A little while ago we were asked by CBRE to convert some paper manuals to a digital format.  They were taking over a building and the outgoing tenant had literally thrown all the manuals (100s of files and drawings) into a big heap in the middle of the floor.

This was a slightly extreme example of a fairly common problem. They needed to be able to examine all the files and a lot of different people needed to have access.  The same issues arise for any purchaser trying to undertake a serious due diligence, or for a FM company wishing to provide a sensible quote on an unfamiliar building.

We have now developed a method of digitising and indexing all the information so it can be presented on a CD or DVD with a structured navigation that makes it easy to find what is there and understand what is missing. The typical cost is under £5k varying according to size and number of drawings.

The process is

• Sort the paper files and remove duplicates
• Scan all the paper and drawings building a basic index as you go
• OCR convert the scans into digital documents
• Construct a consistent navigation structure of file names and bookmarks
• Build into a single application that enables the navigation structure to be reviewed easily.