Digital Asset Support Assessment: Servers / Virtual Objects

ID Question Response Risk / outcome

Identification Information (fields from collection survey)

Asset ID
1

File format type and version

2

Format registry profile

3

Digital object type

4

Application (and version) used to create the asset

5

Application (and version) used to access the asset

6

Application (and version) used to preserve the asset

7

Location metadata
8

Environment metadata
9

[Digital asset type]

10

File Format

Does the asset comprise multiple file formats?

11

Are royalties or license fees required to sustain the

12 format?

Is source code available for independent inspection?

13

Are new versions of source code compatible with old

14 versions?

Is source code complex, large or ambiguous?

15

Is source code documented?

16

Is source code widely accepted?

17

Is source code unique in its class, OR can it be

18 mapped into another?

Does source code contain embedded metadata which

19 cannot be mapped into other formats?

Does source code use digital rights management

schemes, signed envelopes, encrypted sections or
20 watermarks?

Are your organisation's staff sufficiently equipped to

21 work with this format?

Does source code allow copies to be created?

22

Does source code allow extensions, such as

23 executable sections, or proprietary features?

Does source code contain objects in other formats, or

24 links to objects in other formats?

Does source code define structure (eg DTD)?

25

Does source code use external formatting styles,

26 such as fonts?
 Software

Are royalties or license fees required to sustain the

27 software?

Is software source code available for independent

28 inspection?

Are new versions of software source code

29 compatible with old versions?

Is software source code complex, large or

30 ambiguous?

Is software source code documented?

31

Is software source code widely accepted?

32

Is software source code unique in its class, OR can it

33 be mapped into another?

Does software source code contain embedded

metadata which cannot be mapped into other
34
formats?

Does software source code use digital rights

management schemes, signed envelopes, encrypted
35
sections or watermarks?

Are your organisation's staff sufficiently expert with

36 this software?

Does software source code offer common

37 capabilities?

Does software source code depend on external

38 libraries?

Hardware

Are royalties or license fees required to sustain the

39 hardware?
Is specification available for independent inspection?
40

Are new versions of specifications compatible with

41 old versions?

Is specification complex, large or ambiguous?

42

Is specification documented?
43

Is specification widely accepted?

44

Is specification unique in its class, or can it be

45 mapped into another?

Does specification use digital rights management

schemes, signed envelopes, encrypted sections or
46 watermarks?

Are your organisation's staff sufficiently equipped to

47 work with this hardware?

Vendor / Supplier / Associated Organization

Is the supplier still in business?

48

Does the supplier continue to support the product?

49

Is the market share for the software in decline?

50

Do any of the formats you use require the

maintenance of an entire system to remain
51 accessible?

Does the supplier share format information?

52

Does the application produce generations or related

53 formats?

Does your organisation rely on a single supplier?

54
 Does your organisation use open-source software?
55