Reading digital files requires three things: computer, OS and applications (Apps). But as this may not come as a surprise, all three will be different than we currently understand them to be in 100 years. Which begs the question: Why don’t we store human-readable files instead? How are we storing files today so that we can consume (and understand) them 100 years from now? Human-readable storage is how.

Digital files are explicitly dependent on apps in order for us to read them. And the raw data we would need to translate in 100 years, is well, not perfect. Human-readable storage is storing documents, photos and video copies of data that are, as you guessed it, able to be read by humans. An example highlighted by ZDNet’s Robin Harris in attendance of the 2013 Creative Storage Conference is DOTS (Digital Optical Technology System). DOTS technology was originally developed by Kodak. Kodak then all but ignored the technology, and in 2011 Group 47 acquired all DOTS patents and tech documentation from Kodak.

DOTS (Digital Optical Technology System) is a digital storage media that is:

• archival for no less than 100 years
• non-magnetic
• chemically inert
• immune from electromagnetic fields including electromagnetic pulse (EMP)
• able to be stored in normal office environments or extremes ranging from 15º – 150º F.
• Because there are no demanding climate control requirements, DOTS is a low-cost, environmentally-friendly way to truly archive data long term.

DOTS “Rosetta Leader™” specification calls for microfiche-scale human readable text at the beginning of each tape with instructions on how the data is encoded and instructions on how to actually construct a reader. Because the information is visible, as long as cameras and imaging devices are available, the information will always be recoverable.

When stacked up against magnetic tape and hard drive storage, the main differentiator is data loss. Magnetic tape and Disk require data migration, which can take up to five years. With that data migration, there is the probability of data loss and/or data degradation. Competing technologies to human-readable storage, at the present moment, cannot offer the 100 percent certainty in delivery of the stored data. That, ladies and gentlemen, is DOTS biggest asset.

Will human-readable storage become a staple in the storage wars? With all of the money being invested into flash and enterprise-level storage, this is a conversation that will not soon end. Will anything be able to ensure legal, cultural, and historical data are preserved with accuracy and authenticity to the DOTS level? I have to think that there is a software that hasn’t been invented yet that will be able to do just exactly that. A newer, leaner and faster technology. Right? What do you think…?