Managing conversion control centers
Scanned images or paper copies?
Commercial sensitivity and ongoing access to original records has determined that only copies can be
removed from BT drawing office locations. The requirement for minimum disruption to the continued
network planning task highlighted the need for an effective document management solution.
A major element in the technical approach of the EPR Conversion Control Centre lies in the use of
scanned electronic images of original source records, a technology known as Document Image
Processing or DIP, in preference to more traditional paper copy or microfilm based solutions.
A typical paper based solution for data conversion would have required multiple copies of source records
to be taken and stored prior to shipping to a selected data conversion vendor. Source records or copies
would also need to be retrieved manually from the master library for use in the conversion support and
data acceptance processes. The costs involved in a paper based approach are centred largely on:
-
extra staff required to handle and control the additional document movement throughout the
conversion project in relation to standard drawing office practices;
- office space required for storage of and access to the source records and copies;
- additional costs in creating paper copies at the drawing offices and transporting them to the
chosen data conversion vendors.
A DIP system was proposed as a key technology for the EPR conversion to reduce the life costs of
document management and to maintain accuracy of document identification. The DIP system option
involves the use of portable equipment to capture source records electronically at each of the 55 regional
drawing offices (equivalent to a total storage of over 500 drawing cabinets). The optical image based
capability in the conversion control centre involves electronic retrieval and plotting of scanned
documents through a workstation network in suppoil of the conversion support and data acceptance
processes. The DIP system option offers the following significant advantages over the use of simple
paper based photocopies:
-
document management is simplified considerably, reducing effort by avoiding the need for
manual extraction and re-filing of paper records;
- the movement of copied documents is simplified, thereby reducing transportation costs;
- conversion support and data acceptance processes are streamlined by simultaneous read
only access to all scanned images;
- all scanned images are first generation copies, thereby avoiding quality degradation;
- network security is provided against loss of individual documents, with a readily established
audit trail of access to documents;
- electronic storage of images reduces space requirements significantly, with lower long term
costs of archiving.
Mainstay processes of conversion control
- Record Retrieval
A site survey at each record drawing office is undertaken to assess any physical constraints plus an
assessment the location and condition of the source documents. This information is used to plan an
accurate scanning schedule in order to minimise disruption to BT drawing offices, as well as providing a
required scope of work to each scanning team. Source records are collected by four well-drilled mobile
scanning teams, comprising four team members (with knowledge of BT drawing office practices), each
team capturing more than 5000 documents per week.
Quality control of the captured images and electronic cross references are also performed in the field.
The images for complete telephone exchanges are transferred to data tapes and are dispatched to the
conversion control centre. Upon arrival, data tapes containing the scanned images are loaded onto the
DIP system optical disk jukebox. The DIP system can access and display any one of over half a million
documents held on-line (via standard networked PCs) within an average of 15 seconds.
This capability provides significant benefits to all subsequent processes in support of the data
conversion. Prior to dispatching exchange data to the conversion vendors, a second image quality
check is undertaken to ensure the best possible data is provided to the vendor for conversion.
