The Victorian Electronic Records Strategy VERS

1
The Victorian Electronic Records Strategy (VERS)

• Nicholas Leask
• Public Record Office Victorianicholas.leask_at_dpc.v
  ic.gov.au

2
Agenda

• VERS in context
• Implementing VERS
• Digital Archive
• Benefits for Water Administration
• Final Thoughts

3
Why VERS?

• PROV is Victorias state archival authority
• The problem of electronic records
• technology at the desktop - too many formats
• obsolescence
• no systems - records creation ? recordkeeping
• Victorian Electronic Records Strategy

4
How does VERS work?

• Strategy for long-term preservation/management
  of electronic records
• NOT a system
• Long-term format (XML and PDF/TIFF/ASCII)
• Supported by Standard issued by PROV (mandatory
  for government agencies)

5
VERS Scope

6
What does VERS focus on?

• Long-term preservation (defined as records that
  can last 100 years)
• Creating rich, fully useful, self-describing
  records
• Preserving the authenticity reliability of
  records now and for the future

7
How does it do this?

• Defines a single long-term format for records
• Composed of XML (as the record container and
  metadata content) long-term format for
  document-type objects Digital signature
• Convert documents from all sources into VERS
  long-term format once they become records, and
  then never need to convert again (Digital Asset
  Protection)

8
VERS Format

• Long term format
• Encapsulation
• Self documenting
• Digital signature adds integrity

9
History of VERS

• 1995 Research Report Keeping Electronic
  Records Forever
• 1998-99 Proof of concept project (0.5 Million)
• April 2000 VERS Standard (PROS 99/007)
  Mandatory across Government
• 2000-02 Department of Infrastructure implements
  VERS strategy ( 4.8 Million)
• 2002-04 VERS Centre of Excellence ( 8.2
  Million) Building a Digital Archive and support
  for adoption
• 2004-09 Sustaining VERS adoption across
  Victorian Government

10
VERS Centre of Excellence

• Four Key Delivery Streams
• Market Development
• Standard, Vendors, Compliance Program, National,
  International
• Building the Digital Archive
• Design, Development Implementation
• Agency Implementation Support
• Training, Consultancy, Assessments
• Collaboration Information Delivery
• Government, Office of the Chief Information
  Officer, Business, Academia, Research

11
Implementing VERS in Government
12
Implementation VERS_at_DOI

• Implement the VERS standard in a Victorian
  Government agency
• Department of Infrastructure (planning /
  transport / roads / ports)
• Outsource build to commercial developer (Solution
  6 - now AlphaWest)
• Staged implementation
• Model for Victorian Government

13
Goal Supporting e-business and knowledge
management in DOI

• Records as a strategic part of the information
  architecture
• Benefits to e-business initiatives
• improved authenticity
• improved accessibility
• digital records captured for the long term
• Building the corporate memory
• Improved discovery - potentially any time, any
  place

14
Positioning of VERS in DOI
15
Project components

• Recordkeeping strategy - links to information
  management policy
• Capture and encapsulation - what makes up the
  record?
• VERS recordkeeping system
• Change management
• Collaboration

16
How does it work? (1)

• Documents are captured from various locations
  (file system, within applications)
• Capture can be automated (e.g. workflow)
• Capture mechanism is via a wizard - a 3 step
  process
• Choose a folder to put record in and give it a
  name
• Choose which documents you want to put in the
  record
• Save record

17
How does it work? (2)

• Discover records using a web browser
• Search for keywords in documents and/or metadata
• Browse through the organisational classification
  structure to find associated records
• Hyperlinks to related records and folders
• Records display documents plus contextual metadata

18
Native Compliance
EDMS
Management of Document
Operational
Create a VEO
RM/Archiving
TRIM
Management of Record
Transfer to PROV
Public Records
19
Export Compliance
EDMS
Management of Document
Operational
Copy
RM/Archiving
ERMS
Management of Record
Transfer to PROV
Public Records
20
Digital Archive
21
Digital Archive

• manage, preserve and provide access to VERS
  Records and their associated metadata

DIGITAL ARCHIVE
Management
Records Transfer
Administration
22
Digital Archive Functions 1

• Records Transfer
• accessioning from clients
• Records Storage
• ongoing physical maintenance
• management of storage media
• security

23
Digital Archive Functions 2

• Data Management
• management of metadata
• updating new metadata
• maintaining metadata
• querying the data
• providing responses to queries

24
Digital Archive Functions 3

• Records Access
• provision of online access to records in the
  collection (paper and electronic) to users
• browsing, searching, ordering and viewing records
  and metadata

25
Digital Archive Functions 4

• Administration
• managing the Digital Archive components and the
  system as a whole
• system administration activities
• system security
• user access
• back-up
• disaster recovery

26
Digital Archive Functions 5

• Management
• appraisal
• disposal
• managing transfers
• developing standards/policy/procedures
• provision of training.

27
Benefits for Water Administration
28
General Benefits

• Over time, provides a growing store of authentic
  electronic records supporting accountability and
  digital heritage
• Improves discovery, interoperability and
  accessibility of records
• Supports eGovernment initiatives and the
  integration of electronic and paper records
• Supports knowledge, information and records
  management

29
Other Benefits 1

• Meet regulatory recordkeeping requirements
• Freedom of Information
• Electronic Transactions
• Public Record Act
• Permanent Records
• Temporary Records

30
What is permanent?

• Permanent FOREVER
• Corporate Governance
• Authority meetings
• Water Supply Management
• Site survey
• As constructed
• Construction of works drawings
• Catchment management
• Wastewater Management
• Policy and planning
• Land acquisition works

Info from PROS 00/01 General Disposal Schedule
Water Authority Records
31
How temporary is temporary?

• Temporary ?
• Charges and Rates
• Meter reading (Destroy after 7 billing cycles)
• Concession applications (Destroy 1 year after
  application)
• Land Development and Management
• Subdivision (Destroy 15 years after operational
  use is concluded)
• Water Supply Management
• Agreements standard (Destroy 7 years after
  agreement termination)
• Engineering contracts construction (Destroy 15
  years after structure is decommissioned)
• Permanent vs. Temporary Similar issues in a
  digital world

32
Other Benefits 2

• Portable and authentic records
• Agencies
• Sub-contractors
• Support for electronic business processes
• eBusiness
• Collaboration
• Reduced document formats
• Create, manage, transfer and access as digital

33
Final Thoughts

• VERS is the WOVG response to the issue of
  managing electronic records
• Using a long term format is a good idea
• Mandating a standard makes sense
• VERS has benefits for individual agencies
• Design in VERS dont tack it on
• Do something now

34
VERS Web Site

• www.prov.vic.gov.au/vers/