Develop a plan for "sustainability" for the PBMD, addressing
such questions as:
1. What is the expected lifespan for such an instrument, overall?
- Will the information distilled from PBCore records, or translated
via PBCore be the same information we need in 5 or 10 or 20 years?
- What changes in the environment might cause it to change? New
business models? New delivery platforms?
2. In what form(s) would the instrument need to be expressed and
held, in order to be useful?
- As one or more ISO 11179 application profile(s) available on
the web?
- Saved in one or more online registries? Our own or someone else’s?
- Offered within templates (sample GUIs) for various users?
- Offered with XML DTDs for each element?
- With maps to other standards offered online? (Or maps to data
tables in various PB software? Useful?)
3. What activities might be required to maintain the instrument
so that it fulfills its intended purpose during its useful lifespan?
- Judging by similar standards, how frequently might it need to
be updated?
- What is involved in an update? (Meetings, conference calls, tests,
etc.?)
- What is involved in creating the AP, templates, XML DTDs, maps
to other standards, etc.?
- Do we need to work with non-PB folks in a collaborative way?
- Are there costs to users, including other entities, vendors,
stations, etc. every time it’s updated?
4. What might these maintenance activities cost in financial, personnel
or other terms? Are there ways to mitigate these costs with service
bureaus, or online tools?
5. Which individuals or organizations (new or existing) would need
to be permanently involved in the maintenance process – to
what degree and in what roles?
6. What kind and degree of commitment to sustainability must be
signaled, and by whom, before we continue development of the PBMD?
