The National Geographic Society is teaming up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to migrate its footage into a centralized location.

The two will migrate some 15 petabytes of content, from deep-sea footage to archaeological records, to a custom media platform on AWS Cloud.

The partnership aims to create a library of content with billions of assets that will be easily searchable and accessible by the Society, and will continue to grow with the Society generating around two petabytes of new video each year from its programs.

“This initiative is the first step in a multi-year journey where the Society will leverage AWS infrastructure and services to centralize the production and preservation of its media assets,” said Jason Southern, chief technology and information officer at the National Geographic Society. “Production teams will be able to quickly discover, access, and re-use existing media to create impactful stories about the work our Explorers undertake to study our world.”

In addition to the massive migration undertaking, AWS will provide AI services to assist with transcribing footage, creating metadata, and identifying key figures to speed up content searching.

"For over 138 years, the National Geographic Society has documented the wonders of our world, from the ocean floor to the highest peaks, capturing history, inspiring explorers of every age, and building a legacy that is truly irreplaceable. AWS is proud to partner with the Society to ensure every asset becomes an enduring resource as we safeguard the past while powering the next generation of discovery,” added Rick Buettner, managing director of global nonprofits at AWS.

Information about the Society's former data center footprint or distributed media archive has not been provided. DCD has contacted the organization for more information.

Update -

According to the Society, most of the data being moved to AWS was not previously hosted in the cloud, though the company did not disclose further details.

Additionally, the 15 petabytes migrated were "born digital" and thus did not need to be refactored to move to the cloud.

Original story resumes -

The National Geographic Society was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Washington, DC. Through a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company, Disney carries out most of the consumer-facing businesses using the National Geographic brand under license from the Society, including the magazine, television channels and the National Geographic Expeditions travel business. AWS has been the preferred cloud provider for Disney+, the Walt Disney Company's streaming platform, since 2021.