Innovative long-term data storage technology developed by Norwegian company Piql is now available in Thailand, offering a new approach to digital preservation and archiving.

At the event: Suracha Udomsak Vice President and CTO of SCG, Kjersti Rødsmoen, Ambassador of Norway to Thailand, Rune Bjerkestrand Managing Director Piql AS and Mrs Yuthika Isarangkura, Assistant Permanent Secretary Ministry of Culture.

Presented today to representatives from business, media and the public sector at the Norwegian embassy in Bangkok, guests got a first-hand look at the award-winning technology.

Kjersti Rødsmoen, Ambassador of Norway to Thailand, welcomed guests at the event.

Keeping information alive into the future is our shared challenge in this era of rapid technological advancement. The technology you will hear about today will enable valuable information to live on into the future.

Ambassador of Norway to Thailand, Kjersti Rødsmoen

Piql’s innovative approach to archiving repurposes photosensitive film to be a digital medium. Data is stored using high density QR codes with all information needed to recover the information also stored on the film, making it self-contained and future-proof.

This tried and tested technology can keep data alive for hundreds of years, without the need for migration. The data is secure, unalterable and can be recovered without the risk of data loss, no matter how long it is stored for. It is the only service of its kind and the only offline, migration-free technology available for long term digital preservation.

Piql also offers storage in the Arctic World Archive, an offline vault deep in an Arctic mountain holding precious world memory. The archive ensures the protection of the most sensitive and irreplaceable data for future generations. Growing all the time, the Archive holds treasures including The Scream by Edvard Munch, ancient manuscripts from the Vatican Library, archives from various nations and the most significant open source code repositories from Github.

Chemicals Business, SCG, is one of the development team for the Piql outer packaging using SCG™ PP as base resin adding special additive to protect the film from negative impact on film degradation. The packaging has been tested to last for 1,000 years.

Speaking at the event, Managing Director of Piql globally, Rune Bjerkestrand, said that Thailand was an exciting market for Piql.

‘Thailand is a nation with a rich history and cultural heritage that should be cared for and protected for the benefit of future generations. Partnering with SCG—a leader in innovation and one of the largest conglomerate in Thailand—means that Piql is poised for success in this new market’ he said.

Suracha Udomsak, Vice President and CTO – innovation and technology, Chemicals Business, SCG shared SCG’s contribution to the project.

SCG has involved with Piql innovation since the development period, we are one of team to develop the outer packaging to be able to protect the film and last for long time. And in 2018, SCG and Piql have a chance to start the project with Vatican Library to preserve their most valuable historical manuscripts including Thai manuscript on piqlFilm. We are happy that today this innovation is available in Thailand to be another options for preserving our long heritage and immeasurable value cultural information. This will be a good opportunity to pass our history to our next generation.

Vice President and CTO – innovation and technology, Chemicals Business, SCG , Suracha Udomsak

Guests in attendance received a live demonstration of the brand new piqlReader, already having won a design award for sleek design and functionality, and a hands-on look at the piqlFilm.

‘I look forward to supporting SCG to deliver Piql services in Thailand and welcoming more deposits from this nation into the Arctic World Archive,’ said Mr Bjerkestrand.