As the Society's new preferred cloud provider, AWS will establish a new media platform to process, store and digitize billions of the organization's historic media assets, powering the future of digital storytelling

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Geographic Society and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced today a joint effort to centralize the Society's assets, supporting its 138-year legacy of exploration and discovery. A major focus will be migrating nearly 15 petabytes of history — from deep sea footage to archeological records — into a customized media platform on AWS Cloud. The partnership ensures the long-term preservation of the Society's past while equipping future National Geographic production teams with the ability to share impactful stories faster than ever before.

The initiative will unify the Society's multi-source archives into a single "living library" hosted on AWS where billions of assets will be preserved and easily searchable in real-time by production teams at the Society. Currently, the Society generates an estimated two petabytes of new video — equivalent to approximately 100 days of 4K footage — each year from the Impact Story Lab, National Geographic Pristine Seas, National Geographic Live and other programs.

"This initiative is the first step in a multi-year journey where the Society will leverage AWS infrastructure and services to centralize the production and preservation of its media assets," said Jason Southern, chief technology and information officer at the National Geographic Society. "Production teams will be able to quickly discover, access and re-use existing media to create impactful stories about the work our Explorers undertake to study our world."

Innovation in Action

The high-performance media platform, using Amazon Bedrock and additional services, is designed to activate the Society's media archives and accelerate its global mission:

• Centralized Digital Core. The migration will consolidate assets into a system built on AWS, creating a centralized foundation for one of the most robust archives of science and exploration in the world. This initiative will protect records of our planet's history — from historic maps to iconic photography.
• AI-Powered Discovery. Using AWS generative AI, the media platform will assist in transcribing footage, metadata creation, identifying key figures, and more. These innovative tools address the unique technical complexities of the Society's archives, allowing National Geographic production teams to quickly surface existing content to transform into new stories.
• Modernized Storytelling. The platform will enable National Geographic production teams to collaborate on video editing and asset management in real-time — significantly shortening the time it takes to move a story from the field to the public.

"For over 138 years, the National Geographic Society has documented the wonders of our world, from the ocean floor to the highest peaks, capturing history, inspiring explorers of every age, and building a legacy that is truly irreplaceable. AWS is proud to partner with the Society to ensure every asset becomes an enduring resource as we safeguard the past while powering the next generation of discovery," said Rick Buettner, managing director of global nonprofits at AWS.

The new cloud-based platform will transform the production process for the Society's vast archives, by enabling quick analysis of thousands of hours of footage. This will empower National Geographic production teams to convert years of documentation into compelling new impact storytelling.

Together, the National Geographic Society and AWS are ensuring that the wonders of our world are not only preserved for posterity, but are actively utilized to inspire, educate, and protect the planet for the next century of discovery.

About the National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, the Society has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching three million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content.

To learn more, visit nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

About Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is guided by customer obsession, pace of innovation, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. By democratizing technology for nearly two decades and making cloud computing and generative AI accessible to organizations of every size and industry, AWS has built one of the fastest-growing enterprise technology businesses in history. Millions of customers trust AWS to accelerate innovation, transform their businesses, and shape the future. With the most comprehensive AI capabilities and global infrastructure footprint, AWS empowers builders to turn big ideas into reality. Learn more at aws.amazon.com and follow @AWSNewsroom.

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SOURCE National Geographic Society