Information Systems Laboratory (ISL)

APARSEN - Alliance Permanent Access to the Records of Science in Europe Network

Digital preservation offers the economic and social benefits associated with the long-term preservation of information, knowledge and know-how for re-use by later generations. However, digital preservation has a great problem, namely that preservation support structures are built on projects which are short lived and is fragmented. The unique feature of APARSEN is that it is building on the already established Alliance for Permanent Access (APA), a membership organisation of major European stakeholders in digital data and digital preservation.

These stakeholders have come together to create a shared vision and framework for a sustainable digital information infrastructure providing permanent access to digitally encoded information. To this self-sustaining grouping APARSEN will bring a wide range of other experts in digital preservation including academic and commercial researchers, as well as researchers in other cross-European organisations. The members of the APA and other members of the consortium already undertake research in digital preservation individually but even here the effort is fragmented despite smaller groupings of these organisations working together in specific EU and national projects. APARSEN will help to combine and integrate these programmes into a shared programme of work, thereby creating the pre-eminent virtual research centre in digital preservation in Europe, if not the World. The APA provides a natural basis for a longer term consolidation of digital preservation research and expertise.

The Joint Programme of Activity will cover

• technical methods for preservation, access and most importantly re-use of data holdings over the whole lifecycle;
• legal and economic issues including costs and governance issues as well as digital rights
• outreach within and outside the consortium to help to create a discipline of data curators with appropriate qualifications

APARSEN project leaflet

Project's Web Site: http://www.alliancepermanentaccess.org/
Contact Person: Yannis Tzitzikas
E Mail: tzitzikATics.forth.gr
Duration: 01/01/2011 - 31/12/2014 (48 months)
Funding: EU FP7 - ICT-2009.4.1
Prime Contractor: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL
Project Leader: David Giaretta
Participants: 

1. STICHTING EUROPEAN ALLIANCE FOR PERMANENT ACCESS
2. EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH
3. STICHTING SECRETARIAAT VAN DE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL & MEDICAL PUBLISHERS
4. FTK FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUR TELEKOMMUNIKATION e.V
5. CSC-TIETEEN TIETOTEKNIIKAN KESKUS OY
6. DEUTSCHE NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK
7. DIGITAL PRESERVATION COALITION LIMITED BY GUARANTEE*DPC
8. ALFRED-WEGENER-INSTITUT FUER POLAR- UND MEERESFORSCHUNG
9. THE BRITISH LIBRARY
10. EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
11. KONINKLIJKE NEDERLANDSE AKADEMIE VAN WETENSCHAPPEN -KNAW
12. KONINKLIJKE BIBLIOTHEEK
13. STICHTING LIBER
14. CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO NAZIONALE PER L'INFORMATICA
15. INCONTEC GMBH
16. FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS
17. GLOBIT-GLOBALE INFORMATIONSTECHNIK GMBH
18. MICROSOFT RESEARCH LIMITED
19. PHILIPS CONSUMER LIFESTYLE B.V.
20. AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
21. INMARK ESTUDIOS Y ESTRATEGIAS S.A.
22. FONDAZIONE RINASCIMENTO DIGITALE-NUOVE TECNOLOGIE PER IBENI CULTURALI
23. LULEA TEKNISKA UNIVERSITET
24. UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO
25. TESSELLA PLC
26. IBM ISRAEL - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LTD
27. VEREIN ZUR FORDERUNG DER IT-SICHERHEIT IN OSTERREICH
28. SPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
29. OESTERREICHISCHE NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK
30. UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS
31. UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX
32. CINES