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Document Conversion Services
Document Imaging
Document Indexing
Document Management
Information Capture and Processing
On Demand Document Scanning and Capture
Knowledge Management Creation
Hierarchical Decision Mapping
The above lists of services represent a hierarchy of services beginning from the lowest level offered by ImageWorld. As you proceed up the hierarchy the previous services are required to perform. For example, document indexing also entails document imaging, document management requires both imaging and indexing. Information capture and processing usually involves OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and document indexing, plus it always requires document imaging.
 Document Imaging
Document imaging is simply the process of creating an electronic image of a paper document. The image is processed to ensure clarity and accuracy only. Images are stored in electronic format and identifiable by unique file names. No other information is extracted from the original document. The image is typically stored as a TIFF or PDF file. All media is inspected for errors before being released as final document. All imaging and indexing is quality checked. All blank images are erased. All images are de-speckled, de-skewed and rotated appropriately and re-scanned if necessary.
Advantages of Document scanning
Typical use for this process is the elimination of paper documents as archive in favor or electronic archive. This process is useful in cases where there is a requirement, legal or otherwise, to maintain an archive of a large number of documents but the documents are infrequently accessed and timely access is not important.
The major benefits of electronic archival are space savings (either actual space or cost of offsite storage) and protection from natural disaster (flood, fire, theft, etc.). Once in electronic format it is a simple process to safeguard the archive by creating one or more copies and storing those copies in multiple locations. Creating copies of the paper documents is usually prohibitively costly and time consuming, not to mention doubling storage costs. While natural disasters may not be common, the effects can be devastating if the only copy of the archive is damaged or destroyed. Further, increased protection from natural disasters raises the cost of storage, whether in house or third party.
Lastly, regardless of the climate control, paper deteriorates over time (again the better the climate control the higher the cost). Electronic archive lifetimes are advertised as up to 100 years.
Document Indexing
All of the tasks and benefits of electronic document imaging, electronic document capture, image scanning are included with addition of processing the document image to extract key information. That information is typically used to permit significantly improved irretrievability of electronic documents. You have several options for storing the index information some are dependent upon the type of electronic document selected. ImageWorld offers up to five indexed keywords of fields as part of its basic imaging and indexing package with the advent of the new standard ISO 32000 users have a PDF standard that they can rely on to be the preferred electronic document storage standard for years to come. If you want to create searchable PDF documents you will be able to employ many indexing schemas to retrieve your information. From the simple desktop search engines such as Google desktop or Microsoft desktop search to more advanced searching tools like Concordance or X-1 or Documentum your documents will be a keystroke away from providing you with more and better information to give you the tools you need to make better, more informed business decisions.
At the simplest when the document is stored as a TIFF or PDF file the indexed keywords can be stored as part of the document itself. The document image(s) can then be retrieved via a standard file search. For example, Windows Explorer (the file browser not the internet browser) provides a search feature that includes search for keywords and or file name (since the document content is still an image it cannot be searched as text). The actual images can be on a local computer hard drive, a network drive, CDs, or DVDs. Of course, if the images are stored on removable media (CDs or DVDs) the correct media must be inserted. (Note: Given the cost of on-line storage many companies opt to put the information on hard drives with removable media as backup.) With images stored on local drives or network drives access can be controlled in the same way as for other sensitive data.
Indexing is accomplished by processing the images and using a combination of forms recognition, OCR, and information inserted during the imaging process (one or more forms is/are inserted prior to actually scanning your documents usually with bar codes identify key fields). The preferred process is processing the actual captured image using sophisticated software. The software can be taught to recognize your standard forms and/or to apply OCR to portions of the forms in order to capture information. Other processing can include recognizing check marks on a form (OCM - Optical Mark Recognition) and/or hand-printed form entry information. The processed information is then stored with the documents as part of the file naming and/or keywords.
Document Management
Document or image management presupposes the completion of document imaging and indexing. At this level the images and keyword indexes are stored in a database structure that offers more flexible and often faster retrieval. Also you now have the ability to perform high-level statistical processing based on index keywords. An example might be if one of the indexes is client or product type and another is the year or service or sale, you could quickly determine the number of each type of client or product and further how many of each were processed during the year. But the real benefit is the ability to more quickly and accurately retrieve images.
Information Capture and Processing
Information capture and processing is typically used when information stored on paper is needed to feed into other active client systems, an Electronic Medical Records /Electonic Health Record, or invoice processing system. The line between document management and information capture and processing is by no means straight or thick. The major difference tends to be the amount of information extracted, typically through OCR and integration of the captured information into another system.
The information capture process is time and resource driven. The amount of storage and computing resources required tends higher than indexing or management. The amount of software interpretation and physical validation required depends significantly on the quality of the original paper documents.
The effort and resources required for integration of information into existing systems depends primarily on the client's systems. ImageWorld has broad experience with a number of different systems, sometimes it is a matter of structuring captured data so the customer can easily and automatically integrate the information other times the process requires analysis of the system, potential discussions with the system vendor and review of vendor documentation.
On Demand Document Scanning and Capture
If you are considering scanning documents in house on an on going basis you will be interested in our increasingly popular on demand service which gives you all the benefits of bureau scanning but for live documents.
Collection frequency is established to suite your needs. Documents are scanned and returned on a priority basis, usually the same day. Typically, this service provides input to a business process such as order fulfillment or invoice processing therefore information collection is more detailed than for archival storage. Your benefit is not having to hire staff and elimination of manual interpretation and information entry. Depending upon your needs and volume image capture can occur at your site. Call or e-mail for further details.
Initial planning and project definition sessions make sure the project is on time and within budget! Our years of experience combined with your knowledge of your business ensures that we understand your needs and can establish clear goals and deliver on those goals. Our goals always include no or minimum disruption to your business.
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