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Global IT solutions provider NTT Data digitally archives Vatican manuscripts

NTT DATA Corporation, a global IT solutions provider, has made significant progress in its contribution to the project of digitally archiving manuscripts of the Vatican Apostolic Library.

In March NTT DATA was appointed to the overall project, which was started by the Vatican Apostolic Library some years ago, and by October more than 4,000 ancient manuscripts were available online.

The project has an initial output of 6,000 manuscripts and is intended to digitally archive all manuscripts preserved in the Library, amounting to some 82,000 specimens and 41 million pages.

The Vatican Apostolic Library appointed NTT DATA as its partner for this project based on its favourable evaluation of the company’s track record in digital archiving

NTT Data, which has also worked alongside Japan’s National Diet Library, boasts technological expertise and resources, including its digital archive service AMLADTM.

NTT DATA agreed to participate after spending several months extensively reviewing the overall project, including the basic parameters as well as technical and structural aspects.

The initial collaboration between the Vatican Apostolic Library and NTT DATA, worth approximately €18 million ($22.6 million), will cover about 3,000 documents over a four-year period.

The project is of paramount importance for the preservation and dissemination of knowledge in the service of culture throughout the world.

Toshio Iwamoto, President and CEO of NTT DATA said: “We are truly excited to see these high-resolution digitally formatted ancient manuscripts made readily and widely accessible to people worldwide,

“We will continue to leverage our IT solution technologies to help advance research in diverse academic disciplines and satisfy people’s curiosity about these irreplaceable manuscripts.”

“We gladly accepted the collaboration of NTT DATA to support the further improvement of the project of digital archiving of our manuscripts using their innovative technologies,”

Monsignor Cesare Pasini, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library said: “In so doing, we will further nurture our mission of making these treasures of humankind more widely known, in a profound spirit of universality-in terms of both knowledge and collaboration with institutions and companies throughout the world.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BeOn .