Linked Open Data for Digital Audio Formats

The Digital Audio category encompasses formats used to encode recorded sound as machine readable files by converting acoustic sound waves into digital signals. Digital audio formats are generally composed of both a wrapper format, usually the common name associated with the file extension, and an encoding method or codec. Digital audio is defined as an audio waveform that has been created as, or converted into, digital form encoded as numerical samples in continuous sequence (i.e. sample depth over samples per second).

The significant properties of digital audio records are documented in a Digital Audio Preservation Plan, which can be used as test criteria for tools and processes used in format transformations.

NARA makes its Linked Open Data available in the Resource Description Framework Terse RDF Triple Language, or RDF Turtle (.ttl files). These files can be opened in any text editor. The Digital Preservation Framework as Linked Open Data includes the same elements as are available in the version of the Preservation Plans on GitHub.

These Plans are not exhaustive nor universally applicable proposed actions and recommended or endorsed tools: these represent file formats and variant versions in NARA holdings, the current NARA risk assessment, processing capabilities, and tools in use at NARA.