Blogs

Ever wonder what happens behind the digital scenes of the archival institutions that preserve our history and knowledge for the future? Well, this blog is a follow on from our last one about Archives where we talked about the digital infrastructure behind archives, and in this one we cover the software that sits behind these important institutions.

At Gaia Resources, we have been working with a range of archives over the 20 years we’ve been operating. In the next few months - and leading up to some big conferences such as iPRES and the ASA at the end of the year - we thought we’d put forward some of our thoughts and experience on various aspects of the digital side of archives.

Let’s start at the beginning: choosing your digital infrastructure.

Geographic & Reporting Information Database 24/06/2013 - 31/01/2025

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of the last of our Geographic & Reporting Information Database (GRID) instances.

I wrote all the way back in 2024 (it was a great break, so it feels like a long time ago!): 

“2025 promises to be an interesting year - we’re wrapping up some more big projects, starting some new ones and there are lots of new avenues for us to explore, right alongside our clients.  So stay tuned for more blogs and updates from us in the new year.”

So now we’re back, refreshed and recharged, let’s charge into this year and look at what we’re looking forward to this year - the year we turn 21!

2024 was the twentieth year for Gaia Resources, and a major milestone - and not without its ups and downs as there is with all years!

There was a quiet little note appearing on the Queensland State Archive (QSA) social media feeds a couple of months ago…

The recent Opening the Archives (#ota2024) conference was on again this year, and was a joint conference between the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA), Archives & Records Association of NZ Te Huinga Mahara (ARANZ) and the Pacific Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (PARBICA).  Dura and I headed across to join t

Recently, I had the opportunity of attending the fifth Fantastic Futures Conference hosted by the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra. This year’s event was the first of this conference series held outside Europe and North America, nonetheless, the representation from institutions around the world was remarkable.

Have you ever wondered how AI is transforming the landscape of geospatial technology? What role do drones play in enhancing remote sensing capabilities for environmental monitoring? And how can open-source solutions foster collaboration and drive innovation in our industry? At the recent ISPRS and FOSS4G conference in Fremantle, we explored these fascinating topics and more.

On the 2nd August, Meg and I went along to the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) annual Professional Development Day.  This is the third one we’ve attended and presented at, and it’s an important event for us - it means we get to talk to archivists, understand what they are looking for and we get to give something back to that community.

This year, the emphasis was on Audiovisual Archiving and Artificial Intelligence, and we got to present on the latter topic.