Preserving Stories Carved in Time

Preserving Stories Carved in Time

Our Approach to Cultural Heritage Preservation Piql collaborates with cultural institutions,

archaeologists, and museums worldwide to preserve historical records and protect artefacts from digital decay. From ancient manuscripts to digital archives of scientific achievements, Piql supports ongoing research, making heritage accessible for generations.

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Piql’s Advanced Archival Solutions to Protect Humanity’s Cultural Heritage In a world where our shared history risks being lost to the rapid pace of digital change, Piql provides unique archival solutions to safeguard humanity’s cultural heritage. Using piqlFilm, a resilient, migration-free storage medium, we help preserve invaluable records, artefacts, and sites with security and longevity unmatched by conventional storage methods.

Offline and off-grid piqlFilm piqlFilm, an innovative storage medium, combines digital and visual data into one durable format. Designed to be future-proof, it is immune to electro magnetic and radioactive interference, resistant to hacking, and avoids vendor The Arctic World Archive ( AWA ) Located in Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago, AWA was established by Piql as a global repository to protect some of humanity’s most valuable cultural assets. This unique

lock-in through its open-source structure. Built sustainably, Piql’s unique technology guarantees data authenticity, ensuring access to information for centuries.

preserves works like historic artifacts and ancient manuscripts. With a capacity for storing data for over 2,000 years, AWA is a vital resource for safeguarding humanity’s legacy.

vault, surrounded by permafrost and guarded by its natural surroundings,

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The LIkneset Case Study

Photo: Lise Loktu

The Likneset: Safeguarding Svalbard’s Historical Burial Sites from Climate Erosion The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) is collaborating with AWA to ensure the longevity of critical data from their Likneset Project , which investigates the impacts of climate change on vulnerable archaeo logical sites. Phase one of this project, set to be deposited at AWA during the next event, documents the ongoing degradation of 17th-century whalers’ graves in Svalbard. This pioneering study uses skeletal analyses to assess environmental changes over the last 30 years. Through advanced preservation technology, AWA will secure NIKU’s invaluable data for future generations, offering essential insights into the effects of climate change on cultural heritage.

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NIKU — NORSK INSTITUTT FOR KULTURMINNEFORSKNING NIKU (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research) is a leading independent organization dedicated to preserving cultural heritage in Norway and interna tionally. Through innovative, tech-driven approaches, NIKU supports research and conservation efforts addressing complex, contemporary issues. The Likneset Project, led by NIKU in Svalbard, investigates how climate change impacts vulnerable archaeological sites. Likneset, Svalbard’s largest burial site with over 200 graves of whalers from the 1600s and 1700s, faces increased risks due to climate driven erosion. The project, led by Lise Loktu and osteo logist Elin T. Brødholt , compares skeletal remains excavated in the 1980s with recent finds, aiming to detect signs of accelerated degradation linked to recent climate shifts. This research provides crucial insights into the effects of climate change on Arctic cultural heritage. The preservation of this delicate material, however, demands highly resilient, long term storage solutions, capable of with standing Svalbard’s extreme conditions and safeguarding this data against future uncertainties. THE LIKNESET PROJECT AND ITS PURPOSE

FINDING A RELIABLE SHIELD With AWA’s future-proof preservation capabilities, NIKU’s critical data will be safeguarded from data loss and environmental risks. In phase one of the Likneset Project, NIKU will deposit digital datasets and records onto piql Film, a robust storage medium known for its resistance to extreme conditions, at an upcoming AWA event. This part nership not only protects NIKU’s data but emphasizes sustainable heritage preservation in fragile environments like Svalbard. NIKU chose AWA for its long-term preservation in challenging climates. PiqlFilm ensures data integrity without the weaknesses of typical digital storage, aligning with NIKU’s goal of sustainable cultural heritage management. ANTICIPATED OUTCOME This partnership underscores the need for secure, lasting preservation to study climate change’s impact on cultural heritage. Through the Likneset Project, NIKU both documents climate-driven degradation and highlights proactive preservation measures, securing vital knowledge for future generations. This partnership exemplifies the powerful intersection of science, culture, and sustainability.

Photo: Espen Olsen / Lise Loktu

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IDA - The Missing Link Case Study

The missing link Ida from Natural History Museum of Norway

She’s nine months old. She’s little and cute—about the size of your family’s cat. She’s also 47 million years old!

The Ida fossil is the the most iconic and valuable object exhibited at the Natural History Museum of Oslo . She was first presented to the world in 2009. The National History Museum of Norway deposited the original digital files and the x-ray images of the world renowned Ida fossil (scientific name Darwinius masillae ), discovered some years ago (commonly referred to as the missing link). The original fossil is on display at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo.

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” The skeleton is remarkably 95% complete, and due to the unique conditions of her burial site, researchers can even observe individual hairs covering her body, as well as traces of her final meal—a last vegetarian bite. The fossil’s extraordinary preservation has allowed the scientific team to gather extensive information, aided by new X-ray techniques that had not been applied to other specimens before. Researchers believe it dates back to a pivotal era when the primate lineage, which would eventually diversify into monkeys, apes, and ultimately humans, branched off from a separate line that evolved into lemurs and other less er-known species. “This will be the one pictured in the text books for the next hundred years. It tells a part of our evolution that’s been hidden so far. It’s been hidden because the only [other] specimens are so incomplete and so broken there’s nothing almost to study.” Dr Jørn Hurum, the palaeontologist from Oslo University’s Natural History Museum who assembled the scientific team to study the fossil SOLUTION By ensuring that her data remains intact and accessible, Piql contributes not only to preserving current research but also to supporting future technological advancements that may unlock even more insights from Ida’s data.

CONCLUSION In conclusion, using Piql technology to store data on fossil Ida offers a robust and forward-thinking solution for the long-term preservation of invaluable scientific information. Piql’s unique approach, which encodes digital data on photosensitive film designed to withstand environmental degradation for hundreds of years, provides a highly durable and offline medium ideally suited to safeguarding irreplaceable research data. For fossil Ida, this means that high resolution images, and digital x-rays can be securely preserved, enabling future generations to access, study, and reanalyze this significant specimen without the risks associated with conventional data storage methods.

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The fossil Britney Case Study

Arctic plesiosaur Britney with a tiny head and enormous eyes

Making its second AWA deposit, the Natural History Museum chose to preserve a “local” - the data from Ophthalmothule Cryostea , dubbed “ Britney ”, a 150-million-year-old fossil of a lizard like animal that was found in Svalbard in 2012. This find was incredibly important as it is the only one of this type of plesiosaurs in the world with a preserved skull, giving much more insight into the creature. Now Britney will be preserved for the next millennia in digital form on a reel of piqlFilm.

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What Makes Britney Unique? Big Eyes: Britney had exceptionally large eyes, which likely gave her an advantage when hunting in the dark depths of the ocean. Small Head: Unlike other plesiosaurs, Britney had an unusually small head, setting her apart from others of her kind. Discovery: Her skeleton was found in Svalbard in 2012 and dates back to the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous period, around 147 million years ago. The big beast was 5 to 5.5 metres long. But the head is just over 20 centimetres. That’s very small compared to the body. Britney provides valuable insights into marine life during the age of dinosaurs, helping us understand how these remarkable creatures adapted to life in the ocean. “This discovery is unique and is the only one of this group of plesiosaurs in the world with a preserved skull. Its strange shape, with a very small head and large eyes, is also very atypical for plesiosaurs, to an extreme degree. We made reconstructions of the entire skull in 3D. It’s really cool because we can actually see structures inside the skull that we can’t see on the surface.”

CONCLUSION Preserving the digital data of the Britney fossil on piqlfilm offers a future-proof solution for archiving this remarkable discovery. Piql’s photosensitive film, engineered for long-term durability and environmental resilience, ensures that high-resolution images, data, and documentation of Britney’s skeleton are securely stored for centuries. This technology not only protects the fossil’s data from technological obsolescence but also preserves it offline, minimizing the risks associated with digital degra dation and data loss over time.

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Jørn Hurum, a palaeontologist and professor at the University of Oslo’s Natural History Museum

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TAJ MAHAL digital copy Case Study

Preserving the digital copy of The Taj Mahal

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) , under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. Maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance is the prime concern of the ASI. Taj Mahal is One of the Seven Wonders of the World and was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahān (reigned 1628–58) to immortalize his wife Mumtaz (“Chosen One of the Palace”), who died in childbirth in 1631. Taj Mahal is India’s most famous and widely recognized building. In its harmonious proportions and its fluid incorporation of decorative elements, the Taj Mahal is distinguished as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a blend of Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles.

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CHALLENGE Being over 500 years the site is deterio rating over time due to weather condi tions, pollution and human intervention. ASI is doing its best to preserve the site but they were also looking for a solution to digitize and archive the Taj Mahal and ensure it is available to future generations. Introduced to ASI by The Indian Ambassador to Norway Dr.B.Bala Bhasker, Piql along with their plugin digitization partners from Slovakia Studio 727 presented a com plete solution to scan, digitize and archive the Mausoleum. SOLUTION Piql along with its partner sent a team to digitize Taj Mahal and it took over two weeks to scan the main areas of the 42 acre site. The processed data which has 3D Images, VR, Photographs, Videos, Geo Data points and other details will now be preserved on piqlFilm, a secure and long lasting offline storage medium and will be physically stored in AWA, located deep inside a mountain on the arctic island of Svalbard, Norway.

One of the 7 Wonders of the World, Taj Mahal is considered among the most beautiful structural compositions in the world. The Taj Mahal is also one of the world’s most iconic monuments which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich history. This unique architectural marvel is being digitized and pictures, 3D models, videos and other data of the monument will be kept in the AWA to ensure rebuilding, research , observe changes, and ensure that the future generations have a com plete access to one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and for any resto ration requirements in the future.

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Timeless Art of Ajanta Caves Case Study

Digital Preservation of the Ajanta Caves’ Timeless Art Sapio Analytics deposited high resolution images of the Ajanta Caves in India, the first AWA deposit of a UNESCO world heritage site. The caves are situated in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state and constitute ancient monasteries and worship halls of different Buddhist traditions carved into a 75-metre wall of rock. Considered some of the most significant ancient art in the world, these paintings and carvings hold immense importance for people in many nations. The paintings cannot be photographed with flash or lights, so a special low-light photographic technique has been used to capture the art in high resolution. Deep learning AI is also applied combined with knowledge from historians to restore any broken images.

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CONCLUSION Supported by India’s Ministry of Culture, the Ajanta images and a paper on the caves, titled ‘ Revelation of Ajanta Caves ’ by noted photographer Benoy Behl , were deposited in February 2018. The Arctic World Archive is a growing digital repository of world memory located at the remote island of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean. Piql’s innovative approach to archiving repurposes photosensitive film to be a digital medium. Data is stored using high-density QR codes with all information needed to recover the information also stored on the film, making it self-contained and future-proof. This tried and tested technology can keep data alive for hundreds of years, without the need for migration.

” Supported by Indian Ministry of Culture, the capture of such a large and significant UNESCO heritage site is a major under taking and will take years to complete. This deposit includes a photograph of Ajanta Caves by Benoy Behl , showing a king renouncing all worldly pleasures, the paper Revelation of Ajanta Caves , support from Indian business leaders about the project, alongside initial high-resolution restored capture of the caves. “The ancient art is now getting preserved for all generations to come, for their inspiration, peep into history and pleasure. Ajanta is an example of how rich we as past humans were and how we could build on that in the future when humans will become live machines, thanks to robotiza tion. Art and culture which kept our inner facul ties to develop will be on the wane, but no one can develop technology unless human faculties work to optimum, getting creativity to fore. This art will help us all know how to develop us all as true fully grown humans.”

Suresh Prabhu, India’s Sherpa to the G-20 nations

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Utah Valley University Case Study

Unearthing History: Digital Preservation of the Ancient Beit Lehi

Many of the historical milestones that happened anciently in the land of Israel are reflected by the settlement history of Beit Lehi , currently an active archaeological site southwest of Jerusalem. A long-lost village, hidden for centuries beneath layers of time, is gradually reemerging in the cave-dotted lowlands southwest of Jerusalem. In true Israeli fashion, the excavation of Beit Lehi-Beit Loya combines meticulous manual labor with the latest technological advancements.

Now, project leaders are sharing these captivating discoveries with the public, offering 3D views enhanced by immersive virtual reality.

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Beit Lehi means house of the jawbone and may refer to the biblical site at which Samson slew a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. (The Israeli name for the site “Beit Loya” refers to a type of ornament.) The site was apparently first settled around 800 B.C. as part of the Kingdom of Judah. It was abandoned during the Babylonian conquest in 586 B.C., and soon after it was re-occupied by the pagan Idumeans who came from the southeast. Around 112 B.C. the area reverted to Jewish control under the Hasmoneans/Maccabees, remaining so into the Herodian, or Late Second Temple, period. Following the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-70 A.D.), the site seems to have been abandoned. It was resettled some 300 years later, in the Byzantine period, as a Christian village. Although the site remained Christian following the Arab conquest of the land of Israel ca. 636 A.D., by the late 8th century its Christian inhabitants seem to have been replaced by Muslims. During the following centuries, Beit Lehi seems to have existed as a small, modest village, finally abandoned around the 13th or 14th century. Since then, it has lain undisturbed, with centuries of rain and wind doing their best to cover the existing structures. SOLUTION Utah Valley University (UVU) , a public institution in Orem, is actively involved in digital preservation education. The university is working on an innovative project to create virtual reality captures of Beit Lehi , preserving this historic site in digital form.

” By storing these VR files in AWA, UVU is helping to ensure that these cultural relics are safeguarded for the future, allowing upcoming generations to explore and experience these sites just as we can today. “We discovered one of the earliest mosques ever found in Israel, from the ninth century CE. We’ve uncovered seven dovecotes, two of them with more than 1,100 niches; eight oil presses, an underground stable, a water system, quarries, a Hellenistic-period dwelling with a watchtower, and three ritual baths.” Oren Gutfeld, director of the Excavation Program at Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology

The Harappan City of Dholavira Case Study

Preserving Dholavira: Digitally Reviving the Lost Harappan City The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) , under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. It has over 3693 monuments unde its supervision and has been actively looking for solutions to digitize and archive these historical monuments. One of the sites chosen for the initial Pilot was Dholavira a 5000 year Harrapan City. The archaeological site, one of the best-preserved urban settlements from the period in Southeast Asia, comprises a fortified city and a cemetery. A sophisticated water management system demonstrates the ingenuity of the Dholavira people in their struggle to survive and thrive in a harsh environment.

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CHALLENGE Being over 5000 years the site is

deteriorating over time due to weather conditions and human intervention. ASI is doing its best to preserve the site but they were also looking for a solution to digitize and archive the site and ensure it is available to future generations. Intro duced to ASI by The Indian Ambassador to Norway Dr.B.Bala Bhasker , Piql along with their plugin digitization partners from Slovakia Studio 727 presented a solution to scan, digitize and archive the site. SOLUTION Piql along with its partner sent a team to digitize Dholavira and it took over a week to scan the main areas of the 600 acre site. The processed data which has 3D Images, VR, Photographs, Videos, Geo Data points and other details will now be preserved on piqlFilm, a secure and long lasting offline storage medium and will be physically stored in the Arctic World Archive, an offline data vault that ensures the most sensitive and irreplace able data is protected for the future.

Dholavira , a UNESCO World Heritage site, holds Outstanding Universal Value as one of the best-preserved urban settlements in South Asia. Depositing its data in the Arctic World Archive alongside other World Heritage sites is vital, as Dholavira , recognized as an “ancient monument” of national importance, is a cultural treasure that warrants preservation and sharing with the world indefinitely. This archived data will greatly support future research and restoration efforts, ensuring the site’s legacy endures for generations.

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Preserving Bhimbhetka Rock Shelters Case Study

Preserving Bhimbhetka Rock Shelters

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) , under the Ministry of Culture, is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation. One of the sites chosen for the initial Pilot was Bhimbhetka Rock shelters an archaeological site in central India that spans the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period. It exhibits the earliest traces of human life in India and evidence of the Stone Age starting at the site in Acheulian times. The Bhimbetka Rock Shelter has the oldest-known rock art in India, as well as is one of the largest prehistoric complexes to be seen. These cave paintings date back to approximately 30,000 years.

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CHALLENGE As a prehistoric site, the condition of the paintings is fading and deteriorating due to adverse weather conditions and human intervention. ASI is doing its best to pre serve the site but they were also looking for a solution to digitize and archive the site and ensure it is available to future generations. Introduced to ASI by The Indian Ambassador to Norway Dr. B.Bala Bhasker, Piql along with their plugin digi tization partners from Slovakia Studio 727 presented a solution to scan, digitize and archive the site. SOLUTION Piql along with its partner sent a team to digitize Bhimbhetka and it took over a week to scan the main areas of the 600 acre site. The processed data which has 3D Images, VR, Photographs, Videos, Geo Data points and other details will now be preserved on piqlFilm. Data stored here can last for centuries with guaranteed future accessibility. Ensuring that the valuable data stored is safely carried on into the distant future for the benefit of future generations.

The Bhimbhetka Rock shelter complex consists of some 700 shelters and is one of the largest repositories of prehistoric art in India. The shelters were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003. The paintings, which display great vitality and narrative skill, are categorized into different prehistoric periods. The oldest is dated to the Late Paleolithic Period (Old Stone Age) and consists of large linear representations of rhinoceroses and bears. Paintings from Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) times are smaller and portray, in addition to animals, human activities. Drawings from the Chalcolithic Period (early Bronze Age) showcase the early humans’ concep tions of agriculture. Finally, the decorative paintings dating to The caves provide a rare glimpse at a sequence of cultural development from early nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled cultivators to expressions of spirituality. The 3D models, pictures, and videos of the site will offer great insight to future generations.and will be a very rich resource for research of millions of years of history and tracking the evolution of man over thousands of years.

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American Institute of Indian Studies Case Study

The American Institute of Indian Studies

The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) aims to further the knowledge of India in the United States by supporting American scholarships on India. AIIS programs promote and advance mutual understanding between citizens of the two nations. Now over 60 years old, the institute has a rich history of collaboration, education and culture sharing. More than 6,000 scholars and creative artists have received AIIS support, with their work spanning the humanities, social sciences, social policy and natural sciences.

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CHALLENGE The AIIS has a repository of over 100,000 images of important monuments, his torical sites and manuscripts, collected carefully over time. The high-resolution images are stored in TIFF format, including born digital and digitised photographs. Some older parts of the collection had been previously stored on CDs and hard drives, presenting challenges for the institute to retrieve the images after some time had passed. Due to file size, many choose to store images offline rather than online, often opting for commodity short term storage, due to availability and cost. With CDs vulnerable to wear and hard drives limit ed by lifespan of only 4-5 years, organi sations often lose access to data stored on these media types. Neither media were designed for long-term storage and when used for archival or cold storage purposes, they often fall short, leaving information trapped and inaccessible. As these images are of critical impor tance, the AIIS wanted a new approach to image archiving and looked to a new medium that can stand the test of time.

SOLUTION

The AIIS has chosen Piql’s unique approach to longterm image archival due to the guaranteed accessibility and incredible longevity of our tech nology. Piql has delivered an initial project of 25 GB of images, stored on piqlFilm in hybrid form (both analogue and digital) to test and explore the feasibility of a largescale project. Piql also demonstrated our new piqlReader with its award-winning design, offering instant access to files stored offline on piqlFilm.

FUTURE

The AIIS is planning to archive their complete library of images with Piql in the next phase of the project and with audio and visual data to follow

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Buenos Aires, Argentina Vienna, Austria Dhaka, Bangladesh Rio de Janeiro, Brasil Brasília, Brasil São Paulo, Brasil Santiago, Chile Beijing, China Bogotá, Colombia Espoo, Finland Budapest, Hungary New Delhi, India Jakarta, Indonesia Rome, Italy Beirut, Libanon Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Casablanca, Marroco Cidade do México, Mexico Abuja, Nigeria

Drammen, Norway Asunción, Paraguay Lima, Peru Warsaw, Poland

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Singapur, Singapur Bratislava, Slovakia Cidade do Cabo, South Africa

Seul, South Korea Barcelona, Spain Madrid, Spain

Bern, Switzerland Bangkok, Thailand London, England Dubai, United Arab Emirates Boston, USA

Hollywood, USA Hanói, Vietnam

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