Document Scanning
Document Conversions
Indexing
Coding
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Database Design & Interfacing
Storage on CD Media
Consultation
Why Scan? - Paper Facts, Paper Costs, Why Invest, The Benefits
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Document Scanning
Scanning your documents allows you instant access to any one of thousands or
even millions of pages.
Our sophisticated scanning services utilize a combination of interactive and automated
scanning procedures, supported by leading edge hardware and software technologies.
Scanned documents are simply digital pictures of paper documents, usually stored
on CD-ROMs. Imaging improves your document control during indexing, case
preparation, witness depositions, settlement talks, and trial. Imaging
technology also saves expensive office space required to store paper documents.
This technology produces significant savings throughout the trial preparation process.
Once scanned, the images are burned to CDs and retrieval indices are prepared
either to your specifications or for use with one of the retrieval software
systems that LegalScans recommends. You can load the image data from CDs to your
disk system or use the CDs directly with the image retrieval software and pull
images up on your screen. If you've also indexed your documents, you may use a
linked system to pull up images as you search for particular documents using
your database; e.g. Concordance or Summation.
If you use a different software package, LegalScans can convert the scanned images to
other formats, such as TIFF, JPG, or PDF files.
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Document Conversions
In contemporary lawsuits, much of the evidence exists as word processor documents, spreadsheets,
databases, presentations, e-mail messages, and other computer files.
These existing electronic files are "converted" and indexed to common formats for
universal access by the retrieval software and database system.
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Indexing
Indexing is a descriptive set of data associated with a document
for the purpose of identifying and locating the document's location. Indexing
can be used to consolidate documents that may not be "logically" related, or
that may be stored in different locations, or on different media. Indexing can
be accomplished manually or automatically.
Indexing has the objective of guiding an end user to the
intellectual content and physical location of documents. Imaged documents must
be accessible for retrieval, processing, routing and queuing, maintenance and
reporting.
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Coding
Coding is the process
of entering document-specific information into case specific objective
and subjective database fields.
Objective coding consists of entering
information about a document that is judged to be non-subjective. Objective
fields include beginning document numbers, ending document numbers,
attachment ranges, author, recipient, and date.
Subjective coding consists
of entering data into case-specific database fields. Subjective coding
requires a subjective interpretation of the data in relation to the
case or to a specific legal position.
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Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Optical Character Recognition takes imaging one step further and is a service offered
by LegalScans that converts
scanned documents into standard text files that can be word-searched and edited.
In order for you to search for
information on imaged documents, information has to be converted to searchable
text. One conversion process involves the use of an OCR program to read the
image and convert the information to text.
OCR involves the recognition and conversion of printed characters on an image
(picture) to searchable ASCII text (similar to type in a word processing
program). Recognition is impacted by the quality of the scanned page. Even on
quality pages, OCR output may results only in 80% accuracy and will need to be
edited. The OCR'd text files can be linked to the original image and provided to
the client with links that provide a useful transition from text to image.
- Three (3) enhanced OCR engines deliver the most accurate
results ever!
- LegalScans uses sophisticated voting to optimize performance
based on individual document characteristics.
- Built-in legal and medical dictionaries ensure the accurate
conversion of important documents.
- Transcript data conversion to specific litigation software
formats.
- Click here for more information on OCR...
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Database Design & Interfacing
LegalScans exports coded databases using a variety of excellent litigation support
software packages and other database management systems. They include
Concordance, Summation, TrialPro, and others.
The integration of the coded database with the actual images requires the proper
matching of document identifiers in the coded database with the images. By
generating document boundaries for the imaging project from the coded database,
LegalScans ensures perfect matching of both coded and imaged document boundaries.
To meet the various software and system platform needs in multi-party
litigation, we can output multiple versions of a database. No matter what
software is being utilized, we provide output that flawlessly integrates with
the client system.
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Storage on CD Media
After the files have been scanned and indexed, they must be stored. For long term image storage,
files are copied onto CDs. CDs are easy to use, virtually impervious to environmental
damage, have a long useful life (100 years), and can be stored in a very small space. A
standard CD can hold 10,000 to 15,000 pages, depending upon how the pages were
scanned.
When we create a CD, we copy the images, the indexes, and any needed viewer
program onto the CD. This makes the CD a totally self-contained unit. There is
no other software needed to use the information on the CDs. The CDs can be used
on any Windows PC that has a CD drive. Duplicate CDs can be made for redundancy,
for data security, or to allow different people to use the CDs at the same time.
This means that different teams within the firm can have their own set of CDs.
It also provides a way to make the data portable. The CDs can be taken to court,
to a meeting, or can be used to work from home.
As convenient as CDs are, they do have a few limitations. Since they only
hold about 15,000 pages, there may be quite a few CDs by the time all of the
documents for a particular case have been scanned. Sometimes, several CDs may
have to be searched before all the needed information is found. Tracking and
managing a large number of CDs can be cumbersome over time. There also has to be
some decision made as to how to group the files on the CDs, since each CD will
be only a small portion of the total files.
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Consultation
LegalScans provides project design and consultation services to customers,
particularly in the area of records management systems. With over twenty years of honed
skills and experience, we can assist you with your document management
and information system processes to improve efficiency and help reduce costs.
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