Growth & Jobs | RGD to digitise business processes
Published:Tuesday | July 23, 2019 | 12:00 AM
The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is digitising its business processes through the implementation of an image management system.
The system provides digital images of records, which can be viewed and used in various other forms.
It is supported by web-based software, enabling images to be scanned and indexed, and the documents used to populate the agency’s electronic database.
Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Mike Henry, who provided details during his contribution to the 2019-20 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on July 16, said the system is currently in limited use.
“The plan is to expand [it] to encompass the over seven million manual records now in existence at the RGD, which are to be linked to the digitisation process,” he noted.
The minister said the use of the system will result in greater efficiency in satisfying customers, bolster the security-checking features in relation to records, and reduce storage costs in the long term.
Another major initiative of the RGD is the Electronic Production System, which will upgrade the current Birth, Death and Marriage System (BDMS).
“The BDMS currently processes customer applications to produce printed certificates. The current system will be modified to include image management, eliminating the need for physical vital records when processing applications,” Henry said.
“The record will no longer be required to leave the vault, and the verification of information keyed will be by way of the ‘type on top’ methodology. A prototype is being worked on, and the applicable documentation is being prepared for the agency’s approval,” he added.
The initiative will enable the production process to move from manual to digital, which will positively impact the production turnround time.
Also, in an effort to reduce the risk of data loss, the RGD plans to create a secondary data site for disaster recovery. This will not only prevent loss of information in a disaster, but it will ensure business continuity.