piql_When quality matters

WHEN QUALITY MATTERS Research and technology partners behind Piql Preservation Services

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Foreword page 3

Company history - Piql AS page 4

What we do page 6

OAIS Digital Repository page 12

Technology Partners page 18

R&D Projects page 30

Scientific Reports page 44

Patents page 140

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FOREWORD

In 2002 I established Piql (then named “Cinevation”) together with my co-founders in the small city of Drammen, Norway. We had a vision of “bridging the gap between the analogue and digital world within the motion picture industry”. Besides a personal love for movies, none of us had any relevant experience from the film industry. We also come from a country known for fjords, fish and oil – not for its motion picture industry. As you can imagine, we were met with a great deal of scepticism when we knocked on the doors of the Hollywood studios.

In spite of this, we managed to become the leading provider of digital film recorders, in use by studios and labs all over the world. I would say there are three main reasons why we succeeded:

• Innovation is an important part of the Piql culture. We are curious and passionate, we test and research. Sometimes we fail and need to step back and rethink, but there is no doubt that the innovative spirit of the company is what brings us forward. • Trustworthiness is something we are not willing to compromise on. We are experts in what we do, but when we lack the required competence in-house, we align with trusted partners. • Nimbleness means that we do what we can to be attentive and proactive service providers, always setting the customer first. When customers are happy, we have done our job. Today our focus is on reshaping data preservation. We are concerned about the so-called “digital black hole” and the risk of losing our digital heritage. We want to help our customers preserve their valuable data in a secure and future-proof manner. By entering into the digital preservation domain, we have in many ways become a young entrepreneurial company again, seen as a newcomer. It is logical that our competence is questioned. Piql Preservation Services and the technology behind is the result of possibly the most extensive research programme ever made within data preservation. We work with leading technology develop- ers and manufacturers and research institutions, and we have closely cooperated with high-end public archives to ensure we comply with their requirements.

This book intends to document our quality focus in all steps of the development. We believe the result can reshape data preservation.

Best regards,

Rune Bjerkestrand Managing Director, Piql AS

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Piql Piql AS was established in Drammen, Norway, in 2002. The company was founded by a team of people with background from digital imaging, headed by Managing Director Rune Bjerkestrand. Their vision was to “bridge the gap between the digital and analogue world in the motion picture industry.” The market opportunity was that more movies were shot and produced digitally, whilst there were still cinemas that only projected 35 mm analogue film. Piql’s ambitions may have seemed a bit over the top at the time, coming from a country with no track- record from the motion picture industry. Yet the company managed to revolutionise the way the film industry prints their movies. The digital film record- er Cinevator® printed movies up to 100 times faster than its competitors, and with a better image quality. Sound and subtitles were added simultaneously, and not in subsequent steps like the industry was used to. Customers experienced a higher quality, time savings and cost savings. User-friendliness was also catered for, and in 2008 Piql was awarded with the internationally renowned Red Dot Design Award. The Cinevator is recognised as the leading digital film printer, in use by film labs and post-production compa- nies all over the world. Amongst its users are companies like Technicolor and Deluxe. The Cinevator has printed movies for film studios like theWarner Brothers, Univer- sal Studios, DreamWorks, Walt Disney and Paramount. In 2007 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, known for the Oscar show, published the report “Digital Dilemma” which addresses the challeng- es related to securing long-term access to the motion picture industry’s valuable assets; the movies. The report stated that even recent Hollywood productions worth hundreds of millions of dollars may soon be lost forever as current preservation technologies are incapable of securing future access.

Investigating this issue further made it clear that the threat of losing data is not unique for the motion picture industry; the same is faced by all industries and sectors that hold valuable digital data, both in the private and public sectors. A new application of Piql’s expertise in digital imaging was found; securing future access to valuable data by using photosensitive film as a digital storage medium. Piql’s vision is to reshape data preservation, and this requires a holistic approach that ranges from soft- ware to hardware, from the preservation medium and its packaging to its physical storage. To achieve this comprehensive task, the company leads a wide range of international R&D projects. A total of EUR 25 mil- lion have been invested into R&D. The EU has given strong support through its Eurostars and EUREKA programmes, and more recently through Horizon 2020. The Norwegian government is supporting Piql through the Research Council, Innovation Norway and other more local programmes. The R&D projects have involved close cooperation with institutions like Fraunhofer (Europe’s leading research organisation, based in Germany), Norner (leading polymer institute based in Norway) the National Archives of Sweden, and the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (Germany). A wide range of European tech- nology companies have also been involved to add the required expertise. After years of heavy investments in multidisciplinary R&D, a solution developed specifically for the complex needs of data preservation is commercially ready and available. Piql is offering its Preservation Services to the market in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. This is made possible by operating through a network structure, with trusted partners promoting Piql to data owners in their countries. Preservation Services are enabled by the use of Piql’s complete technology for digital preservation, based around the company’s know-how in digital imaging. Piql AS operates from Norway as the global head- officeof a growingnetworkof partners. Yet the company remains true to its values of being innovative, trustworthy and nimble. It combines cutting-edge technology with functional design to create great customer experiences, and was in 2015 awarded with the Norwegian Design of Excellence Award. Piql and its network of partners are strongly motivated by ensuring valuable data is accessible for generations to come, and move forward by being creative challeng- ers, hands-on experts and attentive service providers.

About us - Company history

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6

Creating the ultimate digital insurance

- behind the curtains

What we do

ENSURING FUTURE ACCESS Digital preservation is about ensuring future access to digital material. When long-term access is needed, frequent obsoles- cence of the storage media, software, hardware and file formats complicates the preservation process. Conse- quently, data migration to newer technological plat- forms every three to five years is common. Considering that from now until 2020, the digital universe will dou- ble every two years, the amount of data to migrate will increase enormously. It is well known that data migrations involve a risk of data loss, corruption or even unwarranted manipulation. According to Mozy Online Backup, every week 140,000 hard drives crash in USA. Other analysts, such as Boston Computing Network reports that 77% of the companies in USA that rely on magnetic tapes for long term storage have found backup failures when retrieving data. These challenges have been accepted by the IT community as normal risks in digital storage technology. This is usual- ly compensated for by scheduled redundancy backups and continuous hardware migrations. The IT community is aware of the increasing migration cost involving hard- ware, people and time but this cost is seldom quanti- fied. RESHAPING DIGITAL PRESERVATION We want to make sure data owners’ valuable digital data is safe and accessible, irrespective of future financial ca- pabilities and technological developments. Piql Preser- vation Services uses an OAIS 1 (Open Archival Informa- tion system) compliant turnkey solution to provide data owners with a secure, accessible and migration-free solution for digital preservation. This new digital stor- age technology has been developed by combining the well-documented preservation qualities of photosensi- tive film with the accessibility of being a seamless ele- ment within a standard IT infrastructure.

proven longevity of hundreds of years 2 . Furthermore, film is unalterable; once the data is written it cannot be edited. The data is stored offline and will not be affect- ed in case of an electricity shortage or if exposed to electromagnetic pulses. For extra security against digital obsolescence, the storage medium has been designed to be a self-contained medium where instructions is written in human readable text onto the film explaining how to recover the information. HOW DIGITAL PRESERVATION IS ACHIEVED Piql Preservation Services is offered as a managed ser- vice through a certified network of partners. Workflows have been designed so data owners can easily use the services. They simply upload files and request files when

The storage medium is the key element; film is a pho- tosensitive, chemically stable and secure medium with

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What we do - behind the curtains

Lacing film in the piqlWriter

needed, the rest is automatically done. Let’s have a look at what is happening behind the curtains.

1 OAIS reference Model (Open Archival Information System) described in ISO 14721:2003. http://public.ccsds.org/publications/ archive/650x0m2.pdf 2 Longevity testing of the materials (piqlFilm and piqlBox) has been done by Norner AS, (Independent Industrial Polymer Institute, Norway) and IPI (Image Permanence Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA) following the ISO standards ISO 18911, ISO 18924 and ISO 18936.

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- behind the curtains

What we do

WORKFLOW FOR WRITING This is the main workflow for preservation; writing the data onto the film. It consists of the following steps: Transferring the data Data owners upload their digital data through their own document management solution or directly to a secure file-sharing document platform. The Piql solution supports different protocols (FTS, SFTP, HTTP, file share and web services) for control and data commu- nication, allowing integration with any document man- agement system. Piql will integrate with solutions like Archivematica 3 , a digital preservation system that allows to process digital files before recording on film in compliance with the ISO 14721:2003 certified OAIS reference model. Archivematica uses best practice preservation metadata standards and simplifies file format normalization (to proper archival file formats). Data integrity The quality-check of the data integrity aims at pre- venting unintentional changes to information and ensures the data is recorded and retrieved exactly as intended. Before printing the data, Forward Error Correction (FEC) techniques and checksums are used to make sure the accuracy and authenticity of the data is kept during the entire preservation process. After the file is received, checked for virus and nor- malized to a preservation file format, a checksum is generated for the file, sent back to the data owner for verification and saved in the Piql database for future verification. Then the file is decoded and split into small

Digital data frame. Magnified section to the right.

elements of information (binary form) that fits into a frame on the film reel. For each frame to be recorded another checksum is generated and added to the data frame, then sent to the data recorder. Before recording, each frame checksum is verified to assure data integrity during transmission.

Data writing When the reel has been virtually created as a set of recordable images (frames), the reel is written onto film by the piqlWriter.

Frames of data on a film reel.

PiqlWriter is a high-speed industrial grade data re- corder writing at 40 MB/s. When the operator has loaded film and closed the cover, the writing starts automatically. The solution uses piql- Film, a high-resolution photosensitive film specially designed for longevity and high density digital writing. After the reel has been written, the operator puts the film in a developer cartridge ready for processing. Piql- Writer requires dark-room conditions only during load- ing and unloading of film.

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What we do - behind the curtains

piqlFilm into piqlBox

piqlWriter and piqlReader

Film Processing The recorded film reel is mounted on the piqlProcessor and developed under certified processing standards. After being developed the film is placed directly into the piqlBox, the final storage cartridge. The piqlBox is labelled and sent to verification, for final quality assurance. The piqlFilm, the piqlBox and the la- bel are all tested together to ensure a longevity of at least 500 years when stored under ISO 4 conditions. Data Verification After the film has been developed, the written informa- tion has to be verified to ensure integrity and accessibil- ity in the future. This verification process is performed by the piqlReader. PiqlReader is an industrial grade data scanner with two main functions. Firstly, it reads all frames in the reel. Secondly it decodes every frame and restores the original files. During that process it ver-

ifies each file checksum against the one stored in the database. After this quality assurance, the film is packed into the piqlBox and sent to final storage Film Storage The Piql system can be integrated with any warehouse management system (WMS). The WMS keeps track of each reel’s position in the warehouse. The label on the piqlBox is used for identifying the reel using a standard barcode scanner. When the reel is safely stored, the original uploaded file is deleted from the system and the Data Owner is notified. The WMS supports manual, semi-automatic and automatic solutions. The piqlVault is a fully automated, secure and efficient storage option.

3 https://www.archivematica.org/ 4 ISO 18936 and 18901

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PRESERVATION SERVICES JOURNEY

OPTIONAL

WRITING

Data owner uploads data

Data owner is notified of receival

Data request

Data owner stores reels by himself

Data owner is notified of completion

Analog data sent for digitization

Data Owner Partner

Check of data integrity

W D

R

Reel is assembled and packed

Data is recorded on Writer

Analog data is scanned

Req retrie

Data reel goes to Developer

Data is verified on Reader

Partner stores reels in his own warehouse

- behind the curtains

PROCESS SUPERVISED AND CONTROLLED BY

What we do

WORKFLOW FOR RETRIEVAL The workflow for retrieval is the next main process; it allows data owners to search for and access files in only a few minutes. The data owner requests a specific file; this can be done through their own integrated docu- ment management system or directly through the Piql client interface. The system communicates to the WMS to identify the location of the reel in the warehouse and retrieve it. The reel is placed in the piqlReader and the film is forwarded to the exact position of the requested file. Then the file is restored and quality-checked as ex- plained above during the data verification stage. Finally, the file is made available for download and the reel is returned to the warehouse. As soon as the data owner downloads the file, the recovered file is deleted. FUTURE ACCESSIBILITY It is of uttermost importance to us that all information needed to decode the data is available to those that might need it sometime in the future. The source code

for the retrieval software is stored on the film at the beginning of the reel in both human readable and digital form. File format specifications for preservation formats will be also written on the film in both human readable and digital form. In this way, only a camera/scanner and a computer of the future will be needed to restore the information in the future. THE ULTIMATE DIGITAL INSURANCE Piql Preservation Services allow data owners to feel confident about the future accessibility of their most valuable digital data. We convert digital files into a phys- ical copy that can be stored as the ultimate digital in- surance. By storing digital data in archival file formats on photosensitive film, repetitive data migrations are no longer needed. Data owners avoid the risk of migra- tion-related data loss, saving time and leading to a more predictable long-term cost.

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What we do - behind the curtains

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- reference model

Piql and OAIS

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Piql and OAIS - reference model

Piql and the OAIS Digital Repository Reference Model

Digital Repositories (Digital Archives):

“One whose mission is to provide reliable, understandable and long-term access to managed digital objects to its designated community, now and in the future.”

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PRESERVATION PLANNING

DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION

DATA MANAGEMENT

QUERIES QUERY RESPONSES ORDERS

INGEST

ACCESS

SIP

ARCHIVAL STORAGE

DIP

AIP

AIP

PRODUCER

CONSUMER

ADMINISTRATION

- reference model

Piql and OAIS

MANAGEMENT

SIP: Submission Information Package | AIP: Archival Information Package | DIP: Dissemination Information Package

OAIS STANDARD MODEL FOR DIGITAL PRESERVATION OAIS (Open Archival Information System) is a reference model for creation of a digital repository. ISO 14721:2012. Piql Preservation Services has been designed to match the OAIS entities. INFORMATION PACKAGE - PIQL Our main differentiator is the self-contained informa- tion package piqlFilm: File(s) + (Source code, semantic document, file format(s) specification) + Metadata (PDI 1 ) Piql writes the Archival Information Package (AIP) onto the film and preserves the information ensuring its un- derstanding and accessibility any time in the future, re- gardless of the evolving technologies. We can also provide Comprehensive Preservation 2 , if the data owner wants to preserve proprietary or unsus- 1 PDI: Preservation Description 2 Comprehensive Preservation: Includes Bit Preservation 3 plus meta- data ensuring accessibility to the data in the future. Functionality of the data might not be preserved due to proprietary formats. 3 The process of preserving a file as it was submitted.

tainable file formats. To ensure maximum understand- ability and integrity, Piql can also preserve a visual repre- sentation of the file content. INGEST Piql receives information from the data owners and pre- pares it for storage. Part of the preparations is to per- form a file format normalization process: • Virus checking • File format identification • Validation • Metadata extraction or automatic metadata population. We then add all representation information and PDI metadata to be written on film along with the data con- tent. ARCHIVAL STORAGE The Piql Preservation System accepts AIPs, writes them to film for long term storage, checks for errors, and pro- vides requested AIPs to the Access entity.

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Piql and OAIS - reference model

DATA MANAGEMENT The data management entity maintains the database that contains the repository’s information. It executes query requests and generates results. The Piql database is the core of the operational busi- ness. It updates and manages the metadata and the in- formation packages (AIPs). It also keeps track of all reels, jobs and files, provide reports, billing and operational dashboards. The Piql database integrates with the Ware- house Management System. The database is backed up regularly, but in worst case scenario, it can be reconstructed from the piqlFilm. This is done by reading the table of content written at the beginning of every piqlFilm, and then recreating the da- tabase. ACCESS Piql provides a user-friendly client interface where the data owner can search their files by metadata and then restore the digital information.

On request, Piql provides AIP intergration to the data owners’ document management systems. ADMINISTRATION An administration entity manages the daily operations of the archive. It attains submission agreements, defines which standards to accept and what rights the reposito- ry has, develops policies and standards. It handles cus- tomer service and relationship with data owners.

The administration entity as defined in the OAIS model would be the local Piql service provider.

PRESERVATION METADATA Metadata is information about information, and is the core of any information retrieval system. It should be written in a standard, well-known language, such as XML. The choice of metadata scheme greatly affects the digital repository’s long-term ability to maintain and preserve its digital assets.

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OAIS defines metadata as Preservation Description Information (PDI):

CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING PRESERVATION FILE FORMATS The Piql repository assesses potential preservation file formats against the following criteria: • The full specification of the format must be openly available (anyone with sufficient skills should be able to build software to read file format accurately). • No patent, intellectual property rights or other rights attach to the format. (It should be possible to create the software for reading the file format without license from the patent holder). • The format is widely endorsed and/or adopted (audio files should not be compressed)

• Reference Information (UUID) • Provenance Information (history) • Context Information • Fixity Information (integrity) • Access Rights

Piql is easily configured to accept any metadata standard.

FILE FORMAT NORMALIZATION Normalization means converting ingested files into a small number of pre-selected formats. We do this be- cause some file formats are easier to preserve than oth- ers. Also a smaller number of formats means that fewer preservation actions are required.

- reference model

Piql and OAIS

Piql Preservation Services meet all requirements for long-term digital preservation based on the OAIS model, providing a reliable, understandable and long-term access to managed digital objects to its designated communities, now and in the future. SUMMARY

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Preservation File Formats (Visual Preservation)

Piql and OAIS - reference model

Preservation File Formats (Digital Preservation)

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Technology Partners

Technology partners

Piql Preservation Services are delivered by the use of Piql’s turnkey system for digital preservation. Yet Piql has not developed the system alone; the technology requires expertise in so many fields that a wide range of partners have contributed. More than fifty engineers from Europe and USA have participated. Our suppliers of components come from all over the world.

Piql was born in Norway, but the technology is a global citizen.

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HARMAN TECHNOLOGIES HARMAN Technology is a pioneering company within photographic film with roots going back to 1879. The company designs and manufactures black and white photographic products under the ILFORD brand. In ad- dition, the company offers monochrome film, paper and photo chemistry products. HARMAN technology’s philosophy is, ‘Inspired by Imagi- nation, Shaped by Science’. Their silver halide technolo- gy developed for photographic products is now applied in industries as diverse as bio-medical research and nan- otechnics.

IN-VISION IN-VISION is an approved Texas Instruments DLP® design house partner providing high-end manufacturing and engineering services ranging from electronics and optics design to full integration, prototyping and serial production of optical and optomechatronical systems. The company’s roots lie in the analogue film and movie projector industry dating back more than 30 years. Nowadays, customers rely on their long-term optical expertise which are expended to areas such as additive manufacturing, digital cinema optics, 3D-sim- ulation, metrology, lithography, as well as medical and life science applications. As an example, IN-VISION is the only Texas Instruments listed manufacturer of dedicated optics suitable for 4K DLP® digital cinema installations worldwide. IN-Vision has developed the optical system for the piql- Writer and piqlReader. IN-VISION® Digital Imaging Optics GmbH, Industriestrasse 9, 2353 Guntramsdorf/Vienna, Austria www.in-vision.at NORNER Norner is a fully independent and industrial plastic institute and technology partner that has been a world leading plastics R&D center for more than 35 years. Norner provides services to the polymer industry including catalysts and additives and the downstream sectors of oil and gas, packaging, building and infrastruc- ture and transportation. Our services cover develop- ment projects, technical studies, laboratory services and strategic advisory. Norner strives to make a difference for the industry. Norner has a comprehensive scientific laboratory. The company competence and equipment covers a wide range of key technologies in the polymer and materials industry, which makes them capable of an intimate cooperation with companies in different levels of the value chain. Norner is responsible for material selection and longevity testing of the piqlFilm, the piqlBox, and the label of the piqlBox. 

Technology partners

HARMAN is involved in the development and manufac- turing of piqlFilm.

HARMAN technology Limited, Ilford Way, Mobberley, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 7JL, England. www.harmantechnology.com

KEYNOTE PHOTONICS Keynote Photonics aim at maximizing their customers’ product design by using DLP technology. Keynote Photonics is managed by a team of people who know DLP technology inside and out. Their knowl- edge comes from decades of combined experience in Texas Instrument’s DLP division as engineers, scientists, inventors and innovators. Keynote Photonics maintain a close working relationship with TI to provide a variety of solutions in both photonics and display markets. Keynote Photonics is behind the image processing hard- ware for the piqlReader. Keynote Photonics, 400 W. Bethany Drive Suite 150, Allen, TX 75013, U.S.A www.keynotephotonics.com

Norner AS Asdalstrand 291, 3962 Stathelle, Norway www.norner.no

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FILMOTEC In 1998 the firm of FilmoTec GmbH was founded as successor of the ORWO film factory with roots goung back to 1910. FilmoTec GmbH is now unique in the manufacture of film in the town of Wolfen, which has a long established pedigree as a centre of excellence for film manufacture in Germany. FilmoTec’s business is focused on concentrating its technical resources into important black and white motion picture niche markets under the ORWO brand, and in being the most excellent and innovative manufacturer in this area to serve the demanding specialized needs of its true professionals. Products are particularly aimed towards the tecnical needs of the world’s archive industry, motion picture industry, and holographic industry.

FRAUNHOFER Fraunhofer is the leading organization for applied research in Europe. Its research activities are conduct- ed by 66 institutes and research units at locations throughout Germany. Fraunhofer employs a staff of nearly 24,000, who work with an annual research budget totaling more than 2 billion euros. Piql has cooperated with the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM which develops tailor-made measuring techniques, systems and materi- als for industry. Many years of experience with optical technologies and functional materials form the basis for high-tech solutions in the fields of production control, materials characterization and testing, object and shape detection, gas and process technology as well as energy systems. Fraunhofer has provided expertise within digital image acquisition and processing. Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM, Heidenhofstrasse 8, D-79110 Freiburg, Germany www.ipm.fraunhofer.de VISITECH VISITECH is a dedicated Digital Light Processing (DLP) product company offering DLP products, custom design and manufacturing for particular markets and applications. The product can be DLP electronics or light engines that is manufactured in VISITECH’s dedicated DLP light engine factory. The DLP module is installed into the customer’s end product. The DLP products include configurations from the complete range of Texas Instruments’ DLP chip sets for industrial applications. In addition, VISITECH, has particular design experience within imaging system de- sign, real time systems, high speed image processing, optical design, thermal and mechanical design and smart light sources, including advanced LED controllers.

FilmoTec is involved in the development and manufacturing of piqlFilm. FilmoTec GmbH, Ortsteil Wolfen, Röntgenstraße 3, D-06766 Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany www.filmotec.de

Technology partners

TRONRUD ENGINEERING Tronrud Engineering is a leading provider of cutting- edge technology giving customers competitive advan- tages and profitability. Their main vision is "Putting ideas into practice" - seeing every unique project from the beginning to its conclusion. Highly skilled employees develop, construct and deliver innovative high quality products and services. The company was established in 1977 by Ola Tronrud, and has today more than 170 employees in Norway and 5 in Singapore. Tronrud Engineering AS manufactures and assembles piqlWriter and piqlReader. Tronrud also has assembled the Cinevator digital film printer for Piql, which became a great global success within the motion picture indus- try.

VISITECH provides the piqlWriter’s light source and digital light processing electronics.

Tronrud Engineering AS Flyplassveien 21, 3514 Hønefoss, Norway www.tronrud.no

VISITECH Kjellstadveien 5, N-3400 Lier, Norway www.visitech.no

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Tronrud Engineering AS - Hønefoss, Norway

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PLASTO Plasto is located in the town of Åndalsnes in Norway, and is an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified market leader in injection moulding of thermoplastics. The company develops and supplies products to leading customers in many different fields. Plasto can support its customers throughout the whole development process – from the idea stage to producing the finished product

TECHNICOLOR R&I Technicolor is a worldwide technology leader in the media & entertainment sector. The company is in the forefront of digital innovation, and operates within technology, entertainment services and connected home. Technicolor has provided elements within the Piql coding and decoding softwares.

Plasto has developed and manufactures the piqlBox.

Technicolor S.A. Karl-Wiechert Allee 74 D 30625 Hannover, Germany www.technicolor.com

Plasto AS Øran Øst, 6300 Åndalsnes, Norway www.plasto.no

Technology partners

CHEVIN TECHNOLOGY Chevin Technology offers high performance, low- latency IP solutions for field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), along with expert engineering design and support services. Chevin Technology has cooperated with Piql on high speed image and data processing.

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS Texas Instruments is a Fortune 500 listed global semiconductor (“chips”) design and manufacturing company. The company has approximately 31 000 employees in USA, Asia and Europe, and holds more than 41 000 patents. Texas Instruments is regarded as being one of the most ethical companies and among the best employers in the world. Texas Instruments has contributed with elements of the core printing engine in the piqlWriter.

Chevin Technology Suite 1, 14A The Grove,

Ilkley LS29 9EG, United Kingdom www.chevintechnology.com

Texas Instruments Inc. 12500 TI Boulevard Dallas, Texas 75243, USA www.ti.com

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Piql cooperates with well-reputed technology partners who hold leading competence within their field of expertise. On the following pages we have gathered some of the certificates of our closest collaborators.

Technology partners

CERTIFICATES

Filmotec page 24

Norner page 25 & 26

Plasto page 27 & 28

Tronrud Engineering page 29

24

Technology partners - Filmotec

25

- Norner

Technology partners

26

Technology partners - Norner

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CERTIFICATE IQNet and Nemko AS hereby certify that the organization Plasto AS Åndalsnes, Norway for the following field of activities Sales, development and production of moulds and injection moulded products has implemented and maintains a Quality Management System which fulfils the requirements of the following standard ISO 9001:2008

- Plasto

Technology partners

Issued on: 2013-06-04 Validity date: 2016-06-09 Registration Number: NO-800209

Michael Drechsel President of IQNet

Pål Eddie Nemko AS

IQNet Partners*: AENOR Spain AFNOR Certification France AIB-Vinçotte International Belgium ANCE-SIGE Mexico APCER Portugal CCC Cyprus CISQ Italy CQC China CQM China CQS Czech Republic Cro Cert Croatia DQS Holding GmbH Germany DS Denmark FCAV Brazil FONDONORMA Venezuela ICONTEC Colombia IMNC Mexico INNORPI Tunisia Inspecta Certification Finland IRAM Argentina JQA Japan KFQ Korea MIRTEC Greece MSZT Hungary Nemko AS Norway NSAI Ireland PCBC Poland Quality Austria Austria RR Russia SII Israel SIQ Slovenia SIRIM QAS International Malaysia SQS Switzerland SRAC Romania TEST St Petersburg Russia TSE Turkey YUQS Serbia IQNet is represented in the USA by: AFNOR Certification, CISQ, DQS Holding GmbH and NSAI Inc. * The list of IQNet partners is valid at the time of issue of this certificate. Updated information is available under www.iqnet-certification.com

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CERTIFICATE IQNet and Nemko AS hereby certify that the organization Plasto AS Åndalsnes, Norway for the following field of activities Sales, development and production of moulds and injection moulded products has implemented and maintains a Environmental Management System which fulfils the requirements of the following standard ISO 14001:2004

Technology partners - Plasto

Issued on: 2013-06-04 Validity date: 2016-06-09 Registration Number: NO-801017

Michael Drechsel President of IQNet

Pål Eddie Nemko AS

IQNet Partners*: AENOR Spain AFNOR Certification France AIB-Vinçotte International Belgium ANCE-SIGE Mexico APCER Portugal CCC Cyprus CISQ Italy CQC China CQM China CQS Czech Republic Cro Cert Croatia DQS Holding GmbH Germany DS Denmark FCAV Brazil FONDONORMA Venezuela ICONTEC Colombia IMNC Mexico INNORPI Tunisia Inspecta Certification Finland IRAM Argentina JQA Japan KFQ Korea MIRTEC Greece MSZT Hungary Nemko AS Norway NSAI Ireland PCBC Poland Quality Austria Austria RR Russia SII Israel SIQ Slovenia SIRIM QAS International Malaysia SQS Switzerland SRAC Romania TEST St Petersburg Russia TSE Turkey YUQS Serbia IQNet is represented in the USA by: AFNOR Certification, CISQ, DQS Holding GmbH and NSAI Inc. * The list of IQNet partners is valid at the time of issue of this certificate. Updated information is available under www.iqnet-certification.com

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CERTIFICATE IQNet and Nemko AS hereby certify that the organization Tronrud Engineering AS Eggemoen, Norway

Technology partners - Tronrud Engineering AS

for the following field of activities Development and production of innovative, high yield, specially adapted products and services for customer use has implemented and maintains a Quality Management System which fulfils the requirements of the following standard ISO 9001:2008

Issued on: 2013-06-25 Validity date: 2016-06-25 Registration Number: NO-800693

Michael Drechsel President of IQNet

Pål Eddie Nemko AS

IQNet Partners*: AENOR Spain AFNOR Certification France AIB-Vinçotte International Belgium ANCE-SIGE Mexico APCER Portugal CCC Cyprus CISQ Italy CQC China CQM China CQS Czech Republic Cro Cert Croatia DQS Holding GmbH Germany DS Denmark FCAV Brazil FONDONORMA Venezuela ICONTEC Colombia IMNC Mexico INNORPI Tunisia Inspecta Certification Finland IRAM Argentina JQA Japan KFQ Korea MIRTEC Greece MSZT Hungary Nemko AS Norway NSAI Ireland PCBC Poland Quality Austria Austria RR Russia SII Israel SIQ Slovenia SIRIM QAS International Malaysia SQS Switzerland SRAC Romania TEST St Petersburg Russia TSE Turkey YUQS Serbia IQNet is represented in the USA by: AFNOR Certification, CISQ, DQS Holding GmbH and NSAI Inc. * The list of IQNet partners is valid at the time of issue of this certificate. Updated information is available under www.iqnet-certification.com

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R&D Projects Piql Preservation System is the result of extensive research and development projects. Since 2009, 25 million euro have been invested into these projects, and a wide range of technology partners have contributed. The EU and Norwegian governmental organisations have continuously believed in us and supported our work. The result is here, but our focus on constant improvement remains – fostering more innovation to the benefit of our clients.

R&D Projects - Overview

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ARCHIVATOR (E! 4863) Eurostars project

The project consortium strongly believes that long- term archiving of digital data on specialized non-fading polyester-based micrographic film is a true alternative, while such material shows a proven long-term stability of more than 500 years under regular storage condi- tions. Piql and its partners developed a long-term archiving concept basing on the principles of a very fast micro- display based Data Recording on film for archiving and high-speed Data Scanning for data retrieval. Together with the unique Data Boxing and Un-Boxing this closed- loop archiving chain is made independent from hard- ware and software platforms and is extremely safe and cost efficient compared to archiving concepts using digital storage media. The ARCHIVATOR project comprised of • DATA BOXING to convert digital and digitized film and media data (or any other data format) including ingestion, formatting, encoding, and encryption of object data and combination with meta data; • DATA RECORDING to expose digital and digitized data to high resolution micrographic film material with a high-speed process, optimizing data density and bit depth on film and its reproducibility; • DATA SCANNING at high resolution to re-generate exposed data from film and prove consolidation of the process chain; • DATA UN-BOXING to reliably restore scanned data, decode and re-format data and make them readable. • STORAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, i.e. definition of archival procedures of storing film in save archives and definition of workflows to integrate the film-based long- term archiving process into short and medium-term dig- ital storage processes. Project Partners • In-Vision, Austrian experts in Digital Imaging OpticsCPAA, Spanish media and post production • Nordic Film Post Production, Norwegian film post production and laboratory • Tedial, Spanish experts in digital audiovisual technologies • P+S Technik Gmbh, German manufacturing of professional cinema equipment • Piql AS

Project duration: 2009-2012 Project budget: 7,5 mill euro

Project Abstract Long-term archiving today is a "never ending story" of migration to new hardware and software platforms and re-recording of the same data. The ARCHIVATOR project aimed to change the way the world will do long-term archiving of digital content. New technolo- gies, new products, new processes and workflows was established as a part of this project. The aim is further to set up a new and innovative business model that facilitates a quick market introduction and adaptation of the ARCHIVATOR process as the preferred option for long-term archiving of digital data. A fantastic project consortium was put together to accomplish this task. The best optical system designers in Europe, IN-VISION Digital Imaging GmbH, provide imaging optics to Piql’s sophisticated Data Recording and Data SCanning sys- tems (piqlWriter and piqlReader), provided by Piql and P+S Technik GmbH (PSTF). These three companies already have successfully worked together to create commercial win-win results before. Further an innovative and leading company in the field of digital archiving, Tecnologías Digitales Audiovisuales, S.L. (TEDIAL) was selected to be the partner for en- coding and packaging of data for recording as well as de-coding and un-packaging of data after scanning. Finally, two leading users and providers of archiving services, Nordisk Film Post Productions AS (NFPP) and Centro de Produccion Audiovisual Autor, S.R.L. (CPAA), were selected to provide inputs and requirements from the market side. The target for the ARCHIVATOR was to create an open standard for long term archiving for the future! Massive amounts of digital data require long-term archiving (>> 50 years). Exponentially growing amounts of data demand for logistically effective and cost efficient processes. Digital storage media (DVD, hard disks, magnetic tapes) exhibit limited lifetime. Repetitive data migration to overcome the rapid obsolescence of hardware and software (application SW and oper- ating systems) bears accelerated risk of data loss, data corruption or even manipulation and adds significant repetitive costs for hardware and software investments.

R&D Projects - Overview

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R&D Projects - Overview

safely for up to 500 years and will be based on open standards • Preserve the data with highest possible speed of data writing and reading on the new medium • Create a cost-effective and practical packaging solu- tion for the medium with the same longevity properties as the medium and with efficient logistics during long- term storage; the piqlBox. The MiLoS project has managed to demonstrate enhanced storage capacity, improved longevity with logistical flexibility and higher writing and reading speeds with the piqlFilm. In addition to developing the medium material, the project has also had other objectives: • Establish reliable, cost-effective manufacturing methods for the medium and packaging • Develop a photochemical processing and related equipment for the new medium • Evaluate and prove the longevity and reliability of the new medium and its packaging • Establish a full-scale integrated process chain or work- flow with skilled and demanding users of long-term

MiLoS (E! 7360) Eurostars project

Project duration: 2012-2015 Project budget: 4 mill Euro

Project Abstract The MiLoS Project has developed a long-term storage and preservation medium that eliminates the need for costly and repetitive migration of data. It has under- taken the necessary R&D to create a new European- based solution and workflow that will be a strong and competitive alternative to US and Asian hard disk and tape technologies that currently is used for long-term archiving. The main objectives of the project have been to: • Develop a new storage and preservation medium the “piqlFilm” based on nano-sized photosensitive materi- als for migration-free long-term storage and future re- trieval as well as required preservation processes. This new storage medium, together with other aspects of the storage solution, will have the capacity to store data

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The piqlBox moulding tool Plasto - Åndalsnes, Norway

R&D Projects - Overview

AStoR (BIA 219744) Norwegian Research council project Project duration: 2012-2016 Project budget: 3 mill. €

Project abstract The AStoR project has delivered a unique combination of advanced materials and systems required to store digital data for 500 years in an economic, safe and en- vironmental friendly way, by use of expertise in mate- rial technology and systems engineering. The amount of digital data generated in the world is doubling every second year and is expected to increase by a factor of 50 from 2011 to 2020. A significant amount of the data needs secure long-term storage of 100 years or more. AStoR will result in a fully integrated system, pulling a number of other data storage technology projects to- gether to provide one commercially viable solution (Piql Preservation Services). The main focus of AStoR is on the longevity properties of the materials used and the physical devices (piqlBox and secondary packaging) and an automated Storage system (piqlVault) needed for the protection and han- dling of data in a system designed to last 500 years or more. Project partners • Norner Research AS, Norwegian independent industrial polymer institute • Plasto AS, Norwegian experts in the injection molding of plastic • Element Logic AS, Norwegian developers of an automatic storage system • Piql AS

preservation solutions assessing the new medium as it develops.

The objectives in the project has required collaboration by a broad range of research institutes, material tech- nology research companies, technology developers and manufacturers. They have been supported by govern- ment and commercial institutes and organisations that are also backing this pan-European project. Project partners • Norner Research, Norwegian independent industrial polymer institute • Filmotec, German film manufacturer • Harman Technologies, English film manufacture • Photomec, English manufacturer of film processing machines • HostertPro, German manufacturer of film processing machines • National Archives of Sweden (NAS) • BBK, German Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance • Piql AS

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Kryolang Oslofjordfondet project Project duration: 2014-2017 Project budget: 1 mill. €

leader in producing climate-adapted, disease controlle- dand genuine planting material • NIBIO, Norwegian Institute of Bio Economy Research is owned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food as an administrative agency • Vestbø Bjørg Eriksrud, Norwegian cultivator of strawberries • Norner Research AS, Norwegian independent industrial polymer institute • Piql AS

Project Abstract The main goal in Kryolang is to secure access to healthy food and related data in the future. In this project we merge two technologies in a unique way. The cryopres- ervation of plant material is blended with the long term storage of information on a migration free preservation medium (Photosensitive film). We are actively working on ways to cryopreserve both plant material and the relevant data about the plant material (metadata) in the same infrastructure. Our plan for the future is to develop a collection of living plant material using cryopreservation technique. This means to store small shoot tips of plants in micro- tubes at -196 °C. This collection is supposed to contain all clean plant material of vegetatively propagated plant material in the world and therefore stand as an interna- tional data backup in case of crisis such as floods, earth quakes etc. Such catastrophes could cause a loss of plant material, even their distinction. The cryocollection will prevent such loss of such valuable plant material. The information and the relevant metadata for the plants will be written onto a secure, migration-free preservation medium (film). The film contains a hybrid and redundant solution with digital data and visual/hu- man readable information eg. color images. All informa- tion needed to access and understand the information sometime in the future is included on the medium it- self. The solution is fully integrated into IT systems, data are searchable (in real time) and accessible. No specific hardware or software is needed in the future to retrieve and access the data. This will be a parallel to what the Svalbard Seed Vault is for seed propagated plants, but for clonal varieties that cannot be propagated through seed, such as cultivars of potato, fruit, berries and flower crops. Project Partners • Grønn Næringskompetanse • Sagaplant, Norwegian national plant health center, a

ArchOptix (BIA 235412 - EUREKA) Norwegian Research Council and Eureka Project status Project duration: 2014-2017 Project budget: 2 mill. € Project Abstract Due to the large (and growing) market opportunity for long term preservation of digital data, the proposed and demonstrated technology from the Eurostars project "Archivator" (E!4863) shall be driven forward into a fu- ture roadmap. It targets for higher writing and reading speed, and increased data density on the preservation medium to cope with expected data growth scenarios. Higher writing and reading speed requires faster pro- cessing algorithms and electronics as well as a different approach of transporting the preservation medium fast- er and at the same time more precisely. Increased data density on the preservation medium can be achieved both with higher resolution as well as by multiple spec- trally separated data layers. Such multilayer preservation medium is developed in the Eurostars project "MiLoS" (E!7360). Higher resolution and multiple data layers need ultra-high performance multispectral optical systems both for the writing and the reading system. Project Partners • In-Vision, Austrian experts in Digital Imaging Optics • Norner Research, Norwegian independent industrial polymer institute • Chevin Technologies, British expert in design and con- sultancy services in FPGA and Embedded Systems for digital communications and data storage applications

R&D Projects - Overview