Storage is a human-made system that retains retrievable information over time by encoding it in a durable substrate. Parameters: capacity (bits), access latency, durability (error rate / retention period), medium (magnetic, optical, solid-state, paper), and organization scheme (addressable vs archival). It persists through material state changes that survive power loss and through replication across copies; the information is recoverable by a reader that matches the encoding scheme. [formal: memoria | substrate: matter | horizon: centuries | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
storage
Storage is a human-made system that retains retrievable information over time by encoding it in a durable substrate. Parameters: capacity (bits), access latency, durability (error rate / retention period), medium (magnetic, optical, solid-…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made concept for the organized retention and preservation of objects, information, or resources for future use. Built to persist as a fundamental organizational practice across physical and digital domains.
Names and aliases
- storageen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmsndno6r03mt1q13szsiydqqSERVES →
storage exists to enable retrieval — data is stored for the sake of being retrieved later. The servant (storage) points at the master (retrieval). Storage is built and maintained for the purpose of enabling future access.
Relations to this entry
- sampler← DEPENDS_ON
A sampler records audio segments into digital memory and replays them; without storage the samples cannot be retained for later playback, so the sampler stops operating as a sampler. Remove storage now and the device cannot fulfill its sample-replay function.
- cmrpq44f107t2d1nlsmovn40n← DEPENDS_ON
Dark data depends on storage: it is data that has been collected and stored but not processed or analyzed. Remove storage and there is no dark data — the concept requires unprocessed stored data to exist. The removal test passes: without storage infrastructure, dark data cannot accumulate.
- cmrhw532502kq8aeh1zx14q9a← SERVES
Shelves are built and maintained for the sake of storage - they extend storage capacity by providing organized, accessible surfaces. The servant (shelf) points at the master (storage).
- cmr91eu4v003khcxf0n7urjqc← DEPENDS_ON
a database system needs storage to operate — without persistent storage, a database has nowhere to keep its data and stops functioning. The removal test: remove storage and the database cannot store or retrieve records. Direction: storage must exist for database to work.
- cmsndno6r03mt1q13szsiydqq← DEPENDS_ON
Retrieval is the process of obtaining items; without storage there is no persistent source to retrieve from, so retrieval stops operating when storage is removed.
Record identity
- Created
- Aug 28, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC
- Content hash
- c5d38a6584ec1bce8b171ee3da3e0f4aef5fc9193c81a2f8b5912aacd0f50490