1. Purpose

This policy defines PakPedia’s long-term preservation standards, archival methods, and continuity safeguards that ensure Pakistan’s civic, legal, and geographic knowledge remains accessible for future generations. It reinforces PakPedia’s responsibility as a national civic resource.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• Civic datasets and legal references
• District, geographic, and administrative information
• Educational content and civic-learning materials
• Page versions and historical archives
• Transparency reports
• Policy documents
• Public-facing platform content

PakPedia does not store personal data; therefore, preservation relates only to non-personal civic knowledge.

3. Preservation Principles

3.1 Permanence

Civic and legal information must remain available long-term, even as laws or administrative boundaries evolve.

3.2 Authenticity

Archived materials must reflect the exact state of content at the time of publication, without unauthorized changes.

3.3 Transparency

Historical versions, revision logs, and update notes remain accessible for research and verification.

3.4 Future-Proofing

Preservation must consider future formats, technologies, and accessibility needs.

3.5 Public Benefit

Knowledge preservation supports civic literacy, academic research, and institutional accountability.

4. Preservation Mechanisms

4.1 Multiple Redundant Copies

PakPedia maintains:

• Primary digital copies
• Secondary backup copies
• Archival snapshots

These ensure resilience against system failure or corruption.

4.2 Long-Term Archival Formats

Select content is stored in durable formats suitable for long-term preservation, such as:

• HTML archives
• JSON civic datasets
• PDF transparency documentation
• GIS archival layers

4.3 Version Control System

All pages maintain:

• Historical edits
• Change logs
• Source references at time of update

Older versions are never overwritten—only archived.

5. Continuity of Civic Knowledge

5.1 Legal & Constitutional Continuity

PakPedia preserves:

• Previous versions of law summaries
• Historical interpretations
• Timelines of amendments

This supports legal research and public understanding of how civic structures evolve.

5.2 Geographic Continuity

PakPedia archives:

• Past district boundaries
• Historical administrative structures
• Older public office jurisdictions

This ensures geographic literacy over time.

5.3 Educational Continuity

Older student-friendly materials, curricular tools, and civic explanations remain accessible for reference.

6. Platform Continuity & Disaster Preparedness

6.1 Backup & Recovery Strategy

PakPedia uses regular, secure backups to restore service in case of:

• Infrastructure failures
• Data corruption
• Accidental deletion
• Security incidents

6.2 Failover Environments

Secondary systems ensure continuity without significant downtime.

6.3 Incident Documentation

Any event impacting preservation is logged in the transparency archive.

7. Governance & Responsibility

7.1 Preservation Oversight Team

A designated internal group ensures:

• Integrity of archived materials
• Compliance with preservation standards
• Monitoring of backup health
• Review of long-term risks

7.2 Annual Preservation Review

PakPedia evaluates:

• Storage health
• Rising technical risks
• Archive usability
• Format sustainability

Results are included in the Annual Transparency Report when appropriate.

8. Technology & Format Sustainability

8.1 Avoiding Obsolete Formats

PakPedia periodically migrates archival data to newer, well-supported formats to ensure continued readability.

8.2 Metadata Standards

All archival items include:

• Timestamp
• Version number
• Source references
• Contextual notes
• File format indicators

This ensures future clarity and usability.

8.3 Compatibility

Preserved content is kept compatible with:

• Screen readers
• Mobile browsers
• Low-bandwidth tools
• Academic archival systems

9. Content Withdrawal & Restrictions

PakPedia may withdraw content from public access if:

• It is superseded and misleading
• It violates neutrality or safety standards
• Required by law
• It includes accidental sensitive data (rare, since PakPedia does not store personal data)

Withdrawn content is flagged internally but preserved in a secure archive for historical continuity.

10. External Preservation & Knowledge Sharing

PakPedia may partner with:

• Libraries
• Academic institutions
• Open-data repositories
• Civic education networks

to ensure long-term public availability of non-sensitive civic resources.

These partnerships follow strict neutrality and non-commercial guidelines.

11. Prohibited Practices

PakPedia does not allow:

• Erasing historical versions without documentation
• Altering past content to change meaning
• Storing personal or political data as part of preservation
• Publishing archival materials without context
• Providing archives for political analysis or influence

Historical integrity must be preserved without distortion.