"We are continuously looking for ways to improve services to our customers and the public. By streamlining our internal processes, Océ Engineering Exec software’s innovative technology enabled us to make a giant leap forward. It also provides a good platform for future plans to make plats available online."

J.P."Rick" Carney, DuPage County Recorder

The Freedom of Information Act requires that all land surveys be made part of the public record and therefore recorded at the local county Recorder’s Office. Representatives from land surveyors and title companies visit the DuPage County Recorder’s Office to submit six copies of their plats for distribution to county agencies to fulfill the recording process requirements. Before the implementation of Océ Engineering Exec software, recording plats was a time-consuming process that involved personnel and equipment within, as well as outside, the Recorder’s Office.

 

Regardless of whether the customer brought in the required six copies, or requested that the Recorder’s Office make six copies from an original for a small fee, an aperture card had to be made of each plat in order to enter it into the archive. The original, or a copy, of the plat was sent to the Microfilm Department to be photographed by a planetary camera. Descriptive plat data was punched on two aperture cards, and the film mounted. The original plat and the two aperture cards were then returned to the Recorder’s Office—4 to 6 weeks later! The original plat was sent back to the owner, one aperture card was shipped to the Recorder’s Office offsite storage, and the second aperture card was filed onsite. From the onsite aperture card, an 18"x 24"copy was made and bound into books that were stored on shelves for public access.

 

On a daily basis, the Recorder ’s Office received requests for copies of plats that had not completed the long aperture card production process. To fulfill these requests, a clerk had to go to the Microfilm Department, search for the correct plats and make copies from the originals. This procedure took over 30 minutes while each customer waited!

 

DuPage County Recorder’s Office customers faced other challenges when they needed copies of recorded or a chived plats. After accessing the county mainframe database to search for the subdivision name, the customer either requested copies of the plat from a clerk or viewed the 18"x 24" copy in the plat record books. The plat record books were very heavy and cumbersome. Each book weighed nearly 35 pounds! If the customer needed copies of the plat to take with him, a clerk had to locate the aperture card—sometimes in the files, sometimes in a drop box waiting to be filed—then make the requested copies. There were also image quality problems with copies made from the microfilm.

 

In addition to being time consuming, the entire plat recording and archiving process was labor and cost intensive. The microfilm process involved six county employees—two in the Recorder’s Office and four in the Microfilm Department. The process used expensive microfilm and data entry equipment managed by the Microfilm Department. Clerks in the Recorder’s Office spent an enormous amount of time in the Microfilm Department retrieving pre-microfilmed plats. And the 18"x 24" plat record books required a lot of storage space.

 

J.P. Carney, the DuPage County Recorder, knew there had to be a better way to provide faster and less expensive plat recording and copying services to his constituents. For help, he turned to Océ-USA, Inc. Carney was already familiar with Océ’s eliable and high quality workgroup copier/printers. Following a thorough workflow analysis, Carney implemented a total Océ solution incorporating Océ Engineering Exec software with some additional Océ scanning and printing equipment which has allowed the plat recording and copying procedures to become faster, easier and more cost efficient.

 

When customers bring plats to the DuPage County Recorder’s Office for recording, a clerk scans them on an Océ 9400 multi-function printing system to create an electronic file of the image. Using Océ Engineering Exec software, the clerk assigns a file name that contains the name of the property, the current year and a document/sheet number. A backup file is made for security. Customers etain original plats. The clerk distributes the plat files to county agencies on Zip® disks to fulfill the recording process.

 

Océ Engineering Exec software also allows easy retrieval of recorded plats for on-demand copy requests. At one of the four walk-up computer stations running Océ Engineering Exec software, customers simply search the Océ Doc Exec® digital archive for plat files. With the easy-to-use Electronic Job Ticket (EJT) user interface, customers create automatic job tickets to request printed copies. If needed, a clerk will assist a customer the first time they use EJT. But the system is so easy to use, a short one-page instruction sheet placed at each of the four stations lets most customers help themselves, minimizing clerk involvement.

 

The clerk retrieves the prints from the Océ 9600 printer, hands them to the customers and collects payment. Since copies are made from electronic files and not from microfilm, copy quality has dramatically improved. “The copies look better than the originals. Customers often comment on the excellent print quality,” said Leslie Hall, Supervisor of Research in the DuPage County Recorder’s Office.

 

Public access viewing of plats is also more user-friendly. The heavy plat record books have been eliminated. With Océ Engineering Exec software, customers can view plats on a PC screen with the integrated multi-functional viewer. Features such as zoom and rotation lets users see the smallest detail.

 

Backfile conversion was made by using Océ Engineering Exec software and the Océ 3000 microfilm scanner to scan existing aperture cards into the Océ Doc Exec digital archive. Scan quality was verified with Océ ViewStation® software and if necessary, scans were cleaned up. Now all plats recorded with the DuPage County Recorder’s Office are readily accessible to the public with the easy retrieval method of Océ Engineering Exec software.

 

The implementation of Océ Engineering Exec software has brought significant benefits to the DuPage County Recorder’s Office and its customers.

 

In the past, customers waited 30 minutes or more for a plat to be retrieved. The current digital process takes less than a minute. Fred Bucholz, Chief Deputy Recorder, states “Our customers have their own businesses to run. They really appreciate the time savings we created for them with the help of the Océ Engineering Exec software. They also appreciate the improved print quality that is a direct result of the Océ scanning technology. And very few customers miss carrying around the 35 lb. plat record books.”

 

 “My job is to obtain subdivision plats for my company from the DuPage County Recorder’s Office. In the past, all film was pulled by hand—which is a time-consuming and tedious process. Since the Océ Engineering Exec solution became operational, my job has become much easier and faster to complete. Océ Engineering Exec software cuts my research time in half to let me work more efficiently. I find the software effectiveness worthwhile and extremely user-friendly.” Austin R.Gieser, ARS Surveying Service Bolingbrook, Illinois

 

With the elimination of the microfilming step, the entire recording and retrieval process is now managed within the Recorder’s Office. This allows a much faster recording and archiving process. Plats are typically available within 24 hours after they are brought in for recording—a significant improvement from the 4–6 weeks it took previously.

 

The implementation of Océ Engineering Exec software has resulted in cost savings in many areas: