This
is a great idea. We have all been wondering how safe our data is when stored on
optical media. Especially afeter reading about CD and DVD rot. Of course,
storage of your media is a factor, but who can guarantee a pristeen environment
for decades? So, for the benefit of agencies such as the Library of Congress,
that can't afford to lose data. A testing procedure is being developed by
among others, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
along with the DVD Association (DVDA) and several government
agencies.
 As part
of a long-term project* with the Library of Congress (LOC), NIST
researchers tested how well recordable optical disks made with different
manufacturing processes held up when exposed to high temperatures,
humidity and light levels. They found that some disks performed better
than others and that excessive exposure to any of these conditions can
accelerate the deterioration. Crucially however, they found that some
disks can be expected to reliably store data for decades.
The question is how can those high-quality
media be identified for archival applications. To address this issue,
NIST, along with the DVD Association (DVDA) and several government
agencies, has formed the Government Information Preservation Working
Group. This group is working with the optical disk industry to set
requirements for archival quality CD and DVD recordable media and to
specify to the industry the minimum number of years that recordable CDs
and DVDs need to last to meet their requirements. NIST researchers also
are developing a test that media manufacturers can use to determine
whether the CDs and DVDs meet the criteria for archival
use. |
Shoot, I wish they would have
said which discs could pass that reliability test! Meanwhile, You might want to
take a gander at some of the other stories from the page this story came from
over at NIST Tech Beat. There are some pretty wild things being looked at over
there! A couple guys have created an automatic error correction system
for Quantum computers, a "Quantum Data Repair
kit".
Source: NIST Tech Beat
