Metrofile boosts vehicle registration service with document partnership

Metrofile's eight-year association with the Department of Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR) has culminated in a digital-based active and archival management service that employs magnetic media for speedy reference.

Data on 2 500 CDs has been converted to a 1.6 Terabyte magnetic disk system that serves the entire City of Cape Town.

"We have realised a number of benefits through Metrofile's service," says Colin Miller, head: Motor Vehicle Registration. "The new storage and retrieval system helps us immensely with the audit function, helps to prevent fraud and corruption, ensures that we can quickly locate documents for settling civil and legal disputes and provides us with a backup system in case of emergencies such as fires. The system is also user-friendly and the backup service offered by Metrofile is excellent."

The law requires all vehicles on South Africa's roads to be registered. Registrations are recorded on the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS). MVR interfaces with NaTIS to record all information. According to the Motor Industry News Digest, the number of registered vehicles on South Africa's roads last year grew to close on eight million. "In 1993 Metrofile deployed the first installation of CAR 2000 (computer-aided retrieval) at MVR," says Brett Harris, sales manager at Metrofile's Cape Town operation. "The software initially used microfiche that was later migrated onto 16mm microfilm. It allowed vital documents to be actively retrieved in real-time and dramatically improved response times offered by the department. In addition, the system destroyed original documents appropriately as microfilm was deemed a valid and legal form of archive document retention."

In 2000 MVR implemented an electronic image solution. The new system allowed MVR to convert microfilm to digital images. It also meant that MVR had a standalone computer system. It relied on a library of CDs and could store, reference, retrieve, copy, print, fax or e-mail necessary information at the click of a button.

By 2003 microfilm and the digitisation process was old technology, and Metrofile employed scanning technology that enabled it to produce flawless microfilm for MVR directly from scanned images. It brought quicker turnaround times to MVR users, partners and stakeholders and improved the image quality.

The CD library grew to 2 500 discs. Discs were damaged and lost. But magnetic or hard drive storage costs dropped. In 2004 Metrofile installed an additional standalone server system as a pilot to test the feasibility of hard drive storage and retrieval. For the pilot project MVR switched the CD system over to complement microfilm in the backup role. If the pilot proved successful, MVR would drop the CDs as the primary storage medium altogether.

"It worked and today the system has been operational for 10 months with speedier turnaround times; better image quality; information protected from natural disasters, fire, burglary, sabotage and virus infections," says Harris.

Metrofile is expanding the scope of its operations with the department and is assisting MVR document administration in a number of provinces through its centres in Port Elizabeth, Durban and Pretoria. The list of possible services these provinces might explore, which are used at Cape Town, are scanning; storage, search, reference and retrieval software; hardware; digital archive writing (DAW); microfilm storage and original hard copy storage.