Archival metadata for durable data sets

The DARELUX project envisages long-term storage of hydrology measurement data in a permanent archive. In order to make the DARELUX hydrology data sets accessible in an unknown future, a future-proof metadata element set is wanted. An analysis of current standards and best practices for metadata lead to the choice of the metadata of the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set, with an addition of archival metadata elements, based on the OAIS Preservation Description Information (PDI) metadata. A second problem is related to the encapsulation of an OAIS AIP package into an XML container file. This is the best we can do to let containers with data travel through time. Metadata and content are entangled together as an indivisible unit. The problem is that the PDI fixity/checksum value stores the value of the entire XML container, inside of the preservation metadata section of the container. However, storage of the value of the container means that the value of the container changes. Our solution to this, a procedure to store a valid checksum value of the XML container in the XML container is described. A third problem is the geographical coverage. The Dublin Core prescription for the geographical representation is ambiguous; a choice was made for an encoding scheme.