How was it developed?
The model is primarily based on Adrian Brown's Digital Preservation Maturity Model (published in Practical Digital Preservation: a how-to guide for organizations of any size, 2013).
This model was developed with the following guiding principles in mind. It aimed to be:
- Applicable for organizations of any size and in any sector
- Applicable for all content of long-term value
- Preservation strategy and solution agnostic
- Based on existing good practice
- Simple to understand and quick to apply
The first version of DPC RAM was developed, tested and refined with input from DPC Members and Supporters including those who make up our Research and Practice Sub-Committee. Particular thanks go to Adrian Brown for his support throughout the process. Work on the DPC RAM was carried out in conjunction with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority as part of a two year collaborative digital preservation project ‘Reliable, Robust and Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Nuclear Decommissioning‘.
The first version of DPC RAM was launched at the iPRES conference in Amsterdam in September 2019 in the Lightning Talks session.
Version 2 of DPC RAM was released in March 2021. Revisions to the model were made in response to community feedback and evolving good practice. Particular thanks go to Hervé L'Hours and Simon Wilson for their detailed feedback and the DPC's Research and Practice Sub-Committee and Adrian Brown for reviewing the proposed changes. A summary of some of the changes made can be found in the following blog post: DPC RAM (version 2) - what has changed and why?