This presentation was delivered by Noa Campos López and Marcel Hellkamp from PERICLES project partner Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (GWDG), at the interactive workshop ‘Eye of the Storm: Preserving Digital Content in an Ever-Changing World’ (Wellcome Collection Conference Centre, London, 2 December 2016). This full-day event aimed at introducing and experimenting with the PERICLES model-driven approach demonstrating its usefulness for managing change in evolving digital ecosystems. http://pericles-project.eu/

1. GRANT AGREEMENT: 601138 | SCHEME FP7 ICT 2011.4.3
Promoting and Enhancing Reuse of Information throughout the Content Lifecycle taking account of Evolving Semantics [Digital Preservation]
“This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh
Framework Programme for research, technological development and
demonstration under grant agreement no601138”.
PROCESS MODELLING: An Introduction to
Aggregated Processes and the PERICLES
Process Compiler
Noa Campos López, Marcel Hellkamp
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, GWDG

2. Model-driven preservation approach
Objective
Ensure digital content remains
accessible, understandable,
and reusable in continually
evolving environments.

3. Triplestore
Preservation
Processes
Digital
Ecosystem
Ecosystem
Model
Validation
Model
update
Change & model
analysis
RDF-based
descriptions
PERICLES Approach
“Preservation by
design” with model-
driven preservation.
RDF-based “digital
ecosystem model” with
preservation processes
Model-driven preservation approach

4. Observation
Process descriptions
are an integrated part
of the digital
ecosystem model and
subject to change.
Triplestore
Digital
Ecosystem
Ecosystem
Model
Preservation
Processes
RDF-based
descriptions
Validation
Model
update
Change & model
analysis
RDF-based
descriptions
Model-driven preservation approach

5. Triplestore
Workflow
Engine
Preservation
Processes
RDF-based
descriptions
Executable
Workflows
Digital
Ecosystem
Ecosystem
Model
BPMN
descriptions
Process
execution
Validation
Model
update
Change & model
analysis
RDF-based
descriptions
Problem
Real-world preservation
processes are complex
executable workflows. The
challenge is to kept them in
sync with their model
description and react on
change.
Model-driven preservation approach

6. Triplestore Process
Compiler
Workflow
Engine
Digital
Ecosystem
Preservation
Processes
RDF-based
descriptions
Executable
WorkflowsEcosystem
Model
BPMN
descriptions
Process
compilation
Process
execution
Validation
Model
update
Change & model
analysis
RDF-based
descriptions
Solution: Process
model
”Model first”
principle. Compile
RDF-based process
descriptions into
executable
workflows.
Model-driven preservation approach

7. Triplestore Process
Compiler
Workflow
Engine
Digital
Ecosystem
Preservation
Processes
RDF-based
descriptions
Executable
WorkflowsEcosystem
Model
BPMN
descriptions
Process
compilation
Process
execution
Validation
Model
update
Change & model
analysis
RDF-based
descriptions
Process Compiler:
Validates changes
before they occur,
and updates
executable workflows
automatically after
each change.
Model-driven preservation approach

8. Process model: atomic and
aggregated processes

9. Description of an aggregated
process
Process flow:
- sequential
execution
- single thread
Data flow:
- immutable
resources
- type-validated

10. Exercise I:
Design a preservation
action as an aggregated
process

11. Example: Ingest Digital Artwork
●Policy: ”Digital artwork needs to be analysed
and packaged before storing”
● Preservation action: ingest digital artwork
1. Check executables for viruses
2. Extract metadata (e.g. assets, runtime
dependencies, 32/64 bit, OS)
3. Package executable, assets and metadata in a
specific format (e.g. BagIt)

14. Ingest Digital Artwork as an
Aggregated Process

15. Exercise II:
Add new steps to your
aggregated process

16. Example: Ingest Digital Artwork
v2.0
● Preservation action: ingest digital artwork
1. Check executables for viruses
2. Extract assets metadata
3. Extract requirements (runtime dependencies,
32/64 bit, OS)
4. Add artist’s personal information to
metadata.
5. Package executable, assets and metadata in a
specific format (e.g. bagit)

21. Any Questions?

22. Part 2:
Process Compiler
Demo

23. Process Compiler Demo: Last
minute update
● In your VM
1. Open a Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+t)
2. Run: cd
tools/ProcessCompiler
3. Run: git pull
4. Run: make
5. Klick on ‘runPCDemo.sh`on
your desktop.

24. Process Compiler Demo
● Alternative:
1. Download or clone https://github.com/pericles-
project/ProcessCompiler
2. Run: mvn compile package –DskipTests=true
3.
4.
Run: java –jar target/ModelCompiler-*.jar
Open a Browser at: http://localhost:8080/demo/
server

25. Any Questions?