Already today it is not possible to read data in the conservation project conducted by the BBC in the mid-XNUMXs
A rich digital archive describing life in the XNUMXs has been brought back to life with the help of researchers from Great Britain and the United States. The researchers developed a way to access the data collected in the Doomsday Project which was stored in obsolete technology.
The BBC's idea was to develop a computerized multimedia version of the Doomsday Book, to mark the 900th anniversary of the archive founded in 1086. However, the glimpse into Britain in the XNUMXs was stored on two interactive video discs that are no longer readable by today's computers.
A team from the University of Leeds in the UK and the University of Michigan in the US managed to find a way to access the information. They developed software that simulates the outdated ACRON computer as well as the video disc player.
The study is part of the Cameleon project, during which the researchers are looking for a way to preserve digital information like the BBC's project. The Doomsday project highlights the problems of preserving digital information.
Databases saved in old computer formats are no longer accessible to new generation machines, while tapes and disks may be physically damaged. "The BBC's Doomsday project has become an example of the danger lurking in our digital heritage," says project director Paul Whitley.
However, we must remember that time is an important factor. We must invest wisely in developing an infrastructure that will preserve our digital records before it is too late. We must not make the mistake of thinking that these records have a long-term medium that gives us a very meaningful preservation.
The data stored in the Doomsday Project has been inaccessible for 16 years. About a million residents of Great Britain were photographed in Dixek. They include video footage from the BBC and ITV as well as 200 images and tens of thousands of maps.
By comparison, the original Doomsday Book, an inventory of the inhabitants of England in 1086 compiled by Norman Monks, is in good condition in the National Library at Kew, London. The book in the 20th century version will also be available in the same library when the project is completed.
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in diksaks?