Frequently Asked Questions: DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks

Q1. What is DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks?

DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks provides information about sets of standards, used by specific domains, which enable curation and preservation of, and access to, data across all stages of the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model.

The project maintains up-to-date information about current and emerging standards and specifications which are used. The database is constantly being updated with new information, and if you use a framework of standards which does not yet appear, please help the resource to grow. Contact us on info@dcc.ac.uk for details of how to participate.

More information about the DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks is available.

Q2. What is a Standards Framework?

A Standards Framework is a set of standards which can be used together to achieve effective implementation of all stages of the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model. A standards framework will ideally support interoperability, maximise accessibility, avoid vendor lock-in, provide architectural integrity and help to ensure long-term preservation.

Q3. What is the scope of DIFFUSE? Which standards are considered to be eligible for inclusion?

DCC DIFFUSE includes published standards which are included in frameworks used for curation and preservation of access to digital material, for example:

• Standards ratified by national or international standards organisations or bodies
• Standards developed by, or ratified by, professional organisations
• Publicly available specifications developed by, or ratified by, a consortia or fora

More details of the scope of the project are available.

Q4. How can I help to develop DCC DIFFUSE Standards Frameworks?

We are actively working with a number of organisations to present searchable frameworks of relevant standards. Disciplines currently represented include digital repositories, archives and records management. Work is currently under-way with the museums sector , and the geo-information sector. We are eager to collaborate with projects and organisations who would like to present an existing standards framework, or work with us to create one. Please send any suggestions, edits or related information to info@dcc.ac.uk.

It is hoped that as community participation widens, the Project will be able to further develop into a repository which not only points to, but stores standards documents, and associated information, as valuable representation information for future preservation. The possibility of further development into a registry for machine-to-machine verification of compliancy is also being considered.

Q5. How can I use DIFFUSE to identify a Framework of Standards Applicable to my domain?

A full list of recorded Standards Frameworks is available, ordered alphabetically by title.Picking a discipline allows interactive searching of the DCC Curation Lifecycle Action to identify standards which support it.

Browsing of all the Standards included in a Standards Framework is also possible by choosing the “Browse All” option or “All Lifecycle Actions” from the menu.

Q6. How can I use DIFFUSE to find a particular standard?

Standards included in DIFFUSE can be browsed by Standards Framework, the Lifecycle Action they support, Type, or alphabetically by Title. It is also possible to browse the relevant Standards Developing Organisation to identify all the standards they are responsible for.

Q7. How can I use DIFFUSE to identify standards appropriate for a particular use?

DIFFUSE links standards frameworks to the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model and relevant standards can be selected by clicking on the appropriate section of the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model. Frameworks can also be browsed by Type (e.g. Authentication, File Formats, Internet Protocols).

Q8. What are the benefits of using DIFFUSE to discover standards?

Frameworks of standards support interoperability, maximise accessibility, avoid vendor lock-in, provide architectural integrity and help to ensure long-term preservation.

The project allows users to:

• Identify which standards are applicable for a particular domain
• Identify which stage in the curation lifecycle it is applicable to implement a standard
• Check which version of a standard is the most up-to-date and its relationships with previous versions
• Find source documentation and further information for each standard, all referenced from the same record
• Discover which standards are referenced by other standards
• See how the standard has been developed over time
• Browse the standards by category, allowing a comparison between different standards in the same category
• Discover which standards have been developed by the same Standards Developing Organisation

Q9. What are the DIFFUSE Standards Developing Organisations?

DCC DIFFUSE also includes an entry for each standards body, professional organisation, consortium or forum that has been involved in the development of a standard or specification listed in the standards database.

Q10. What does DIFFUSE stand for?

The DIFFUSE Project (Dissemination of InFormal and Formal Useful Specifications and Experiences to Research, Technology Development and Demonstration Communities) was originally funded under the European Commission’s Information Society Technologies (IST) 5th Framework Programme and ran from 1 February 2000 until 31 January 2003. Upon completion of the funding for this project, the data created by its partners (TIEKE (Finnish Information Society Development Centre) [external], IC Focus, and the SGML Centre (now IS-Thought [external])) was retained online as a valuable information resource. Unfortunately no funding was available to maintain the resource and in the rapid moving world of information technology it became outdated. In 2005, we secured permission to re-purpose the content and have redeveloped the concept into the current database of standards frameworks.

Q11. Where else can I look for information on standards and their use?

• ISO (International Organization for Standardization) [external]
• BSI (British Standards) [external]
• CEN (European Committee for Standardization) [external]
• Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) [external]
• JISC Standards Catalogue [external]
• eRess [external]