cambiar el costo de la ruta.

disk(s) and displays the desired image on the monitor.

Legal Admissibility.

The Commonwealth views the EDMS in the same manner as other types of electronic records. To enhance the legal admissibility of records in electronic format, trustworthiness must be established by thoroughly documenting the information system's operation and the controls imposed upon it.

Management Directives 210.9, Electronic Imaging Systems Procedures Relating to the Management of Records, and 210.11, Acceptance of Imaged Documents, issued by the Governor's Office, establishes

policy for the use of imaged documents as acceptable business records. These directives establish procedures and requirements for recordkeeping with the EDMS.

Management Directive 210.9, Electronic Imaging Systems Procedures Relating to the Management of Records.

This directive was written to "establish and clarify state records management policy with respect to the scheduling and ultimate disposition of original records copied onto electronic imaging systems and to records stored on optical disks, to enable program managers to incorporate information retention and retrieval considerations at the earliest possible time in their plans to acquire optical imaging systems." Topics covered by the directive include:

– Management – Compression Techniques

– Preservation Strategy – Open Systems

– Migration Strategy – Backward Compatibility

– Image File Headers – File Formats

– Error Detection – Small Computer Systems Interface

– Indexing – Location of Index Database

– Input Quality Control – Technical Documentation

– Scanner Color Spectrum – Media Handling, Backup and Storage

– Image Input Quality – Refreshment, Migration, and Conversion Plans

Records Retention Requirements.

Records relating to any aspect of an electronic imaging system may be disposed of only in accordance with approved retention and disposition schedules. All records relating to an EDMS, including input documents, additional paper or microfilm copies, and electronic copies, must be scheduled in compli- ance with Management Directive 210.5, Records Management.

The records retention requirement is a critical element in the planning of an EDMS. The length of the required retention period will determine the access, maintenance, and migration factors that must be considered when planning a system.

Non-Permanent Records. Normally, agencies will not have to make provisions to retain nonperma- nent records copied onto an EDMS in a human-readable format. In some instances, it may be neces- sary to require the retention of a human-readable copy (paper or microfilm) due to the vital nature of the records or their relatively long retention period. If microform copies are made, they must be created and maintained in conformance with applicable Commonwealth standards.

Permanent Records. Agencies are responsible for making provisions for the continued retention of permanently valuable records in a human-readable format (paper or microform) even through they have been copied into an imaging system. Agencies must retain the original copy of a permanently valuable record or generate a security microfilm copy to serve as a substitute. Microform copies must be created and maintained in conformance with applicable Commonwealth standards.

Permanent Originals Created on Electronic Media. In those instances where the electronic image is the original medium for records scheduled for permanent retention, such as the procedural or transac- tional recording of deeds, provisions must be made to retain paper copies or to create security microfilm copies of the records. The preferred strategy for ensuring the creation of a security microfilm copy would require the retention of the original instrument or a paper copy made from the original instrument, until the film copy has been verified. The use of raster computer output microfilm meeting appropriate standards is acceptable as the security copy.

Feasibility Study.

Even more so than with a micrographics system, an agency considering storing records on an EDMS should carefully study the need for, and the benefits of, this technology. An agency must consider the value of the information and the advantages versus disadvantages of such a system. If applied appropriately, the system can transform the way an agency does business while dramatically improving productivity, effectiveness, and accountability.

Purchasing any electronic system constitutes a large ongoing financial commitment to hardware, soft- ware, training, media, and data conversion requirements. Reformatting information with electronic imaging technology is most cost-effective when working with a large quantity of records that are frequently retrieved. On the other hand, records which become inactive after a very short period of time may not be cost-effective candidates for imaging. Converting to, maintaining and using imaging technology may be justified if the costs (hardware, software, personnel, media) are less than the cost of maintaining the current system for creating and storing records. When planning a budget for converting data to an imaging system, an agency should remember that scanning is just one step of the procedure. Indexing, which is crucial for locating information stored on disks, on the other hand, takes three to five times longer than scanning and consumes around 30 percent of the budget.

When evaluating the need for imaging technology, another factor to consider is hardware and soft- ware obsolescence. The agency needs to take into account that disks created on one system may not be compatible with other systems. A second concern is that if the agency retains a system for several years, the vendor may no longer provide technical support, software upgrades, or replacement parts and supplies might not be available.

An electronic storage is not considered a permanent medium. The disk itself may last for hundreds of years due to its composition; however, this does not mean the information recorded on the disk will remain available. Studies estimate the life span of information stored on optical disks to be from 10-30 years, but only if the hardware and software are available to read the information from that disk. Therefore, at some point, agencies may have to transfer data from older storage mediums to new storage mediums to avoid incompatibility and/or technological obsolescence.

To determine the feasibility of using an imaging system, an agency should study and evaluate the following areas before implementing any system: