formats which a software product can read and write, and the current support status of each product. We will therefore develop a tool to allow users to query PRONOM in order to determine all the possible routes for migrating between two file formats. Content Variance InformationMigration of data from one format to another can be hazardous, since information can be lost or altered during the conversion process. It is of fundamental importance to digital archivists to be able to understand and quantify the changes to content which may occur during any conversion. Digital Preservation Department is currently undertaking research to understand the nature of this content variance, and to develop precise methods for describing and quantifying it. The results of this research will be used to enhance the current content variance information on PRONOM. This will also allow the sophistication of our planned Migration Pathway tool to be increased, allowing users to specify a pathway which minimises content variance. Content EnhancementWe maintain a continual programme to enhance the content of PRONOM with new information. We are currently working to add information on circa 250 further products. We are also actively collecting technical information about file formats, for release in the next version of PRONOM. Wherever possible, we seek information directly from the developers of software products and file format specifications, in order to ensure its accuracy. We are working to develop relationships with developers, in order to allow this important information to be made publicly available. A list of future products which are being prepared for inclusion in PRONOM is available. If you have information which you would like to submit about these, or any other software products, please use our online submission form. If you have suggestions for any products which you would like to see included, please contact us. Future ProductsWe are continually adding information on new products to PRONOM. The following is a list of products on which we are currently preparing information. If you would like to submit information on these or any other relevant products, please use the online submission form. If you have comments on any existing information, or suggestions for other products which you would like to see included, please contact us
DocumentationThe following documents are available to download: PRONOM 3 User Requirements
PDF PRONOM 3 User Guide
PDF PRONOM Field Descriptions
PDF AcknowledgementsSources for information held on PRONOM are listed for each record. However, the National Archives acknowledges the assistance of the following individuals and organisations in the development of PRONOM and its contents: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Sascha in Technical Support)
Links: Information on file formatsDr Dobb’s DevSearcher: data formats Links: Other projectsGlobal Registry for Digital Format Representation Information
This page contains PDF files. See plug-ins and file formats for help in accessing these file types. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
About
Top of page
