Ross Spencer

A developer on the Archivematica project. I work with colleagues to analyze client digital preservation and digital preservation workflow requirements and find solutions to satisfy those. Archivematica is developed in Python, but solutions need not always require a programming solution, nor be centered around the system itself.

• Python development.
• Design and development of solutions.
• Analysis of client requirements.

Digital Preservation Analyst at Archives New Zealand whose primary role is to support the System, Strategy, Standards team (SSS) formerly Digital Continuity; in making preservation decisions and providing digital preservation guidance. Having worked with colleagues to help enable Archive New Zealand’s first born-digital transfers.

The organization required me to work closely with digital preservation colleagues at National Library New Zealand and the Alexander Turnbull Library to develop Digital Preservation strategy and policy.

Our mandate also enabled digital preservation outreach across the New Zealand government sector.

I maintained strong personal links with the wider digital preservation community. It is hoped our benefit from the community’s effort was somewhat equal to what I hope we were able to contribute.

• Policy development across the New Zealand government sector.
• Development of digital preservation workflows.
• Outreach within the New Zealand digital preservation community.

The research and provision of solutions to the end of preserving government’s digital records.

Part of my focus was researching file format specifications and developing mechanisms to identify those file formats using regular expression patterns unique to The National Archives’ PRONOM database. My role was also centered on the development of policy to be followed internally, and by contractors employed on projects such as those for digitization.

I was able to make connections with the wider digital preservation community while in my role at The National Archives where we were invited to participate in projects such as the Unified Digital File Formats Registry (UDFR); or working groups such as that for the development of JPEG2000 policy and procedures at the Wellcome Trust in the UK.

I was able to continue programming for The National Archives, UK, developing solutions for them in Python, PHP, and C++. Though much of it was completed in my spare time to then convert into work assignments, for example, the PRONOM signature development utility.

• PRONOM and DROID signature development.
• File format Analysis.
• Development of procedure and standards for transfer.

Junior Analyst Programmer developing VOIP (Voice over IP) recording solutions; written primarily in C++. Areas of focus included improving existing solutions for recording Avaya, Nortel, Cisco, Ericsson and SIP VOIP calls, and implementing new solutions for VOIP providers such as Panasonic. Some other important protocols I focused on included, H225, Q931, and MGCP. I was also involved in back end development for our web front-end maintaining an ISAPI DLL. Front-end development required JavaScript and XHTML skills to add functionality to a HTML-form based interface. I introduced the use of AJAX to the recorder front-end.

At Red Box I saw through a number of important projects including the implementation of a number of new features such as the development of a search filtering mechanism; and a Cisco-based recording as a service solution. I developed fixes for many different areas of the system as part of additional third-line support duties.

Through my work at Red Box Recorders I refined my problem solving abilities and developed a better grasp for team work and meeting project deadlines. The contribution of this role to my knowledge of digital forensics, reverse engineering, and understanding of the IP stack and technical specifications remains immeasurable in the roles I have pursued in my current domain.

• Reverse engineering.
• Analysis of specifications.
• Protocol level development.