On the long-term retention of geometry-centric digital engineering artifacts

This paper discusses the challenges of long-term preservation of digital geometric models and the engineering processes associated with them. For engineering, design, manufacturing, and physics-based simulation data this requires formats that are accessible potentially indefinitely into the future. One of the fundamental challenges is the development of digital geometry-centric engineering representations that are self describing and assured to be interpretable over the long lifespans required by archival applications. Additionally, future users may have needs that require other information, going beyond geometry, be also accessible to fully interpret the model. These problems are highly interdisciplinary and not exclusively algorithmic or technical. To provide context, the paper introduces a case study illustrating an overall portrait of the problem. Based on observations from this case study, we present a framework for enhancing the preservation of geometry-centric engineering knowledge. This framework is currently being used on a number of projects in engineering education.