Euridice (project)

Euridice was a European Commission-funded research project focused on developing technologies and methodologies for preserving digital cultural heritage. The project ran from 2008 to 2011 and involved partners from various European countries, including research institutions, libraries, and archives.

The primary objective of Euridice was to create tools and workflows for the long-term preservation of complex digital objects, with a particular emphasis on multimedia and interactive content. This involved addressing challenges related to format obsolescence, data integrity, and access to preserved materials.

Key areas of investigation within the Euridice project included:

• Emulation: Developing and testing emulation strategies to ensure that digital objects can be rendered and interacted with in the future, even if the original software and hardware are no longer available.
• Migration: Researching and implementing methods for migrating digital content from obsolete formats to more sustainable and widely supported formats.
• Metadata: Creating and applying metadata standards to facilitate the identification, description, and management of digital objects throughout their lifecycle.
• Provenance: Tracking the history and authenticity of digital objects to ensure their reliability and trustworthiness.
• Sustainability: Developing strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability of preservation efforts, including business models and organizational frameworks.

The project's results included the development of several tools and methodologies that were made available to the wider digital preservation community. Euridice contributed to advancing the state-of-the-art in digital preservation and informed best practices in cultural heritage institutions across Europe. The project also disseminated its findings through publications, workshops, and conferences.