iTech uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Read Time: 2 minutes
The storage, organization, and maintenance of vital records are an invaluable service that counties and local governments provide. Not only are they necessary for the wheels of government to continue turning, but can also provide unique value to the citizens of your community. The ability to speed up the processing of these documents can improve efficiency and give your community better access to the documents that they need.
The best way to improve efficiency without bloated municipal budgets is to leverage cutting-edge technology to maximize the productivity of your current staff. AI and machine learning (ML) tools can help digitize vital records to improve capture speed, accessibility, and accuracy of those records.
To help counties and other local governments learn how to utilize these tools properly, we will cover:
- Potential use cases for AI record digitization
- The benefits of ML and AI for digital records
- The best way to digitize vital records
Let’s discuss each to get a better idea of what value AI and ML can provide for municipalities.
AI Record Digitization Use Cases
There are several ways to use AI and ML to improve recordkeeping for county governments. All of the following documents can be digitized to increase access and speed up document processing:
- Marriage certificates
- Divorce certificates
- Property deeds
- Birth certificates
- Death certificates
By creating and maintaining a digital database with all of these documents, vital records are easier to access for those they pertain to and even older records can be made permanent through cloud-based storage. In the event that a disaster or other event leads to the destruction or inability to access physical original documents, scanned and indexed versions of these docs are available and fully searchable thanks to the following technology:
| Machine Learning-Paired OCR | Optical character recognition (OCR) technology combined with machine learning can read text from documents—both typed and handwritten—and index the data within them when they are stored in a database. This means that scanned documents don’t just exist as images but as fully searchable documents that are easier to find in the database and capture data from. |
| AI Data Security | AI improves data security by providing automated alerts when data security procedures haven’t been followed, and can even perform some data security best practices automatically when data is stored by ensuring it is hidden behind the proper permissions. |
| Cloud Storage | Cloud storage reduces the need for physical storage assets like hard drives and servers, making it easier for local governments to operate without extensive IT infrastructure. It also makes stored data easier to access during weather emergencies that could cut power to said servers locally, with cellular data connection being able to maintain a connection to the remote cloud database. |
Benefits of ML and AI for Digital Records
The above technology provides the following benefits to local governments that use it to digitize vital records:
| Faster Data Capture | Since scanned documents can be indexed and have their data stored automatically, data capture becomes far faster. As documents are scanned, their data can be immediately stored in the proper databases without the need for a data entry clerk to do so manually. Clerks’ time can be used to audit data, and work on more important tasks like interacting with community members. |
| More Accurate Records | ML-paired OCR is extremely accurate and provides ample time for existing data staff to focus on auditing since they aren’t as busy manually entering information. |
| Better Data Security | AI-powered data security keeps staff more accountable regarding data protection best practices and provides real-time warnings about potential breaches. |
| Easier Record Access | Cloud-based storage and full document indexing make it easier to store and search for specific documents, including any data they contain. This makes it easier to internally store information across different local program databases and for community members to search for and access their own vital records on demand. |
| Digitization of Handwritten/Older Documents | One of the more unique uses of cutting-edge ML OCR technology is its ability to extract data from handwritten documents, and older documents with less in-tact text. While these docs will require a bit more auditing, modern ML-paired OCR does a far better job parsing through harder-to-read documents than any technology before it, allowing it to automate processes in ways that simply weren’t possible a decade ago. |
These benefits provide exceptional value to both local government staff and the communities they serve.
Best Way to Digitize Vital Records
Digitizing vital records is best accomplished by outsourcing to a third party that not only provides the necessary technology, but is also experienced in using it to capture and store sensitive data. This makes it easier for companies to onboard a new platform with minimal staff training and maximum support from their outsourcing partner.
Governments are obviously under more scrutiny than other organizations and require an even higher standard of accuracy and security. As a result, they should seek out a partner that:
- Provides the best available data technology
- Offers support that aligns with their regular working hours
- Provides an easily auditable database with transparent operation
- Prioritizes data security
- Has experience working with other municipalities
iTech data offers all of these helpful features and more.
Digitize Vital Records with iTech’s Industry-Leading Technology
We at iTech pride ourselves on our cutting-edge machine learning OCR software, top-of-the-line onboarding experience, and ongoing support. We also offer 24/7 access to support personnel and senior account managers to maximize visibility and peace of mind, eliminating the “black box” approach to outsourcing.
To learn more about how to digitize vital records, fill out the contact form below.
Subscribe to our blog for the latest industry trends
IDS Commander iTech2021
No Comments