Transport research body digitises paper archives

Vehicle testers remove 35km of shelf space

The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has overhauled its IT systems to improve efficiency and successfully digitised 125 tonnes of paperwork.

The independent research and advisory body moved offices last year, providing the impetus for updating technology functions to improve the productivity of its testing and research services.

TRL has now upgraded its network, storage and desktop systems, and implemented an electronic document records management system to migrate its legacy of paperwork into a central repository for easy access and management of documents.

The electronic document system - Open Text's LiveLink product - has replaced 35km of shelf space previously used to house the organisation's documents, says TRL head of knowledge management Kevin Miles.

'People couldn't find things. It was chaotic,' he said. 'We spent a week clearing paper and putting the content onto a secure file network in the new building, after activating our new storage area network.'

Aside from efficiency gains, Miles says the system allows the organisation to improve collaboration and working practices.

'Before, people were only familiar with their own desktops and could only search their own files or the paper ones,' he said.

'As a research organisation, it was important for our scientists to know quickly what's happening outside their own areas.'

The system has extended the range of information TRL staff can look for and means they can now access the entire document and research archive. The facility is being made available to office staff, as well as to remote workers and customers.

TRL also has a tighter grip on the management of projects and document version control, with the average user adding three documents a day. It has also reduced costs.

'The amount of information stored in Livelink has saved us the equivalent cost of renting a year's worth of floor space to house the paper it replaced,' said Miles.