The Norwegian Health Archive has selected Archivematica to preserve medical records of Norwegian citizens. All historical, current and future medical records from deceased patients treated by the Norwegian Specialised Healthcare Services must by law be remitted to the Norwegian National Health Archive. Paper-based records will be digitised, indexed and preserved together with born-digital health records. This data, kept indefinitely, will allow tracking of changes to health in large populations over time, providing opportunities for new research with global significance.
Artefactual is partnering with PIQL, a Norwegian company that specializes in long-term storage of digital holdings, on this 10-year project. Managing Director of Piql, Rune Bjerkestrand, says “Our expertise in archival management and Artefactual’s expertise in providing a sophisticated open source platform is a winning partnership.” According to Artefactual’s incoming Managing Director, Justin Simpson, “This project is an ideal application of the Archivematica platform, and a demonstration of the power of openness and collaboration in implementing digital preservation systems. Piql have shown real long term vision in their approach to this project. Artefactual and Piql together will help the NHA to deliver innovative new capabilities in health record preservation and access in Norway. Through the use of the open source Archivematica platform, this project will benefit digital preservation efforts across the world for years to come.”