the service life, and fortifies the system while reducing physical and functional obsolescence and preventing further deterioration of the system. Ongoing maintenance, diversification efforts, capacity development, and planning for future requirements will ensure an ongoing future-proof supply of water for the region. Life cycle analysis and life cycle assessment Life-cycle assessment/analysis (LCA) can be used as an indicator of long-term impacts to the environment, and an important aspect of future-proofing our built environment, quantifying the impacts of initial construction, periodic renovation, and regular maintenance of a building over an extended time span. A study completed published in 2015 by Rich compares the impacts of gymnasiums constructed of different building materials over a 200-year period using the Athena Impact Estimator. Rich developed the phrase "First Impacts" to describe the environmental impacts of new construction from raw material extraction to occupancy of the building. When the environmental impacts of maintenance and replacement are considered with first impacts for a building, a complete picture of the environmental impacts are formed. While choice of materials is important to initial impacts of a building or product, less durable materials lead to more frequent maintenance, operating expenses and replacement. By contrast, more durable materials may have more significant initial impacts, but those impacts will pay off in the long run by reducing maintenance, repairs, and operations expenses. Durability of all components of a building system should have equivalent service lives or allow for disassembly in order to maintain the shorter service life materials. This allows retention of materials that have longer service lives rather than disposing of them when removed to perform maintenance. Proper maintenance of a building is critical to long term service life because it prevents deterioration of less durable materials that can expose additional materials to deterioration. See also Backup Backward and forward compatibility Digital media Digital preservation Digital Preservation Coalition Product data management Year 2000 problem Year 2038 problem Year 10,000 problem Homebuilt computer References External links The Principles of Future-Proofing Website Digital Preservation Tutorial Future-proofinc.com Website on future-proofing organizations based on the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development Telecom Giant Shines In New Facility – Sound & Video Contractor Futures techniques Computing terminology