A Delphi assessment of the Digital Rosetta Stone model

Information that is stored digitally can only be used if it can be retrieved and interpreted. If the methods to retrieve the bitstream are lost, it may be difficult, if not impossible to re-create them. The knowledge to interpret the bitstream is also at risk. The Digital Rosetta Stone (DRS) model was developed as a framework for capturing and maintaining the methods necessary to retrieve and display digital information stored on obsolete media or using obsolete software. However, this conceptual model had not yet been assessed by the community of professionals for its practical efficacy. This study used the Delphi method to explore the DRS with those responsible for maintaining access to digital data. Overall, the Delphi group expressed concerns about the practicality of developing the DRS, but agreed that it is an important concept that should be explored further. If found to be technologically feasible and economically desirable, the DRS could well lead to a long-term solution for recovering information that would otherwise be impossible to recover.