Land registries record matters concerning ownership of real estate and deliver important services to provide accountability for related legal and administration activities. The 7th Real Estate Registry Office, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil maintains the land registry for the region and provides related notary services.

CHALLENGE

Land registries facilitate a range of legal and administrative processes including matters relating property deeds, ownership and unlawful disposal. Importantly, land registries like the 7th office, provide critical services to deter fraud. Authentic information and being able to ensure the integrity of historic information is core to delivering all services.

Previously the Registry Office maintained a large microfilm archive, with document retrieval a slow and arduous process.

Microfilm and microfiche records are a common archival medium, however present challenges including decay and wear from handling, along with complicated retrieval processes.

As such digitisation is a key priority for many archives using microfilm. Digitisation offers incredible benefits such as easy access to information, metadata extraction and tagging and the opportunity to back up data for greater assurance.

However, only holding the records in an online environment can also expose them to risk. File corruption, technological obsolescence and online threats can result in data loss, while the risk of data manipulation undermines the core role of archives to keep authentic, accurate records.

For the 7th Real Estate Registry Office, finding a digital, long-term and secure solution was a key priority.

SOLUTION

The 7th Real Estate Registry office wanted to digitally transform their microfilm archive with a digital solution that could stand the test of time.

Core needs included a storage medium that could ensure authenticity and data integrity, while providing faster access. Piql’s purpose-built technology was an easy choice, offering the benefits of both the unique qualities of traditional microfilm and digital information. By storing digital information on repurposed photosensitive film, known as piqlFilm, we ensure that data remains authentic, accessible and secure. As an offline medium, it is not exposed to cyber threats or data manipulation and is completely immune to electromagnetic pulses (EMP), that would destroy other mediums like tape.

The 7th Real Estate Registry Office chose Piql to digitally transform their microfilm records, providing online accessibility with yearly production of piqlFilm, in two copies.

The information is stored once, can be read many times, ensures data stays alive for over 500 years and is unchangeable, providing absolute authenticity. With enhanced metadata extraction, information is also easily searchable, creating significant efficiency savings for the Registry office.