DROID (Digital Record Object Identification) is a
software tool to perform automated batch
identification of file formats. It is designed to
meet the fundamental requirement of any digital
repository to be able to identify the precise
format of all stored digital objects, and to link
that identification to a central registry of
technical information about that format and its
dependencies. It uses internal and external
signatures to identify and report the specific
file format versions of digital files. These
signatures are stored in an XML signature file,
generated from information recorded in the PRONOM
technical registry. New and updated signatures are
regularly added to PRONOM, and DROID can be
configured to automatically download updated
signature files from the PRONOM Web site via Web
services.
