Picture This: Sorting the Archives
28.01.2010
...pictures, pictures, pictures
© International Polar Foundation
The International Polar Foundation has for many years, had a hidden treasure in the depths of its server, buried among data sheets and reports. This fortune comes in the form of several thousand pictures.
From the IPF’s creation in 2002 by Alain Hubert, projects, expeditions and events alike have been well documented by a lens. And even before that, the numerous expeditions on which Alain developed his polar knowledge, such as the record breaking "South Through The Pole" in 1998, can be relived by searching through these archives. So up until now why haven’t we been able to share this vast array of images with you? Certainly not because they exist in an incomprehensible maze of files and folders... Ahem. This is where our volunteer, Adam Stevens steps in.
Joining the IPF in mid-January, Adam begun to tackle the long put off task of cataloguing these pictures. Having devised a set of words associated with common topics (we'll call them "keywords" or "tags") he has undertaken the daunting task of sifting through each and every folder. Without going into too much detail, we’re now able to attach any number of keywords to a picture, which will then allow the IPF to untangle this maze in a few simple steps. All you need be concerned with is that soon(ish) our online galleries will be bursting at the seam.
So watch this space, as Adam continues his unique expedition through the remaining pictures. 50,000 and counting...
