Human Document Project 2017

Looking back, we see that key aspects of human culture disappear in the course of time. In the past there were often so-called "dark ages" which meant a cultural break and could last up to 1000 years in the case of the Middle Ages.

But even today, in the age of alternative facts, the question arises which data are to be considered relevant for the future. If American universities dealing with climate change already bring their databases out of the country, this is a very actual problem!

The Human Document Project aims to ensure that important aspects of contemporary culture can be preserved for a very long time, because current data storage options are not appropriate for a long-term or even medium-term period.

The workshop takes place at FRIAS from August 2-4, 2017 and deals with all relevant aspects of data storage: content, storage systems, technology, data carriers, protection of storage media, coding and encryption. It is a multidisciplinary project in which practically all natural sciences and humanities should contribute. The project will present the state of the art in long-term archiving as well as the current problems of preserving information and scientific data in archives and libraries. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is that a selection of the content to be saved must be made. This deals with the “Conditio Humana”: To see who we are, what we are and what do we find worth to preserve.

Program