New Tutorial Added: Archival Digital Photo Backups

[Colin Southern]

I would like to make a suggestion which could be an addendum to your tutorial "ARCHIVAL DIGITAL PHOTO BACKUP", which could allow data storage and recovery with a > 100 Year life time, Store the Digital Photographic Data On Paper.

Very interesting thought.

The other angle which I like to consider is that as technology progresses it always seems to offer an upgrade path - say - from A to B and then B to C and then C to D ... but at that stage the "D" version technology may no longer support upgrading from "A" vintage technology ...

... so I'm wondering if a valid methodology is to include the need to migrate data archives as each new generation of technology becomes commonplace? Keeping in mind that since we're very much into the digital revolution, subsequent conversions should be lossless (eg a JPEG file from a floppy disk to a TIFF version File on a hard disk to a CDROM to a DVD ROM to PSB version file on an "infinity and beyond" class storage medium.

[McQ]

Yes, this is a very interesting backup method. Thank you for posting it here Steaphany. I thought everyone here could benefit from seeing this.

I would agree that printed paper -- either as digital information, or as an archival photographic print -- is the only way to ensure that your photographs can be opened 100+ years down the road. This method is particularly useful for situations where one may not be able to (or want to) continually maintain their data as each new storage or file technology comes out. Printed paper is also a form of redundancy, since many many pigments go into creating each printed character (in the case of printed digital characters), and many molecules go into each pigment droplet, toner unit etc when creating archival prints.

On the other hand, I think that *if* one plans on continually managing their data, redundant copies on several removable media (ext hard drives, dvds, tapes, etc) are a much more efficient way of storing information (space-wise). Archival photographic or digital prints would occupy a lot of sheets of paper for people with 100GB or more of photographic information. If each page contained 500KBytes, as PaperBak suggests, then this would add up to at least 200,000 printed pages. In that case, it might be more practical to only print maybe the most important photos...

Also, I think that the choice of file format is perhaps not one of the top two concerns with backups, excepting perhaps proprietary RAW files. If I were to rank them in order of my own personal concern, they'd likely be:

(1) Data degradation
(2) Backup media compatibility
(3) File format

(printed paper address 1 and 2 really well; 3 is up to what you choose to print, although the idea of including the file specification is no matter what a great idea for the really long-term planners)

[Steaphany]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I just learned of the archival service DIGINEG.

The DIGINEG process uses ARRIlaser film recorders to transfer digital image data pixel by pixel onto 35-mm archival-grade polyester based intermediate negative film stock with an effective ISO of 3. This process can record 4096 pixels by 6144 pixels. Once the digital images have been transferred to film, the film reels are moved to secure long-term storage. The film-archived images are stored in a climate- and humidity-controlled vault and are protected against fire, flood, loss, theft, digital failure or any imaginable hazard for decades to come. Film under DIGINEG's care is never destroyed and remains preserved for future needs.

If at any time the digital file of a required image has been lost, DIGINEG will scan the film version and make a new electronic file in the prevailing digital format of the day.

DIGINEG offers two classes of service. DIGINEG Professional for wedding, portrait, commercial and all other photography specialties and DIGINEG Forensic Archive Service for law enforcement photographers used for evidentiary purposes.

[McQ]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I just leaned of the archival service DIGINEG.

Very interesting -- thanks for the addition.

[George D]

Excellent tutorial. I'd suggest you add a warning for those using CD's or DVD's for storage. A few years ago I stored a large number of audio and image files on good quality CD's (TDK and others). Last year I wanted to access some of those files and found my drives either failed to read the disk, or could not read at least some of the files. I subsequently found a warning on TDK's website that advised very strongly against putting adhesive paper labels on disks, since the paper can shrink with time and distort the disk, even at normal ambient room conditions. That was my problem - I had carefully labelled each disk with a paper label (CD Stomper, others sell the same thing). Fortunately the label adhesive degraded in water, so I had to soak each of the 120 disks in lukewarm water for about a half hour, then gently rub off the label in pieces using fingernail technology. The disks then worked all right, but I made new copies (without labels) anyway.

George D