Council makes smooth change to digital documents

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jan 18, 2002

Somerset County Council has installed a secure, controlled repository for all the Environment and Property Department's documents in the form of a Hummingbird document management solution

The UK Government's initiative to modernise Local Government and the drive to deliver services electronically is making a big impact on councils throughout the Country.

Against this background, Somerset County Council, Environment and Property Department decided on a Hummingbird document management solution as the ideal way to improve efficiency, reduce costs and maximise the usability of information stored in its documents.

Somerset took the decision to purchase the Hummingbird system towards the end of 2000 and determined that an experienced Hummingbird partner was needed to enable them to effectively implement the system and ensure that it would be successfully rolled out for use by almost 300 users within the department.

Cad-Capture has had a long standing and harmonious relationship with Somerset since the company supplied the council with a range of specialist document conversion services in 1996.

Consequently, Cad-Capture was chosen as the preferred service provider to Somerset after demonstrating the required level of technical expertise.

Cad-Capture began work at Somerset early in 2001 by configuring the Hummingbird DOCSFusion document management system to meet Somerset's requirements and integrating the document management database with the department's existing business systems.

Subsequently, a customised version of the Hummingbird PowerDOCS client desktop was installed together with DOCS Imaging on around 280 PCs throughout the Environment and Property Department providing document access to all users within the offices.

To enable the department to digitally capture and output documents, Cad-Capture provided Somerset with a KIP 2750 digital reprographics system ensuring compatibility with the department's existing systems.

The final stage of the project involved the delivery of on-site training tailored to users and systems administrators of the Somerset system.

Early indications suggest that the document management system is already providing tangible benefits and making inroads on achieving the objectives that Somerset established for the system.

The project has generated considerable interest throughout the Council and the department is actively considering the enhancement of the system via Hummingbird's knowledge management engine, Fulcrum Knowledge Server and the Hummingbird Enterprise Information Portal (EIP).

Stuart Jarvis, County Planning Officer, Environment and Property Department, Somerset County Council said: "Cad-Capture has provided us with a high quality, professional service.

The document management system will provide us with a secure, controlled repository for all the departments documents.

Users will have unequalled access to information and service delivery will be considerably improved as a consequence".