The Archaeology Collection includes early human’s technology and technological evolution dating back >2.5 million years. This collection also includes the entire natural fossil heritage of Kenya and houses some of the best preserved hominid specimens.
As the first phase of the project, DDD, AWS, and Intel will digitize 10,000 of the most valuable artifacts housed in their Archeology and Paleontology collections at the Nairobi National Museum. These will form the basis for open access digital archives database and a virtual museum intended to lend greater visibility to these priceless artifacts for the purposes of research and education.
This project will enable NMK to achieve the following objectives:
· Mitigating the risk of losing valuable information and records related to many of these premier artifacts and specimens due to decay and passage of time through digital preservation.
· Facilitating research on human evolution using the digital archive and database as a catalyst in training the next generation of researchers.
· With a central digital repository of collections, the museum will have the information available to curate and develop new exhibits.
· These assets will enable the museum to engage digitally with other institutions around the world.
