The Arctic World Archive (AWA), set 300 metres inside the decommissioned Mine 3 (Gruve 3), holds digital treasures from around the world. Here in the permafrost conditions of the mountain where it remains cool, dry and dark, data stored can last for centuries on future proof storage medium.
It is not possible to go inside the archive, however tours of Mine 3 take you past the entrance where you can read about the most notable deposits, including institutions such as The National Museum of Norway, the Vatican Library, the National Archives of Mexico and Brazil, the European Space Agency, UNICEF, GitHub (Arctic Code Vault) and many others.
About AWA
Launched in 2017, AWA was partially inspired by the neighbouring Global Seed Vault. In the same way it cares for seeds to ensure food and nature security, AWA’s ambition is to ensure that valuable information and cultural heritage are never lost, but are kept forever, without risk of data corruption, loss or technological obsolescence.
AWA is an initiative of Piql, a Norwegian based global technology company that specialise in digital preservation and keeping data alive into the distant future.
A large number of factors related to technology and societal change, wars and potential natural disasters make it extremely demanding to preserve digital memories for the long-term. AWA provides an opportunity to pass information on to future generations so that those with knowledge of their past can have a meaningful present and future.
Technology
Data held by AWA is stored offline and secure on a resilient, purpose-built technology—piqlFilm—designed to last for centuries with guaranteed future access. With piqlFilm, the information is stored digitally with nano resolution QR codes, along with all system specifications, file formats and any other information needed to retrieve the data. This information is written in human readable text so, if Piql reading technology isn’t available in the distant future, the data can still be manually accessed with the help of a camera, computer and a light source.
The climate conditions of the mountain are ideal for long term storage of film so this vault requires no electricity and will not require any electricity in the future.
Future Deposits
AWA welcomes deposits from cultural and heritage institutions as well as private companies, with depositing ceremonies held twice a year. Email info@arcticworldarchive.org to book your deposit or see www.arcticworldarchive.org for more information.
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