The HP CDAC Initiative in Digital Preservation

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The HP C-DAC Initiative in Digital Preservation
Dissemination of Art

• Sriganesh Madhvanath, HP Labs India
• S. Ramani, HP Labs India
• M. M. Vishvanath, C-DAC
• Mohan Ram, C-DAC
• R. K. Arora, C-DAC
• March 04, 2003

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Why Digitize ?

• Preservation and conservation
• Digital reproductions are virtually immortal
• Minimize handling of originals
• Reconstruction using image processing techniques
• Use of life-size print reproductions for
  conservation
• Research
• Access to images for researchers
• Study of disparate images in new contexts
• Collections management
• Assistance in retrospective cataloging,
  researching collection
• Assistance with curatorial functions
• Managing material movement
• Dissemination and promotion
• dissemination of art via the Internet
• driving traffic to the museum

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Vision

• Bring to museums in India and other parts of
  the world, the benefits of preservation-quality
  digitization and advanced imaging, printing, and
  information technology
• digital preservation of art and cultural
  artifacts for posterity
• dissemination of art treasures to the people of
  the world via the Internet
• improved sustainability of museums via the
  creation of new revenue streams

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Challenges for Indian Museums

• Size, age and variety of collections
• many in an advanced state of decay from age and
  neglect
• Limited means
• many dependent on grants and meager gate
  collections
• Limited access to and awareness of modern imaging
  and information technology

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Digital imaging

• Famous (50-year old) Swiss manufacturer of view
  cameras leading manufacturer of high-end digital
  cameras
• Advanced optics, precise focusing, swing and
  tilt, advanced ergonomics
• Modular design with DigitalBacks and other
  attachments
• Latest DigitalBack (54) provides 4080 x 5440 22
  195 200 pixels (a world record)
• Data size (16 bit TIFF) 1-shot 130 MB 4-shot
  130 MB 16-shot 510 MB

DigitalBack 54
Sinar p3
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Plan

• Produce preservation-quality digital
  reproductions of NGMAs collections of Amrita
  Sher-Gill and Rabindranath Tagore using
• best-of-breed digital imaging equipment and
  technologies
• Sinar with DigitalBack
• Complete capture pipeline
• Create a publicly accessible digital library
  featuring the museums contents
• C-DACs DLAS (Digital Library) software
• Hosted at C-DAC Bangalore
• Explore revenue-generation opportunities such as
  copy-protected digital intermediates and
  print-on-demand
• Partnership with IPG India

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Capture Setup at NGMA
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Digital Library Setup at C-DAC
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Partners

• Hewlett-Packard Labs India is a research lab
  set up with the stated mission of generating
  relevant and sustainable innovations in
  Information Technology for the worlds emerging
  economies.

The Center for Development of Advanced
Computing (C-DAC) is the premier RD institution
of the Department of Information Technology,
Govt. of India. Its expertise in Content
Management, High Performance Computing and
Communications and Multilingual Multimedia
computing place it in a unique position to
undertake projects of this nature.
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Partners

• The National Gallery of Modern Art was
  inaugurated on March 29, 1954, at Jaipur House in
  New Delhi. The Gallery is run and administered by
  the Government of India. It represents the
  evolution of the changing art forms through the
  passage of the last more than hundred years
  starting from about 1857. .

• BrandWorks
• HP India Imaging and Printing Group (IPG)
• Department of Culture, Government of India

Other Partners
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