Digital Preservation Coalition

Technology Watch Reports

The DPC Technology Watch Report series is intended as an advanced introduction to specific issues for those charged with establishing or running services for long term access.  They identify and track developments in IT, standards and tools which are critical to digital preservation activities. They are commissioned by experts on these developments and are thoroughly scrutinised by peers before being released.  Authors are asked to provide reports that are informed, current, concise and balanced; lower the barriers to participation in digital preservation; derive from the needs of the Coalitions members; and are of utility to members and non-members alike.

There are currently 8 reports in the series and more are in development.

• Technology Watch Report 09-02: File formats for Preservation [PDF 869KB], by Malcolm Todd 2009 (see also Ed Pinsent's discussion in the Digital Archive Blog and subsequent responses)
• Technology Watch Report 09-01: Preserving Geospatial Data [PDF 692KB], by Guy McGarva, Steve Morris and Greg Janée 2009
• Technology Watch Report 08-02: Preserving the Data Explosion: Using PDF (PDF 128KB) by Betsy A. Fanning 2008 (see also Press coverage on this report)
• Technology Watch Report 08-01: JPEG 2000 - a Practical Digital Preservation Standard? (PDF 2.87MB) by Robert Buckley, Ph.D. 2008 
• Technology Watch Report 05-01: Preservation Metadata (PDF 209KB) by Brian Lavoie and Richard Gartner 2005 (see also notes from a DPC members only meeting structured around this report and held on Thursday 8th September 2005.)
• Technology Watch Report 04-03: Large-scale Archival Storage of Digital Objects (PDF 340KB) by Jim Linden, Sean Martin, Richard Masters, and Roderic Parker 2004 (see also notes from a DPC Meeting on this subject held in York, UK 22nd April 2005)
• Technology Watch Report 04-02: Institutional Repositories in the context of Digital Preservation (PDF 317KB) by Paul Wheatley 2004
• Technology Watch Report 04-01: The Open Archival Information System Reference Model: Introductory Guide (PDF 372KB) by Brian F. Lavoie 2004