With respect to the forward compatibility of the Multivista archived product, obviously there will be changes / developments in technology which are a) impossible for us to predict and b) outside of our control. That said, we do our utmost to ensure that the current generation of Multivista deliverable will be readable for the next several decades. Specific steps include:
Adhering to Web Standards - The archived projects are created in a manner which is compliant to current web standards that are agreed to by the consortium of companies who govern the structure of the internet. In the case of the archived projects, we use html, javascript and jpg content which is so pervasive on the internet (literally billions of pages and images) that one can reasonably expect that all foreseeable (indeed all unforeseeable) future computer platforms will be able to read this type of content for the next several generations. To put it another way, we are hitching a ride on the back of the giants of the internet. The entire knowledgebase of all of humanity is now stored in digital format based on these web standards – as such one can reasonably expect that any successful future system will be backward compatible with these conventions.
Simplicity - The project archives utilize the simplest technology possible: a collection of static html files, supported with javascript and jpg images. This simplicity is what enables it to be OS / Browser agnostic i.e as long as there is a standards compatible browser it can display the archived project. Keeping the archived projects consistent with this limited toolset is in fact a constant challenge for us, hence why we are able to offer things in the online environment which can’t be reliably reproduced in the offline environment. That reduced capability is the tradeoff for ‘future-proofing’ the content.
Retention of Digital Originals – While projects only remain online for 6 months past the completion date, unless explicitly requested by the client, Multivista endeavors to retain the digital originals of all photos, floorplans and associated data. These digital originals are moved into a long terms storage archive, which typically allows us to resurrect projects in the future when clients lose their archived copies, want to add new content etc. The retention of the digital originals is a further hedge to ensure that clients are not left without records, 30 years on.