Capsool, Melbourne Server Hosting and Attido support Jubilee Time Capsule

A trio of Manchester technology companies have come together to create a unique digital social archive which is being presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II today (Wednesday 14 November).

Software developer Capsool, secure hosting company Melbourne Server Hosting and apps developer Attido Mobile were brought together to create and host The Jubilee Time Capsule (JTC) - a digital Diamond Jubilee gift commissioned by the Royal Commonwealth Society to mark The Queen’s 60 years on the throne.

The JTC is the world’s largest online history project and is a 150 GB collection of videos, photos and text from 37,000 people across 66 countries reflecting on Her Majesty’s reign.  Amongst the contributors are HRH Prince Harry, HRH Princess Eugenie, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, and ‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius.

The digital technology which supports this unique archive was created by Capsool, the server hosting and secure backup was provided by Melbourne Server Hosting and Attido Mobile developed the free iPhone and iPad apps for the JTC. All three companies are based in Manchester.

Capsool developed the digital platform that supports the Jubilee Time Capsule. It provides multimedia upload and playback capabilities, alternative search and discovery features, and a timeline for all content. The system was developed so that it could be used across the Commonwealth, on the different generations of computers found in different continents and nations.

Paul Carruthers, Managing Director of Capsool, explained: “We knew it was an incredible opportunity to be a part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. At Capsool we wanted to make a great Commonwealth project that would signal the potential of this unique, global network. When it came to choosing partners we needed companies that were similarly imaginative, completely trustworthy and technically first-rate. That’s why we recruited Melbourne Server Hosting and Attido Mobile to the project. After we’d spoken to them, we didn’t need to speak to anyone else.”

Melbourne put together a high-redundancy private cluster in its secure Manchester-based datacentres using enterprise-class Dell servers to provide the reliability, security and scalability needed by the project. Melbourne also provided multiple backups in its separate disaster-recovery facility.

Rajesh Joshi, Brand Manager for Melbourne Server Hosting, said: “Melbourne is absolutely delighted to be part of a group of young northern tech companies that are working on behalf of one of the oldest institutions in the country. It’s a real privilege to be hosting such an innovative digital project that has created a Royal legacy for the whole of the Commonwealth.”

Chris Byrne, managing director of Attido said: “This has been a groundbreaking project and we are very proud to be associated with the Queen’s Jubilee.” 

After the JTC is presented to The Queen it will form the Diamond (re)Collection, becoming a permanent part of the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. All 80,000 contributions will remain online in perpetuity.