Wednesday 17 April 2013

Abu Dhabi Media Successfully Completes First Phase of World-class Digital Archiving Project



Over three million valuable historical records across TV, radio and print converted into secure digital form, including more than five thousand hours of unique TV footage of the UAE history and late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

ADM delegation meets with BBC and NBIG to benchmark against international archiving standards

Abu Dhabi Media (ADM) has announced the successful completion of the first phase of its pioneering digital archiving initiative today, which has seen the restoration and conversion of more than three million of the company’s rare and historical media materials into digital form, using the latest digital archiving technology.
ADM’s digital archiving project is a nine-year program that aims to restore and protect the company’s historical videos, sound files and documents, by converting them into a secure digital format. Set for completion in 2020, the archiving project is divided into a number of stages, beginning with the foundation phase, which ADM has successfully completed on time over the past two-years.


Abu Dhabi Media will be engaging an international archiving firm, with expertise in this type of digital archiving, to partner with the company and oversee the remaining stages of the project, in order to ensure it is completed according to international best-practice.
Commenting on the initiative Saif Saeed Ghobash, Abu Dhabi Media’s Chief Operating Officer said: “As the oldest media organization in the country, many of Abu Dhabi Media’s assets chronicle the history of the United Arab Emirates from 1950 up until today. The company is committed to preserving this legacy for future generations, and the conversion of its archives into digital form will result in a comprehensive archive of classified digital content, that will ensure the durability, security and easy access of these valuable resources.” Abu Dhabi Media also plans to integrate a commercial model into its archiving plans that will allow the company to make the restored and archived materials available to other entities outside of the organization.
Abdul Hadi Al Sheikh, Abu Dhabi Media’s Executive Director of Digital Media Services, commented on the project, “Abu Dhabi Media’s digital archiving initiative is of particular importance to the company, as we have a responsibility to ensure the preservation of these unique and valuable historical records for the future. We are working steadily towards the creation of a world-class digital archive that captures some of the most important historical moments in the UAE’s history across print, radio and TV. Our digital archiving project will ensure these resources are available to be utilized and shared for the benefit of the wider community.”
The foundation phase of the digital archiving project began with a full review and audit of the existing historical assets within ADM. During this phase more than three million of the company’s records, which were previously held on tape or in physical form at risk of damage, have been converted into a secure digital format. The files were also given a full restoration, improving image and sound quality, before being classified and archived for future use.
A team of dedicated ADM employees have been trained to lead the ongoing initiative and to utilize the company’s cutting-edge digital archiving technology. To date, the project has seen the successful digital transformation and archiving of more than 5000 hours of unique television footage of the UAE history, most of which was content related to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Over 16,000 hours of radio broadcast, and 3.5 million files and images from across the company’s newspaper and publishing records have also been restored and converted. The resulting archive documents many of the country’s most important social, cultural, artistic and historical events.
Looking ahead to the next phase of the project, ADM led a delegation to Europe in March to meet with reputable international media companies, the BBC in London and NBIG in Amsterdam, in order to benchmark its current progress against world-class expertise. During the meetings, the organizations shared knowledge and exchanged ideas on archiving best-practice, as well as discussed future collaboration. ADM was also given a full review of the two organization’s media archives, including the private archives of the British royal family.
The second phase of Abu Dhabi Media’s digital archiving project is now underway, and will include the restoration, digital transformation and archiving of thousands of important documents and files from within the company’s records. This will build on the first phase of the project, and bring ADM closer to achieving a comprehensive digital archive that preserves both the company’s and the nation’s historical media assets.

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