It has been quite some time since the last update of the bwFLA demo instance. Sine then we have significantly improved usability and added a lot of new and hopefully useful features. With a first complete implementation of ingest and workflows it is time to release new version of the bwFLA framework.

Preliminary notes: 

• Please keep in mind that all the bits and pieces are of beta-quality, and thus, things may break. However, we are eager to hear about your experience. Please leave a comment if you encountered any problems or have suggestions for improvements, use-case, questions, etc.
• We have restricted access to OPF members because the demo setup suffers from resource limitations for now. At most 12 parallel sessions can be handled in a performant way. Thus, if you experience slow or unresponsive emulators please try again later and/or contact us.  OPF members can get the password here: http://wiki.opf-labs.org/display/PT/bwFLA+test+demo+instance

New and noteworthy features

• Complete Ingest / Evaluation workflow examples for digital art objects
  • Example: Digital CD-ROM Art Collection
• Complete Access workflow examples
• Access to preserved complete computer systems
  • Example: Apple Macintosh of Vilem Flusser
• 100% browser solution – no plugins etc required. Just a current Firefox or Chrome browser  is required.
• Sound support for some emulators (Virtualbox) (experimental)
  • Sound for other emulators under development
• Tablet / Smartphone support (iOS/Android) (experimental)

Workflows: Ingest and Access

For this demo we have implemented an example use case for curating digital art objects. A number of example object can be chosen from a list to be rendered and evaluated in an emulated legacy environment. To simplify usage only 2 rendering environment are offered (Platforms). In the generic ingest workflow any currently available platform can be chosen.

In the next step, both technical meta-data, i.e. the technical description of the rendering platform and user configuration together with domain-specific meta-data describing performance aspects are generated.

The access workflows present available and working digital objects. The previously generated technical meta-data is used to re-enact the chosen environment while the performance evaluation may be used to guide users.

Archive: Base Images

The base image workflow provides an overview of currently available system environments. In the next version these images can  be forked and modified by users. 

Background

The Baden-Württemberg Functional Long-Term Archiving and Access (bwFLA) is a two-year state funded project transporting the results of past and ongoing digital preservation research into practitioners communities. Primarily, bwFLA creates tools and workflows to ensure long-term access to digital cultural and scientific assets held by the state's university libraries and archives. The project consortium brings together partners across the state, involving people from university libraries computing centers, libraries and archives providing a broad range of background and insights into the digital preservation landscape.