Records Management Solution Employing Handwriting Recognition Tools Makes Millions Of Historical Handwritten Government Records Accessible To The Public

On November 11, 2003 – the 85th anniversary of the cease fire that ended World War I – the Archive Department of the French Ministry of Defense made 1.3 million World War I patriots’ records available on the Internet using a robust records management solution that employs A2iA’s recognition tools.

The Ministry of Defense is committed to preserving the memory, heritage and archives of those who participated or gave their lives during the conflicts of the 20th century. By making public the records of deceased military personnel, the Ministry of Defense has enabled the general public to share in its mission of preserving and honoring the memories of the men who fought for France during World War I.

CHALLENGE

Each government record consists of handwritten information: name, date of birth and birthplace; date, place and cause of death; military rank; recruitment data; etc. However, many of the 1.3 million records also contain medical information that needs to remain confidential in order to meet the privacy requirements set forth by French legislation. The Ministry of Defense required a solution that could extract the handwritten information, while indexing and making available for searching on the Internet only the details that were considered public information.

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