-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        NDIIPP contract for archiving digital geospatial data - UCSB
and Stanford partner
Date:   Thu, 30 Sep 2004 12:58:17 -0700
From:   Mary Larsgaard <[log in to unmask]>
To:     [log in to unmask]



I'm very pleased to announce that there is
another NDIIPP contract for archiving
digital geospatial data.

Here's the press release.


UCSB LIBRARIES, STANFORD PARTNER WITH LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

TO FORM ARCHIVE FOR ENDANGERED DIGITAL INFORMATION

             (Santa Barbara, Calif.) Concerned that millions of
nationally important digital information resources are in danger of
being lost or corrupted, the Library of Congress has partnered with
eight institutions including the University of California, Santa Barbara
to begin a $15 million effort to build a nationwide digital collection
and preservation system.

             Under the terms of the National Digital Information
Infrastructure and Preservation Program, each of the eight institutions
and their partners will take the lead in preserving digital information
in a specific area. Areas range from historic documentation to the
arts.  The goal is to ensure that such archival material will forever be
available to students, historians and researchers.

UCSBs project is to form a multi-partner repository for digital
geographic information such as maps, aerial and space photographs,
population figures and other data.  Such information will be housed in a
decentralized set of archives to be called the National Geospatial
Federated Digital Repository that will be cooperatively organized and
run by UCSBs University Libraries and partner institution Stanford
University. The Library of Congress has agreed to give about $2.6
million over three years to this phase of the project.  The funds are to
be matched by UCSB and Stanford in either funds or services.

University Librarian Sarah Pritchard said UCSB pursued the Library of
Congress award was based on its experience organizing and running The
Alexandria Digital Library, which was formed in 1994 to serve as a
digital repository of geospatial data for the campus and greater Santa
Barbara community.

"We feel that we were chosen because of our proven success in developing
and administering the Alexandria Digital Library,"Pritchard said. "The
Library of Congress was looking for partners who not only understand
digital libraries, but who have the ability to implement and follow
through and who have good existing relationships with the providers of
geospatial information.  I think that the UCSB/Stanford proposal
demonstrated that capacity."

Pritchard and Michael Keller, University Librarian at Stanford, serve as
co-principal investigators for the project.  Conducting the day-to-day
work will be Larry Carver, UCSB's director of Library Technologies and
Digital Initiatives, and Julie Sweetkind-Singer, head of Stanford's
Branner Earth Sciences Library.

When finished the National Geospatial Federated Digital Repository will
link together many of the nations stored geographical data archives,
Carver said.

"The first part of the project is to set up an infrastructure to allow
that to take place, "Carver said.

The repository will include anything that is geospatially referenced,
Carver said.  That would include obvious things like maps, aerial
photographs, population figures and such, but also less obvious things,
such as information on particular cities or regions.

Anything that can be tied to a location on the Earth's surface can be
geospatially referenced, Carver said.

In seeking providers of information, UCSB and Stanford will divide the
load.  UCSB will be seeking providers from the ranks of universities,
corporations, government, and independent web sites.  Stanford will look
to historical collections, professional societies, state and local agencies.

Pritchard said the need for such a repository is clear.

Basically, none of this born-digital map information is being
permanently archived anywhere at the present, under any sort of
technical system that will ensure long-term persistence,she said. We
dont know how much of this information is at risk, but it is a lot.

Details of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and
Preservation Program, including other lead institutions and their
partners, are available on line at www.digitalpreservation.gov
<http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/>.



Mary Lynette Larsgaard
Map and Imagery Laboratory
Davidson Library
University of California
Santa Barbara CA 93106-9010
USA
voice telephone: 805/893-4049
fax: 805/893-8799
email: [log in to unmask]