Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland selects Preservica for digital preservation of archaeological and architectural history of Scotland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) will use Preservica Enterprise Edition to ensure its unique collections are safe and accessible for future generations.

Oxford, UK and Washington DC, US | March 12 2015 | Preservica, part of the Tessella group, and a world leader in digital preservation technology, research and consulting, is pleased to announce that the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) has chosen Preservica Enterprise Edition as the trusted digital repository for its unique and extensive collections of archaeological and architectural maps, drawings, photographs, documents and audio-visual content on the changing landscapes and buildings of Scotland. The collection currently amounts to millions of digitised and born-digital objects with around 100,000 new items being added every year.

RCAHMS’ multi-media collections, used by researchers, students and the public, include the architectural drawings and photographs of Sir Robert Lorimer; images of buildings, locations and artefacts from the battle of Bannockburn; images of Andrew Carnegie funded buildings in Scotland; the drawings of renowned antiquarian James Drummond; recent AV footage of underwater and maritime archaeology; as well as up to the minute collections of data and images from complex laser scanning and geo-physical surveys.

In addition, Preservica Enterprise Edition will become the long-term home for the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), managed by RCAHMS, that includes over 1.6 million images of Scotland from the air, as well as many millions of military aerial intelligence photographs from around the globe.

Lesley Ferguson, Head of Collections at RCAHMS adds “We have been working to develop the right systems to ensure our unique digital collections are properly preserved and accessible for future generations. We started by building our own in-house system but soon concluded that this was not sustainable in the long term and that a standards-based Digital Preservation system was what was required. It was also important that the system enabled us to manage and migrate file formats as we go forward. This approach allows us to focus our resources on the collections, the quality of our digital content and the delivery of services to our many users.”

Preservica Chief Executive Jon Tilbury adds, “We are delighted that RCAHMS have chosen to join the growing number of National Archives and Libraries using Preservica to safeguard and provide access to their unique and extensive collections and archives. We also look forward to RCAHMS’s contribution to the Preservica User Group and in helping to shape the future of digital preservation”.

Aimed at larger organisations, Preservica Enterprise Edition includes a full suite of customisable OAIS (Open Archival Information System) conforming workflows for ingest, management, storage, administration, preservation and access to digital content as well as off-the-shelf connectors and open APIs for easy integration with existing platforms and systems. The solution is designed to be hosted on premise but also includes storage policy management tools and connectors to enable organisations to build “hybrid” storage models that combine local and cloud storage options.

Learn more at: https://preservica.com/enterprise-on-premise

Notes to the Media

About Preservica

Preservica is a world leader in digital preservation technology, consulting and research. Our active preservation solutions are used by leading archives, libraries, museums, government organizations and businesses across 4 continents to safeguard and share their valuable digital content, collections and electronic records for decades to come.

The award-winning Preservica Active Preservation and Access technology is available in cloud hosted and on premise Editions and includes a full suite of OAIS (Open Archival Information System) compliant workflows for ingest, management, storage, access and long-term preservation of digital content.

Preservica invests in many research initiatives in digital preservation and is a well-respected member of many international collaborations with academia, archives, libraries and corporations at the leading edge of this emerging field.

Preservica is part of Tessella group, the international analytics, software services and consultancy company.

Visit www.preservica.com

About RCAHMS

RCAHMS was established in 1908 by Royal Warrant. Its mission is to help people to value and enjoy their surroundings, provide a world-class record of the historic and built environment to local, national and international audiences, and advance understanding of the human influence on Scotland’s places from earliest times to the present day.

Learn more: https://www.rcahms.gov.uk/

Media Contacts: Preservica

Christina Tealdi | Senior PR and Marketing Communications Manager | Phone: +44 (0) 1235 546638 | Mobile: +44 (0) 779 9346453 | pressoffice@tessella.com