Long-term Archiving in the NFDI

Long-term archiving (LTA) aims to prevent data and information loss over the long term and intends to ensure sustainable access to information. Failure to correctly implement LTA can put data at risk.

Research data holdings in the German science system are considered vulnerable in this regard, leading to the declaration that LTA is an important task for the German National Research Data Infrastructure e. V. (Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur, NFDI). Yet many aspects remain unclear, including the strategy and targets of LTA in various research disciplines, the status of implementation, and coverage of LTA services in NFDI. To clarify these points, NFDI Working Group Long Term Archiving, which forms part of the Section Common infrastructure has launched a survey in the NFDI consortia. The goal was to determine current status and requirements regarding LTA.

One of the survey’s key findings indicated a need for a LTA consultation service, as many consortia and research organisations did not yet approach long-term preservation (i. e. LTA) of data. If they considered LTA at all, they usually did not target preservation beyond bitstream preservation. In general, knowledge gaps in various areas became clear. As a consequence, the consultation service should advise both consortia and institutions on long-term archiving of research data. Survey participants also called for dedicated LTA solutions which are tailored to individual research domains. Therefore, state-of-the-art solutions should be pursued in cooperation with the consortia, their disciplines, and the international LTA community. These solutions should also adopt jointly developed principles, regulations and standards. Other key requirements include improved long-term financial support of consortia and institutions with regard to LTA in accordance with FAIR principles and an increase in LTA-focused certification of existing research data services.