Access Report: Digital Continuity Action Plan: Managing Information for Public Sector Efficiency, Archives New Zealand

The objective of the action plan is to ensure that public sector digital information is trusted and accessible when it is needed now and in the future.

The Executive Summary to the Report states:

“This Digital Continuity Action Plan applies to public sector digital information, that is, digital information created and managed by public sector agencies including government departments, crown research institutes, crown entities, state enterprises, district health boards, state and integrated schools, tertiary institutions and local government. A staged and differentiated approach is envisaged, with government departments the first to implement the action plan. Public sector digital information covers a wide range of data such as budgetary and benefits information, evidence on court cases, research data, sensitive personal case files and foreign policy decisions. Also it is often stored or transmitted via a range of ephemeral conduits and environments such as websites, wikis, SMS text messages, email, CDs, DVDs and USB drives.”

Contents

Minister’s Foreword

2 Executive Summary

3 Introduction

3.1 Origins of the Digital Continuity Action Plan

3.2 Process of development

3.3 Acknowledgements

3.4 Structure of this document

3.5 Key terms

4 Background and Scope

4.1 Digital continuity – what is it?

4.2 Why do we need an action plan?

4.3 Scope and coverage

4.3.1 Which public sector agencies are covered?

4.3.2 What public sector digital information is covered?

4.4 What are the issues?

4.5 What will be the outcomes of the action plan?

4.5.1 Economic benefits

4.5.2 Protecting the rights of New Zealanders

4.5.3 Re-using New Zealand’s information assets

4.5.4 Smarter use of resources

4.6 What are the risks of not having an action plan?

5 Objective

6 Goals and Actions

6.1 Understanding

6.2 Well-managed from day one

6.3 Public sector infrastructure

6.4 High-value information kept

6.5 Trusted access 33

6.6 Establish good governance

7 The Current Environment

7.1 Legislative environment

7.2 New Zealand public sector digital information initiatives

7.2.1 E-government in New Zealand

7.2.2 Open Government Information and Data Reuse project

7.2.3 National Digital Heritage Archive and Digital New Zealand

7.2.4 Statistical Data Archive

7.2.5 Research Information

7.2.6 Archives New Zealand

7.3 International Information Strategies and Initiatives

7.3.1 The National Archives’ Digital Continuity Project and National Digital Archive of Datasets

7.3.2 Digital Preservation Europe, CASPAR and PLANETS projects

7.3.3 National Digital Information Infrastructure and

Preservation Program

7.3.4 InterPARES project

7.3.5 The Internet Archive

7.3.6 National Archives and Records Administration’s Electronic Records Archive

7.3.7 National Archives of Australia XENA project

7.3.8 Australasian Digital Recordkeeping Initiative

7.4 International Standards

Bibliography

Full Information about the Digital Continuity Plan is available fromArchives New Zealand

Report References

Digital Continuity Action Plan: Managing Information for Public Sector Efficiency, Archives New Zealand, August 2009, 48 pages ( web page or pdf )

ISBN 978-0-477-10098-4 (print) / ISBN 978-0-477-10099-1 (online)