AHDS Executive: Repository Infrastructure

The AHDS Executive addresses AHDS-wide technical services, issues and developments, and provides advice on software, hardware, and technical standards. In particular, the Executive's technical team is responsible for the development and maintenance of a shared infrastructure for the curation of all digital resources deposited with the AHDS, including:

an OAIS-compliant repository for storage and preservation.
a cross-search catalogue supporting the discovery and delivery of digital resources across all arts and humanities subject areas.

The AHDS Executive continually seeks to enhance the shared AHDS infrastructure and the services provided for depositors and users, as well as to provide benefits for the wider community, through an ongoing programme of research and development. Recent and ongoing areas of activity include:

Use of the Storage Resource Broker data grid middleware to provide a secure and robust preservation environment for the AHDS data, in collaboration with the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
Development of a Fedora-based repository infrastructure for the AHDS, allowing greatly enhanced discovery, delivery, curation and re-use of the complex and diverse collections generated by arts and humanities researchers.
Developing online systems for the delivery of digital collections, such as the Stormont papers and the East London Theatre Archive.
Development of tools for ingest, preservation and enhancement of digital resources (see SOAPI and MetaTools).
Use of digital repository technologies for managing and preserving digital content (see Sherpa DP).
Use of iRODS for the support and automation of distributed data curation and preservation, in collaboration with the [link: Science and Technology Facilities Council] (see [link: ASPiS] and [link: IEEE conf publication - I'll send you this]).
Repository interfaces and interoperability (see WoCRIG, SOAPI and MetaTools).