Computer that cleans itself
System that identify and remove old information from computers and computerized systems,are developed by researchers at Luleå University of Technology. Research is based on memory research and principles that describe how the brain works when we forget.
ForgetIT is the name of the research project in which researchers will build systems that remove old information that is not regularly used by operational systems within companies and organizations, or from your home computer. In the project funded by the EU Seventh Framework Programme collaborates LTU with universities and industry partners from different countries. Professor Tero Päivärinta and researcher Jörgen Nilsson describes LTUs part of the project:
- We will work with the interaction between what is retained in the system and what can be cleaned away. It's about defining metadata, information about the data contained in the systems Our aim is to identify how to use "information packages" that you been saving and how different packages can be connected to each other or how often packages are used. We will also develop solutions to take back and reuse information preserved in the archives into the systems, one often unforeseen problem.
The systems must be capable of selecting images, text, videos and other information that is not used regularly. Theselected information is transferred to a cloud service where it can be pulled out when needed. Scientists call the cleansing process to "gradually forget." For example, a short version of a text document can be stored in the system
or in your computer for a while after the complete document has been stored in the cloud service.
The LTU-part of ForgetIT has a budget of around 9 million swedish crowns and is carried out by the LTU research center for long term digital preservation.