The National Archives joins the Open Preservation Foundation
The UK’s National Archives has joined the Open Preservation Foundation (OPF) as a charter member. The collaboration will enable development of know-how for digital preservation
John Sheridan, Digital Director of The National Archives said “digital is our biggest challenge. We are committed to working with others around the world to develop the practises and tools we all need. OPF provides a unique home for us to collaboratively develop the software and know-how we all need for the preservation of digital records."
The Open Preservation Foundation sustains technology and knowledge for the long-term management of digital cultural heritage, in all its forms. The National Archives is the official archive and publisher for the UK Government. They are the guardians of more than 1,000 years of iconic documents, including the Domesday Book, Shakespeare's will, and the Windrush passenger lists and provide a leadership role for the archive sector across England and Wales and work to secure the future of physical and digital records.
http://openpreservation.org/news/national-archives-joins-the-open-preservation-foundation/
Wikimedia Commons: 3D Models can now be uploaded
Wikimedia Foundation have announced that it is now possible for users to upload three dimensional models.
According to Wikimedia Foundation’s Ramsey Isler and Chris Koerner, a new Multimedia Viewer extension enables 3D models to be manipulated in a web browser so that models can be rotated and seen from multiple viewpoints: “This means objects like a 12th century knight’s helmet, a bird figure from Nigeria, or even a working jet engine model can be uploaded, downloaded, 3D printed, and viewed with enhanced interactivity on Wikimedia sites.”
Isler and Koerner say that there are tens of thousands of 3D object files available under Wikimedia-compatible licenses from many existing sources including Youmagine, Sketchfab, Thingiverse, and Myminifactory, as well as many organisations such as the European Space Agency and the Smithsonian.
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2018/02/20/three-dimensional-models/