The Digital Ark

What The Digital Ark does

The Digital Ark Corporation is a privately held, founder-owned digital preservation and digitization services firm headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, with an additional operations office in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in 2005 by Edward P. Coderre and Diana Coderre, the company serves cultural heritage institutions (museums, archives, libraries), government agencies, and educational organizations across the United States, providing FADGI-compliant image capture, photogrammetry and 3D modeling, online digital archiving, e-commerce portals, interactive iPad kiosk exhibits, OCR and searchable PDFs, and fine-art giclée printing. The firm sits on a stack of proprietary technology led by the RICE (Rapid Image Capture Engine) software and the RICEpadi mobile cataloging system using iPad/iPod devices, combined with a V-Book Cradle digitization rig and integration with the Omeka open-source platform; named past projects include the Smithsonian Folkways collection, the 214,000-slide USDA/NRCS aerial archive, a 103,167-page Mary Baker Eddy Library manuscript effort, and the Navy War College digital repository.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue, supplemented by recurring or transaction-based income from digital asset management subscriptions and e-commerce sales of archival prints and digital downloads through client-branded portals and The Digital Ark Store. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales directly targeting cultural heritage and government buyers; the firm holds a GSA contract via its National Park Service Harpers Ferry Center partnership, and has participated in multi-institution collaborations such as the WWI Memorial Inventory Project and the Balboa Park Online Collaborative (27 organizations). The company is small (1–10 employees, ~8 named team members) and founder-controlled, with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds. Operating indicators are project-scale rather than financial — e.g., 214,000 USDA slides, 60,000+ SSHSA steamship images, 36,678 NYU pages — illustrating throughput capability rather than reported revenue.

Name

The Digital Ark

Legal name

The Digital Ark Corporation

Website

https://thedigitalark.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Digital Ark is a privately held digital preservation and digitization services firm serving cultural heritage institutions, museums, libraries, archives, government agencies, and universities with FADGI-compliant image capture, photogrammetry, online archiving, and interactive exhibit development using its proprietary RICE and RICEpadi systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Preservation Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Archiving & Asset Management (MAM/DAM, Cataloging, QC) (MPADAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Document Scanning, Digitization & Archival Reproduction (Records, Transcripts, Microform) (EDAEAJAI), Records Digitization & Archiving (Legacy Files, Retention Support) (BPAAAKAG), Archival Preservation & Conservation (Handling, Storage, Environmental Controls) (MPADAMAF), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Media Archiving & Long-Term Preservation Planning (HSAFAGAK)

Keywords

• Digital preservation services
• Cultural heritage digitization
• FADGI compliant digitization
• Photogrammetry services
• Digital archiving solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Digitization Services: Professional digitization services for cultural heritage collections including FADGI-compliant image capture, photogrammetry, and rapid image capture for large-scale projects
2. Digital Asset Management Solutions: Online database development, website portals, and digital archiving systems with e-commerce modules for selling archival prints and digital downloads
3. E-commerce Sales: Sale of archival prints, digital downloads, and fine-art giclée reproductions through client galleries and The Digital Ark Store
4. Interactive Media Development: Development of interactive applications including iPad kiosks, iBeacon solutions, and iPad kiosk exhibits for museums and cultural institutions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Digital Ark provides professional digitization and digital preservation services for cultural heritage collections, including FADGI-compliant image capture, photogrammetry and 3D modeling, and development of online digital archives and e-commerce portals. They also build interactive museum exhibits, iPad kiosks, and mobile cataloging solutions for museums, libraries, archives, government agencies, and educational institutions. Their proprietary RICE and RICEpadi systems enable rapid, large-scale on-site image capture and cataloging.

Product overview

The Digital Ark is a digital archiving services company that provides a comprehensive suite of services for cultural heritage institutions, museums, libraries, and archives. Their core proprietary technology is the RICEpadi™ system—a mobile cataloging solution combining custom hardware (iPad/iPod devices) and software (RICE™) for rapid on-site image capture and database management. They offer FADGI-compliant digitization services for various materials, photogrammetry and 3D modeling, online database and website development (including Omeka platforms), interactive museum exhibits and iPad kiosks, e-commerce and image portal solutions, digital preservation stewardship, OCR services, and fine-art printing. These services work together as an end-to-end solution from collection assessment and digitization through to public-facing websites, mobile applications, and on-site interactive experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FADGI Compliant Digitization Services Digital image capture services compliant with Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative (FADGI) standards, including high-resolution capture of fragile, sensitive and rare historical collections for museums, libraries, and archives.
• Photogrammetry and 3D Modeling Services Creation of 3D models of historic objects, sites, and structures using photogrammetry technology, enabling manipulable and accurate 3D representations for museums and cultural institutions.
• Online Digital Archiving and Database Development Development of online digital archiving systems and database-driven websites including collections portals, e-commerce modules, and digital asset management solutions for cultural institutions.
• Interactive Museum Exhibits and iPad Kiosks Development of interactive iPad kiosk exhibits for museums and cultural institutions, including custom programming and content development for visitor engagement.
• Digital Preservation and Stewardship Services Digital preservation services following proper standards and metadata schema to ensure sustainability, including FADGI and Library of Congress compliance, with backup and cloud-hosting solutions.
• Fine-Art Giclée and Archival Printing Fine-art giclée printing and archival photographic printing services for museum-quality reproductions sold through client galleries and online stores.
• RICEpadi (Rapid Image Capture Engine for iPad) A proprietary mobile cataloging system combining hardware (iPad Minis/iPod Touches) and software for rapid image capture and cataloging of collections on-site at cultural heritage institutions, including a hosted database back-end and QR code retrieval.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rapid image capture at 30 slides per minute for USDA project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• World War I Memorial Inventory ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 August 2015Partnership to develop website for identification and documentation of all World War I Memorials in the U.S. The Digital Ark built open-source platform with searchable database, 3D models using photogrammetry, and crowdsourcing mobile application. WW1MIP is a partner organization of the United States World War I Centennial Commission.
• Balboa Park Online CollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-part technology initiative to bring innovation to 27 museums and organizations in San Diego's Balboa Park. The Digital Ark provides mobile cataloging interface using RICEpadi system for on-site collection documentation.
• U.S. Naval War College MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on interactive iPad kiosk exhibits for the museum and comprehensive digital repository for the Naval Historical Collection. Included digitization, book conservation, and content development with interactive timeline, maps, and voiceovers.
• U.S. Naval War College LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to design and build comprehensive digital repository for the Henry E. Eccles Library, enabling international Navy community access to special collections.
• National Park Service (Harpers Ferry Center)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer museum-quality archival reproduction services including high-resolution digitization and archival prints. First project involved historic photographs of Oregon from 1910s-1930s for Oregon Caves National Monument. Awarded as GSA contract holder.
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum ArchivesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on creation of digital archive for collection of 6,000+ pages of personal correspondence written to Mrs. Gardner by over 1,000 individuals including artists, musicians and authors.
• Steamship Historical Society of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership to preserve and share SSHSA's valuable collections via online digital archive called 'Image Porthole' containing over 60,000 images. Continuing to add tens of thousands more images plus documents, film/video and sound.
• Mystic SeaportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on photogrammetry project bringing scrimshaw and figureheads to life through 3D models. Created interactive iPad kiosks with 360-degree virtual reality for SeaChange exhibit opening December 2016.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Backstage Library Works: Large-scale digitization and microfilm services provider for libraries, archives, and government agencies. Closely comparable to The Digital Ark in FADGI-compliant image capture and archival metadata services for cultural-heritage institutions.
• Aptara: Provides content digitization, XML/SGML tagging, and digital asset management services to publishers, libraries, and government. Directly comparable to The Digital Ark's large-scale digitization and DAM portal capabilities.
• Digital Transitions: Provides high-end digitization hardware, software, and consulting for museums and archives; notable for the DT Atom sheet-feed scanner and Phase One cultural-heritage capture solutions. Comparable to The Digital Ark in serving the same buyer with FADGI-grade capture.
• AVP Inc. Provides book, microform, and archival digitization as well as digital archive hosting for libraries and government. Comparable service-line mix to The Digital Ark, particularly for government and academic library clients.
• Quality Imaging Services: Specializes in FADGI-compliant scanning and digitization of books, photographs, and documents for libraries, museums, and archives. Direct competitor to The Digital Ark in the U.S. cultural-heritage digitization market.
• Iconomix: Boutique digitization firm specializing in photographic prints, glass plate negatives, and fine-art digital capture for museums and collectors. Comparable to The Digital Ark's high-resolution preservation photography and photogrammetry offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Internet Archive: Nonprofit digital library providing large-scale book, document, and media digitization and public access. Comparable in archival preservation mission and scale, though operating as a nonprofit with much broader scope than The Digital Ark's boutique services.

Emerging players

• Lucidea: Provider of archival collections management software (ArchivEra, CuadraSTAR). Overlaps with The Digital Ark's digital archiving/database portal offering for libraries, archives, and museums, though focused on the software layer.
• CYAN Pictures (formerly LUNA Imaging): Provides digital asset management and image delivery solutions for museums and cultural-heritage clients. Comparable to The Digital Ark's online database portals and DAM workflow work, though more software-centric.

Regional players

• Northern Micrographics: Microfilm and document scanning services company with a strong footprint serving Midwest U.S. libraries, universities, and government agencies. Comparable in capture services to The Digital Ark though operating in a different regional cluster.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thedigitalark
• Xx.com/digark

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Digital Ark