A new not-for-profit international consortium known as the Open Planets Foundation (OPF) has been formed to tackle the digital preservation challenge in Europe. Covering everything from medical records to family photos, current estimates suggest that there already exists over 100 GB of data for every individual person on the planet. With data creation set to double every 18 months, failure to adequately address the challenge of preserving this material is therefore seen to represent a major financial, intellectual and cultural risk. With the existing four-year European Commission Planets project achieving completion, OPF has been given the go-ahead to build on existing efforts and continue to tackle the constantly evolving long term digital preservation challenge.
Between 2006 and 2010 the Planets project is claimed to have delivered a number of practical digital preservations tools to assist organisations with assessing their preservation needs and provide the necessary technical solutions - www.planetsproject.eu. Hosted by the British Library, the OPF aims to expand on this work and develop the international digital preservation community further. It seeks to encourage the sharing of knowledge and best practice, and push forward on a variety of preservation R&D initiatives.
Founded by the Austrian Institute of Technology, the Austrian National Library, the British Library, the Royal and State and University Libraries of Denmark, the National Archives and Library of the Netherlands, Stanford University, Goportis and Microsoft, the OPF currently represents 12 libraries, archives, universities and commercial organisations. Aiming to eventually bring together hundreds of content holders and preservation solution providers, the OPF will not simply provide its member with access to the Planets tools but also offer guidance from leading experts on creating preservation policy, as well as technical support and training, in the interests of international digital preservation.
The OPF has been established to provide practical solutions and expertise in digital preservation, building on the €15 million investment made by the EU and Planets consortium. Its members include major research and national libraries, national archives, leading technology companies and research institutions. Members of OPF have privileged access to the technology, approaches, tools and services established by the Planets project which recognises and addresses threats to their valuable digital content.
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