Polar World Archive

The Polar World Archive (PWA) is a secure facility constructed by Metzetta on the continent of Australis adjacent to their research station there. While constructed and maintained by the Metzettan government, the facility is open and free for any nation to use. The facility comprises three sub-facilities; the Polar Seed Bank, the Global Memory Project and the World Literature Anthology. The facility began operation in 2004.

Polar Seed Bank
By far the most extensive of the 3 projects in terms of scale and required maintenance, the Polar Seed Bank aims to collect seeds from as many species of plant as possible to prevent extinction in case of natural disaster, disease, sabotage or mismanagement. Symbolically, the first seeds placed in the vault were the various national trees, flowers and fruits of the nations of the world. The seeds are securely stored in plastic packages at −18 °C with a low-oxygen environment preventing metabolic activity to preserve the seeds for as long as possible. Many millions of seeds are now stored in the underground unit, some of which are exceedingly rare. Food crops are the most numerous among the samples, with various cultivars of potato being especially well represented.

The procedures developed at the Polar Seed Bank were refined for use in a similar project at the International Nature Preserve.

Global Memory Project
The Global Memory Project is a digital preservation project which aims to safeguard the cultures of the world by storing important documents, images, video clips and sound recordings on digital film with a shelf-life of 500-1000 years. The data is not connected to the internet. The Metzettan government started the project off with digitised versions of the Iyagi-seda, a recording of Atop Mount Riwa by the Hanzeong Symphony Orchestra, the only filmed footage of Emperor Yonzi known to exist. Other nations have been encouraged to send their most important cultural records for preservation in the vault.

World Literature Anthology
Unlike the GMP which is reliant on computers to function, the WLA stores written documents on extremely hard-wearing ceramic tablets which, properly handled, could last millions of years without becoming unreadable. The downside of this method is that only text can be stored; the first tablets were inscribed with the works of Atrius, the Holy Bible and the Iyagi-seda. Metzetta covers the cost of tablet engraving when other nations submit documents for preservation provided they meet the criteria of being culturally significant given the greater volume of space required for the tablets. Thousands of the tablets have already been catalogued, with more arriving every year.