Content Archival Policy for Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science, Lucknow

1. Introduction

The Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science, Lucknow (UPSIFS) is committed to maintaining the integrity, security, and accessibility of its digital content in compliance with the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW). This policy aims to provide a framework for archiving content, ensuring that information remains available, retrievable, and organized in a manner that supports transparency, accountability, and the long-term preservation of forensic scientific data.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all digital content created, maintained, or archived by the Institute. It covers both publicly accessible content on the Institute’s website and internal documents that are necessary for operational and archival purposes.

3. Objectives

• Ensure Accessibility: Ensure that critical content is accessible over the long term.
• Data Integrity: Safeguard content from unauthorized alterations and maintain version control.
• Legal Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant legal frameworks, including GIGW and any other government directives or policies regarding digital content.
• Content Preservation: Establish systematic procedures to archive and preserve documents and data that have long-term value.
• Transparency: Facilitate public access to information in a transparent and organized manner.

4. Content Classification

Content has been classified into three categories for archival purposes:

1. Public Content: Information that is publicly available on the Institute’s website, such as policies, notices, reports, research publications, and event details.
2. Internal Content: Documents related to operational activities, internal communications, meeting minutes, and administrative documents not meant for public access.
3. Critical Data: This includes research findings, case studies, forensic reports, and sensitive data essential for forensic investigations, policy-making, or long-term archival requirements.

5. Archival Guidelines

• Retention Period:
  • Public content will be archived for a minimum of five years or as per any specific legal or regulatory requirement.
  • Internal documents and critical data will be archived based on the relevant retention schedule, ensuring that any document with long-term relevance is preserved for the appropriate duration.
• File Formats:
  • All archived documents will be stored in widely accessible and non-proprietary formats (e.g., PDF/A for documents, TIFF for images, CSV for data).
  • Content should be formatted and tagged to be compatible with digital preservation standards.
• Metadata:
• Every archived item will have metadata that includes details such as title, date of creation, author, description, and version history. Metadata must comply with standard schema for easy retrieval and management.
• Periodic Review:
• Archived content will undergo periodic reviews to assess relevance and to ensure compliance with GIGW standards. Outdated or redundant content will be either decommissioned or archived in specialized formats based on its long-term value.
• Version Control:
• All revisions to documents will be carefully tracked and archived. Older versions of documents will be retained as per a defined version control mechanism.

6. Access Control

• Public Access:
• Archived content that is publicly available will be accessible through the Institute’s website or government portals.
• Information should be accessible in a manner that complies with GIGW standards, ensuring compatibility with different browsers, screen readers, and devices.
• Internal Access:
• Sensitive or confidential content will have restricted access, requiring user authentication, and will be governed by strict access control policies within the organization.
• Employees and authorized personnel can access archived internal content via a secure, central repository.
• Access to Critical Data:
• Forensic data and critical investigative information will be archived with stringent security measures to protect the integrity of the data. Only authorized forensic personnel and designated investigators will have access.

7. Storage Infrastructure

• The Institute will use reliable and scalable digital storage infrastructure that includes:
• Cloud Storage: For public-facing content and certain internal documents.
• On-site Servers: For sensitive or high-security content.
• Backups: Regular backups of all archived content will be performed to ensure data recovery in case of unforeseen incidents or disasters.
• Archived content will be stored in compliance with Information Technology Act, 2000, and other applicable laws regarding data protection and security.

8. Digital Preservation and GIGW Compliance

The archived content will meet the requirements of the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW), which stipulates accessibility, usability, and compliance with Indian standards for digital content. This includes:

• Section 508 Compliance: Ensuring content is accessible to all users.
• Mobile Responsiveness: The archived content must be available across various devices, including mobile phones and tablets.
• Internationalization and Localization: Ensure the Institute’s website and archived content are compliant with national and international standards for language and cultural localization.

9. Responsibility and Oversight

• Content Owner: The relevant department or individual responsible for the content must ensure compliance with this policy.
• Archival Team: A dedicated archival team will be responsible for the management, storage, and periodic review of content. This team will also handle the migration of content to new formats or storage systems when necessary.
• Compliance Officer: A designated compliance officer will oversee adherence to legal, regulatory, and policy requirements, ensuring that archival practices align with GIGW standards.

10. Policy Review

This Content Archival Policy will be reviewed and updated periodically to align with technological advancements, changes in the legal landscape, and emerging best practices in digital content management. Reviews will occur at least once every two years or as required based on changes in government policy.

11. Conclusion

This policy establishes a clear, organized framework for the archiving of content within the Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science, Lucknow. By ensuring the secure, accessible, and legally compliant management of digital content, the Institute affirms its commitment to transparency, data integrity, and long-term preservation of critical forensic information.