NDSA:PDF Exploration

2013-03-24T21:39:36Z

SheilaM:

Back to [[NDSA:Standards_and_Best_Practices_Working_Group | Standards Working Group Main Page]]

==Title of Activity or Project==
NDSA PDF/A-3 Scoping Project

==One Sentence Description:==
NDSA PDF/A-3 Scoping Project working group members will research the pros and cons of using the PDF/A-3 standard as an all-purpose wrapper in different preservation scenarios, including use as an extension to PDF/A-1 and PDF/A-2 in circumstances for which those formats have been adopted or recommended and use as a wrapper for various digital asset/media types, such as textual, audio, video, photo, and GIS data.

==Statement of the Problem and Goals for Addressing the Problem:==
The single extension to PDF/A-2 in PDF/A-3 is the ability to embed files of any type within a PDF/A document.
PDF/A-3 was designed to accommodate supplementary media files for text documents. Issues raised by this extension include:

* Is PDF/A-3 appropriate as a de facto normalization wrapper format for some or all media types or in particular circumstances?
* For circumstances where PDF/A-2 has already been deemed an appropriate preservation format (primarily for textual documents), what are the risks and opportunities offered by the ability to embed content in non-PDF formats?

The goal is to develop guidelines for the appropriate use of PDF/A-3 with respect to different scenarios that include both detailed technical information and a practical quick reference guide for end-users.

==Strategic Value of Activity:==
* Improve understanding of best practices for using PDF/A-3 in digital preservation activities
* Enhance consistency and improve long-term viability of digitally preserved content
* Provide guidance to those considering PDF/A-3 as a long-term archiving format

==Required Resources:==
* Time of working group members
* Publishing venue(s)
* Communication channels

==Roadmap:==
# Hold regular working group conference calls (monthly, between NDSA Standards WG calls)
# Draft document and review
# Invite broader NDSA member feedback
# Publish document (digitalpreservation.gov, others?)

==Dissemination of Knowledge:==
* Publish report on digitalpreservation.gov
* Write a blog post
* Announce on NDSA member organization communication channels
* Present at conferences that members (and non-members?) are attending

==Signifiers of Success and Outcomes:==
* Completed guidelines document published on digitalpreservation.gov
* Guidelines document referenced on related Wikipedia pages
* Guidelines referenced in FDD (format description document) for PDF/A-3 [http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/formats/fdd/fdd000360.shtml]
* Guidelines in use or recommended by NDSA participating organizations or others
* Publication at other conferences/other journals

==Questions to Ask and Answer==

A [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cZ1x2jzaoVzclqV0nkdHoX5LtQJVr3o2ni-fwi86LHM/edit Google doc] has been set up to provide an environment for shared work. All group members should be able to edit the document, but if you have trouble drop a note to Butch. March 22 has been set as the deadline for the first draft of each person's section.

*Talk about background (what is pdf/a-3 and how is it different from earlier versions of PDF/A)(Butch, plus Caroline's 2-pager)
*Iterate categories of materials/use cases/concrete examples where it makes sense to use A-3 and other categories where it doesn't make sense. Example: if you're sending a video file don't put it in a PDF! If you had a certain kind of a journal article that had a static version of the spreadsheet in the doc but a malleable version embedded perhaps that argues for it. (Don, Kevin, Kate)
*Risks to the format (scenarios in why this might be bad and why) (Sheila)
*Possibilities of the format (scenarios in why this might be good and why) (Chris)
*Have list of defined terms in our document. How do these relate to the terms in the ISO spec. Leverage NDSA Levels of Preservation glossary. Link to glossary.

==PDF/A-3 Use Case Scenarios==

A Template might include:
*Actors
*Actions

*Example: Federal agency with a document management system puts an MPEG video file (and nothing else) into a PDF/A-3 file to store and then, later, to submit as an SIP (Submission Information Package) to NARA for long-term management.

*Example: Publisher has a text-only article and puts it into a PDF/A-3 file, even though, in the past, the publisher used PDF/A-2. The article is then sent to library where it will be preserved for the long term.

*Example: Publisher has an article that includes a complicated table, "frozen" in place, and puts it into a PDF/A-3 file, along with the Excel file from which the table was generated, in order to make it easier for a future researcher to have a malleable version of the table for use when writing another article on the same subject.

*Example: Data creator has a digital map, a report, a database, digital photos, and detailed metadata that comprise a whole and wants to archive these together for the long-term.

*Example from Luratech Webinar used to show primary intent of PDF/A-3: PDF/A document with diagram based on data, with embedded spreadsheet associated with diagram, metadata associated with subsection of document, source word-processing file, and audio rendering of the document (perhaps for accessibility).

*See case #1 from Luratech Webinar: Scanned documents, with the scanned image as the main PDF/A content, with native metadata in XML embedded.

*Use case #2 from Luratech Webinar: "Hybrid archiving" used when document in its active life cycle, further versions might be created. Create PDF/A-3 for archive-ready rendition and embed the document in its native (e.g., word-processor) format. Built in to a standard workflow, this would leave documents "archive ready" at all times.

*Use case #3 from Luratech Webinar: Human-readable invoice with embedded data marked up in CEN Core Invoice Standard (XML).

==Members==
*Caroline Arms, Library of Congress (caar@loc.gov)
*Don Chalfant, NARA (Donald.Chalfant@nara.gov)
*Kevin DeVorsey, NARA (Kevin.DeVorsey@nara.gov)
*Chris Dietrich, National Park Service (chris_dietrich@nps.gov)
*Carl Fleischhauer, Library of Congress (cfle@loc.gov)
*Butch Lazorchak, Library of Congress (wlaz@loc.gov)
*Sheila Morrissey, Ithaka (Sheila.Morrissey@ithaka.org)
*Kate Murray, NARA (Kate.Murray1@nara.gov)

==Calls and Notes==

Call information:

*Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada): 866-469-3239
*Participant access code: 21408589

Next call: March 25, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. ET

Notes:

[[NDSA:February 19, 2013 Call]]

[[NDSA:January 22, 2013 Call]]

==Background Materials==

*[http://www.digitalpreservation.gov:8081/formats/fdd/fdd000360.shtml Library of Congress Sustainability of Digital Formats DRAFT PDF/A-3 format description document (FDD)] COMMENTS PLEASE to caar@loc.gov and cfle@loc.gov
*[http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/11/all-in-embedded-files-in-pdfa/ Blog Post on PDF/A-3 on the Signal]
*[http://www.portico.org/digital-preservation/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Archiving2012TheNetworkIsTheFormat.pdf Sheila M. Morrissey, The Network is the Format: PDF and the Long-term Use of Digital Content, Archiving 2012, pg. 200-203 (2012)]
*[[NDSA:Media: CommentsOnISO19005-3_smorrissey.pdf | Ithaka comments on ISO 19005-3 draft]]
*[[NDSA:Media: PDFA3-crathoughts_20121126.doc | Caroline's thoughts on PDF/A-3 circulated in late November, 2012]]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-tJRSsZHyc Video of Webinar by Luratech on PDF/A-3] Nov 8, 2012. Includes uses cases and demos.
*[[NDSA:Media: Luratech-PDFA3-Webinar-ENG.pdf | Slides used for Luratech Webinar]] Nov 8, 2012. Includes uses cases and demos. Do not distribute.
*[http://www.dpconline.org/events/details/55-DPC_PDFA3_briefing?xref=58 Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) 2013-03-13 Workshop on PDF/A-3] Includes links to pressenters slides and to William Kilbride's comments

*Unofficial XMP notes from 2011 explorations by Caroline Arms -- Please do not distribute
**[[NDSA:Media: XMPbackground_20111130_cra.pdf‎ | Notes on XMP and tools available to LC]]
**[[NDSA:Media: XMPexplore_20111209_cra.pdf‎ | Summary of exploration of XMP use external to LC]]

==Possible future actions==
*Once charter is reviewed by main NDSA Standards Group, extend participation call to
*Set up calls with Steve Levinson (U.S. Courts) and Leonard Rosenthal (Adobe)
*Extend invitation to join beyond active NDSA participants, e.g. to LC staff involved in Best Edition choices.

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NDSA:PDF Exploration