Construction of buildings is a complex process involving a lot of people and different areas of responsibility. The construction phase of any building project involves numerous technical and business documents such as technical drawings, plans, and schedules among others. Participants of the project such as architects, engineers and construction managers may need to access these simultaneously and share them. Digitization is an easy and affordable way to convert paper files to computer-accessible file formats that can be made available at the same time to all members in a building project.
Why Digitize Building Records?
Every stage of the construction process needs critical documentation. Plans needs to be created and approved before the process begins. Workers rely on various building records throughout the construction process and will keep it for a certain period of time even after the project is complete, to satisfy legal codes and requirements. The number of documents often becomes unmanageable in the long run. Important building records can be stored and maintained safely through scanning and digital conversion.
Building records that can be digitized include:
- Architect’s Bulletins (information received from design professionals)
- Contract Change Orders/Amendments
- Contract Drawings and Revisions
- Contractual Agreements
- Correspondence (external)
- Daily Reports (Field Reports)
- E-mails
- Memoranda (internal)
- Other Pre-Construction Documentation
- Pre-Construction Agreements
- Requests for Information (information requested from design professionals)
By digitizing these documents, the participants in a project can enjoy benefits such as the following.
- Easy to communicate ideas, designs, and agreements among participants
- Reduced printing/reprographic costs
- Increased information security and workflow efficiency
- Easy sharing and accessing of documents
CAD conversion is done to convert paper-based engineering drawings to digital format.
Digitizing the Records of the Town of North Hempstead – A Real Time Example
The Town of North Hempstead is digitizing its building department records, according to a recent report. For this, they have received a state grant (from the Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF) of $74,910 and are planning to utilize this amount for digital conversion of records, such as permits and certificates of occupancy.
With digitization, building department records can be preserved for a long period of time. It helps to avoid issues that paper documents present, such as flammability or the prospect of decay over time.
In order to attain the objective of digital preservation of the records of the Town of North Hempstead in a timely manner, the authorities have assigned the task to a professional document scanning and conversion company. This is indeed the practical option because service providers specialized in the area are capable of providing excellent services, without compromising quality and ensuring compliance with records retention policies.
