VPRS 15047 General Subject Files, Alpha Code Prefix Annual Single Number System, Organisational Development Division

Full description

This series consists of electronic records from the Organisational Development Division of the Department of Infrastructure (VA 3971) captured in the Department's Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). This system was implemented as part of the VERS@DOI project (1999-2002). It was used by the Department of Infrastructure to track and manage electronic records received or created by specific sections within the Department between 2002 and 2004.

Although it was originally envisaged that the system would cover both electronic and hardcopy records, this did not eventuate. Hardcopy records continued to be recorded in RecFind, which was the sole recordkeeping system used until the VERS@DOI project was implemented.

The system was shut down in 2004 as a result of machinery of government changes, and because it was in need of an upgrade to cover recent developments. The Victorian Government tendered for an Enterprise Content Management System to cover the whole-of-Victorian government which would also be VERS compliant. The decision was made to await this new system rather than upgrade the EDMS.

VERS@DOI Project

VERS (Victorian Electronic Records Strategy) was developed by Public Record Office Victoria to provide a means for the long term preservation of electronic records across the whole of Victorian Government. This strategy involved the use of encapsulation, long term document formats, metadata schemes, and digital signatures in order to capture electronic records with their contextual information and enable them to be viewed in a readable format for their entire retention period. VERS began in 1995 with the publication of the report Keeping Electronic Records Forever, and resulted in the publication of the VERS Standard - PROS 99/007 Management of Electronic Records in 1999.

The Department of Infrastructure (DOI) obtained a grant in May 1999 under the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) program to implement a VERS compliant recordkeeping system. The project was designed to serve as a whole-of-government pilot and help to build an experience base to support further VERS roll-outs. The project ran for three years and ultimately delivered a system that captured digital records from both the desktop and applications, storing them as VERS encapsulated Objects (VEOs) in a recordkeeping system. Through a tender process, DOI engaged the services of consultants (Alphawest) to build the VERS extensions to the Tower Software TRIM Context software product to deliver a VERS compliant recordkeeping system.

The VERS@DOI project influenced and created a lot of the software and intellectual property that was fed into the second version of the VERS standard. Other agencies wishing to implement VERS solutions have been able to utilise. The VERS@DOI project was to cover both electronic and paper records management and support knowledge management initiatives.

Content

This series contains files created by the Organisational Development division of Department of Infrastructure, which included the business units of Contract Services, Corporate Information Management, Corporate Information Technology, Executive & Legal, Human Resources Management & Development, Infralib, Knowledge Management, MiBS Project, Personnel & Corporate Services, and VERS@DOI Project. Only some of the folders were used over the duration of the EDMS system.

Due to the importance of the VERS@DOI Project, the decision was made to transfer all records created and collated by the VERS@DO1 Project Business Unit except for records of temporary value that would be closed due to reasons of privacy or private and in confidence.

Please note that the legal and contractual files have been removed and placed into consignment P2, which was closed under Section 10 of the Public Record Act 1973 (No. 8418).

For records created and collated by the VERS@DOI implementation project system for Rail Projects Group division of Department of Infrastructure, please see VPRS 15071 General Subject Files, Alpha Code Prefix Annual Single Number System, Rail Projects Group. For the Planning Heritage Building division records please see VPRS 15072 General Subject Files, Alpha Code Prefix Annual Single Number System [Planning Heritage Building]. For the Strategic Planning division records please see VPRS 15075 General Subject Files, Alpha Code Prefix Annual Single Number System, Strategic Planning Division.

The functions of Planning Heritage and Building were assigned to the Department of Sustainability and Environment in 2002 by Order-in-Council under section 3 of the Administrative Arrangements Act 1983.