Open source release of DROID 1.1
A new open-source software tool, DROID 1.1 from The National Archives, is now available on the web in-line with the 'Government's 2004 Open Source Software Policy'.
The new software is the second version of this product and includes enhancements based on user feedback. The system is aimed at digital repositories and electronic record managers, as well as the home user struggling to open an unusual (and/or redundant) file format.
DROID 1.1 is downloadable at http://droid.sourceforge.net. The program can automatically identify the precise format of digital files before they have been opened. The system utilises signature information contained in The National Archives' PRONOM technical registry, an online information system about data file formats and supporting software products. The PRONOM technical database contains information which enables DROID to identify over 650 file formats. Once identified by DROID, PRONOM can be used to provide a detailed technical description of the file format, together with information about which software is required to access it.
DROID 1.1 is designed with a simple user interface using recognisable graphical icons. The user browses through and selects the relevant files to be identified - then, at the click of a button the user can either view the results on-screen, or export the results into a variety of formats.
Designed to be used programmatically and in conjunction with larger systems, The National Archives released DROID 1.1 under an open source licence in order to make it easier for developers to integrate it within their own software systems.
Commenting on the system Adrian Brown, Head of Digital Preservation at The National Archives said, "DROID has already proved to be extremely popular with developers of digital repository systems and has been integrated, with great results, into several major systems, including the institutional repositories at Southampton and Oxford Universities. The second version of this software has taken into account the user feedback we have had and improved the user experience and functionality of the product."
DROID is one of the first examples of government-developed software to be released under an open source license, in line with the Government's 2004 Open Source Software Policy.
The new version of DROID also includes a number of enhancements resulting from user feedback. Work is now due to begin on major new versions of both PRONOM and DROID, as part of the wider Seamless Flow programme to automate processes for creating, managing, storing and providing access to electronic records.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
The National Archives, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, is a government department; and also an executive agency of the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. Its 580 staff work in Kew, in Norwich, at Admiralty Arch in central London and at the Family Records Centre in Islington. The National Archives brings together the Public Record Office, Historical Manuscripts Commission, the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty's Stationery Office. See www.opsi.gov.uk
The National Archives is at the heart of information policy - setting standards and supporting innovation in information and records management across the UK, and providing a practical framework of best practice for opening up and encouraging the re-use of public sector information. This work helps inform today's decisions and ensure that they become tomorrow's permanent record. The National Archives is also the UK government's official archive, containing 900 years of history from Domesday Book to the present, with records ranging from parchment and paper scrolls through to recently created digital files and archived websites. Increasingly, these records are being put online, making them universally accessible.
The vision of The National Archives is to:
Lead and transform information management
Guarantee the survival of today's information for tomorrow
Bring history to life for everyone
For more information, please contact Tim Matthews on 020 8392 5277 or [log in to unmask]
About DROID
DROID uses a scheme of persistent unique identifiers (PUIDs) for file formats to link to the PRONOM technical registry. The scheme, which was developed by The National Archives and forms part of the e-Government Metadata Standard, provides a simple and unambiguous method for describing the format of a digital file, which has many advantages over the normal reliance on file extensions or MIME types.
DROID is freely available to download from the DROID website at http://droid.sourceforge.net/.
About PRONOM
PRONOM is an on-line information system about data file formats and their supporting software products. Originally developed by The National Archives Digital Preservation Department to support the accession and long-term preservation of electronic records held by The National Archives. PRONOM has now been made available as a resource for anybody requiring access to this information.
PRONOM holds a vast array of information about software products, and the file formats which each product can read and write. The PRONOM technical registry is freely available at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pronom/.
Further information about The National Archives' Seamless Flow Programme is available at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/seamless_flow/default.htm.
Institutional Repositories
DROID has been integrated with the Eprints institutional repositories at Southampton and Oxford Universities as part of the Preserv project, funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee of the Higher Education Funding Councils for England (JISC).
Further information about the Preserv project is available at http://preserv.eprints.org/.
*With apologies for cross-posting*
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