--------------------------------------------------------------- | Domesday Preservation Group | ---------------------------------------------------------------
If you reached this website via the domesday1986.com domain unfortunatly the site is currently off-line as Adrian Pearce the producer of that web site sadly died on January 27th 2008. [Details]
In November 1984 the BBC announced the start of the BBC Domesday Project, to compile a new electronic Domesday Book in a bid to provide a comprehensive image of Britain in 1985. The completed project was timed for release in 1986 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the 1086 Domesday book.
Despite the huge scale of this project, surprisingly it is now extremely difficult to access the project. Data recorded in old computer formats increasingly can no longer be accessed on new equipment while magnetic storage media and optical discs have physically decayed, ruining precious data. Fragile obsolete equipment is required to read the data and very little usable equipment still exists.
The BBC Domesday project is a high profile example of 'digital obsolescence' where technology has changed to the point that this once prestigious project has essentially disappeared less than a quarter of a century after it was completed.
The historical and cultural significance of the Domesday project makes it one of the most significant digital resources produced in recent history. Significant efforts must be made to ensure that this resource is not lost and is once again made accessible the people who contributed to it.