The National Museums of
Kenya (NMK) have announced a long-term strategic initiative, teamed with Amazon
Web Services (AWS) and Intel, to digitize marquee collections in Earth
Sciences, starting with Archeology and Paleontology.
The first phase of the proposed project will be to digitize a selected number of Kenya’s premier fossils and culturally significant
artifacts, and to create an open access digital database and interactive
website for a “virtual museum.” The platform will be hosted on the AWS Cloud.
Digital Divide Data (DDD), a non-profit enterprise with expertise in
digitization of cultural heritage collections, also partners with NMK on this
initiative.
In the words of Dr. Mzalendo Kibunjia, Director
General of NMK, “These collections are reflections of Kenya’s heritage
and the world’s prehistory through the ages. The searchable digital archive
will not only be of immense value to researchers worldwide, but will also make our
evolutionary history and culture more accessible to the younger generations
which would foster a deeper and richer understanding of our heritage. I want to
thank AWS and Intel for teaming with us on this initiative and look forward to
working with DDD.”
The National Museums of Kenya (NMK)
is a state corporation of the Government of Kenya. NMK is a multi-disciplinary
institution whose role is to collect, preserve, study, document and present
Kenya’s past and present cultural and natural heritage. NMK manages over
22 regional museums, many sites, and monuments across Kenya including the
world-famous Nairobi National Museum. Founded
in 1910, NMK hosts the largest record of human cultural evolution in the world.
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