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Full Project – Design and implementation of electronic file management system for drug enforcement agency

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

An electronic file management system is a software system for organizing and storing different kinds of documents. This type of system is a more particular kind of document management system, a more general type of storage system that helps users to organize and store paper or digital documents. Electronic file management system refers more specifically to a software system that handles digital documents, rather than paper documents. Although in some instances, these systems may also handle digital scanned version of original paper documents.

An electronic file management system provides a way to centrally store a large volume of digital documents. Many of these systems also include features for efficient documentation retrieval (Mandal, et al., 2012).

Electronic file management systems can be defined as a group of information containing various type of documents that may exist in different places within a network and support multiple access, update and modification simultaneously and automatically (Asogwa, 2012). Electronic file management systems have been applied in different organizations across the world. It has helped organizations to be successful in terms of management strategy, budgetary, anti-corruption, security and privacy, user requirements, cooperation and systems integration (Abdulkadhim et al, 2015).

Alshibly (2016), indicated that electronic file management systems can be used to help organizations to achieve more efficient operations by reducing transaction costs, automating processes, improving capacity, minimizing errors, and saving on labor. Electronic file management systems have been used in governmental and public organizations. Electronic file management systems implementation studies in government sector began to grow in the early 2000s.

Researchers worldwide have conducted many studies in order to evaluate traditional file management system and electronic file management systems in terms of user performance and showed advantages of newly developed electronic systems (Anderson, 2012). As new technologies have been emerged, organizations have moved from traditional file management system to an electronic form of file management system since it facilitates the managerial work through file integration and control. Based on the previous studies, an electronic file management system provides many advantages including management support, budgetary, Security, Cooperation, performance, privacy and Systems integration (Abdulkadhim et al., 2015).

An electronic file management systems for drug enforcement agency is a system that can enable drug enforcement officers to record crime information online and also utilize the system to investigate or to find out the perpetrators of a given crime based on past criminal records. An Electronic file management system for drug enforcement agency can maintain a comprehensive database of crimes committed and it makes it very easy for the law enforcement agency to manage crime records. This is possible because the database can be queried based on different criteria such as type of crime, surname of suspects etc. when a crime is committed, the law enforcement agency such as the NDLEA use the name of suspects to match with their criminal record database so as to get the address of suspects and other related information that will facilitate questioning. However, maintain crime information manually and attempting to carry out investigation without the computer system could be very hectic. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is a Federal agency in Nigeria charged with eliminating the growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting, and trafficking of hard drugs.

Kodituwakku and Amarasinghe (2011) added that technological advancement, especially online technology brings about development considering the fact that the computer system is fast and accurate. Data/information can be easily accessed online from any location. In addition, it can store large volume of information thereby eliminating the need to record information traditionally with flat files. Law enforcement agencies such as NDLEA, has recognized the benefits of the computer system and they have adopted it to facilitate their operations such as investigation of crimes. Information that would have ordinarily required much time can be achieved in few seconds using the computer system. It is very important that computers are applied in crime investigation as it will save time and make the job faster.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Though no one person can be credited for inventing file management, the first known system was created by nomadic tribes writing on the walls of caves. Over time, this evolved to the scrolls system employed by ancient Rome, and as the world neared the end of the 1800s, the human race still relied on a very primitive form of document management (Kodmelwar et al., 2012).

According to Bjork (2015), the history of file management has its origins in the late nineteenth century with the invention of the file cabinet. In 1898, Edwin Grenville Seibels devised the vertical file system, in which paper documents are organized in drawers contained in stacked cabinets. These cabinets would remain the main method of document storage in the business world for the greater portion of the twentieth century.

However, there remain significant problems with this system. File cabinets take up lots of room, making them a cumbersome means of storage for businesses with limited office space. In addition, searching for specific documents among piles of paper requires a great deal of time and energy, as does manually filling out fields on paper. Searching for and modifying documents often takes employees, managers, and business owners away from other important responsibilities. To make matters worse, paper documents might be destroyed in disasters like fires and floods, or lost to theft. Most frequently, paper documents are simply misplaced.

It was during this time that Biel’s Photocopy Service began taking its place the history of document management. Specializing in the use of microfilm to photograph, modify, store, and reproduce unlimited copies of documents, Biel’s began operating on Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, in 1939. Early customers included the Buffalo Museum and Erie County Historical Society.

Kodmelwar, et al. (2012), pointed that the history of document management took a dramatic turn in the 1980s, with the increasing availability of computer technology. The development of servers allowed organizations to store documents electronically in centralized mainframes. This was the beginning of electronic document management system. Meanwhile, the invention of scanners allowed for the conversion of paper documents to digital documents. The rise of PCs gave businesses the ability to create and store documents on computers in the office.

Together, these developments spurred a shift from the physical to digital document management. However, the distribution of PCs was highly unstructured. Network deficiencies resulted in a lack of version control, audit trails, and security. Better systems of document management were needed.

In the 1980s, a file management system could be managed only by a word processing center operator. In the early 1990s, the development of more user-friendly systems allowed knowledge workers to operate electronic document management system on their own. File management system could now be used to collaborate directly with clients. Some companies, such as Biel’s Document Management previously Biel’s Photocopy Service adapted to the new trends by specializing in top-quality document management services. Companies like Biel’s provide a variety of cutting-edge tools to help businesses develop their own file management systems for greater efficiency, ease of access, and security (Mushtaque, et al., 2014).

Pai, et al. (2012) explained that the implementation of search engine technology soon made locating documents a breeze; full text searching allows knowledge workers to search a file management system for documents in the same way a user searches Google for information or media. Meanwhile, innovative use of the Internet led to the development of cloud technology, eliminating the need for companies to host their documents locally on expensive servers. Instead, companies can host their documents on the Cloud, which has become a vital part of modern document management system.

Today, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model has file management system infrastructure built into the Cloud, so that knowledge workers can create, modify, and share files from anywhere in the world even on their smartphones, with the touch of a screen.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Currently, most of the case reports in the Nigeria National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) are documented on paper file management system which constitutes office stuffiness and numerous file cabinets in the office. The paper documents stand high risk of being easily destroyed with water spills and fire hazards, and often litters the area. For integrated data gathering in NDLEA, an electronic document management system is needful for data and information management. Therefore, this study proposed an electronic file management system design for the NDLEA to enhance the process of creating, keeping and organizing data in the organization and handle all synchronization process.

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to design an electronic file management system for the Nigeria National Drug Law Enforcement. The objectives of the study are stated as follows:

To enhance the synchronization and processing of files
To store and retrieve a database file to facilitate the electronic file management system
To eliminate or minimize the system of paper file management system
To explicate the relevance of computerizing file management system in an organization

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study covers the design of an electronic file management system that will enable file storage and retrieval easily from MySQL database.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of the study is to provide a platform for organizations to easily store and retrieve files from database with ease and to save space, money and time in the processing of files.

1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study was affected by insufficient time available to expand on the scope of the study. Financial constraint was also an hindrance to the improvement on the scope of the study.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Access Rights/Permissions: This is the protection of documents are protected against unauthorized access. Rights/permissions can be set for access to specific departments, documents, status, and actions.

Administration: This is the process of overseeing the day to day activities of an institution in form of management and control

Archiving: In the context of records management, archiving means storing documents/records in unalterable format on paper, on long-term storage media, and on digital storage.

Annotations: Annotations are a layer to the document and do not impact the integrity of the original file (this is important for records management).

Backup: The procedure in which the archived documents and data creates a redundant copy of the data and images collected.

Capture: This generally means converting a paper document into a digital document and/or extracting data from a form. This allows quick access to information immediately and years into the future. Electronic documents can also be captured and added into a document repository.

Check in/Check out: Meaning, the latest version will always be the published version of a document. Meanwhile, if the doc is checked out, other users will have viewing access to the current latest version to prevent multiple people from working on the document at the same time.

Collaboration: This simply means placing the document in an accessible location for any party to fulfill their actions together with others is working in collaboration.

Configuration: Configuration is the process in which your repository is customized to the exact needs for each the specific documents and/or processes in your business.

Digital Signature: Digital signatures allow documents such as contracts to be approved without the need for printing them, physically signing them, and then scanning/faxing the signed document in order to return it.

Disaster Recovery: An area of security planning that aims to protect an organization from the effects of significant negative events (a “disaster” is defined as any event that disrupts business – natural or man-made). It planning allows an organization to maintain or quickly resume mission-critical functions following such an event.

Electronic Signature: A digital signature is a secure subset of electronic signatures.

Records Management: Refers to a set of activities required for systematically controlling the creation, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposition of recorded information maintained as evidence of business activities and transactions. Records management is an entire category of software (as well as career) in and of itself.

Electronic file management system: Electronic document and records management system is a type of content management system and refers to the combined technologies of document management and records management systems as an integrated system.

Document: a piece of written, printed, or electronic matter that provides information or evidence or that serves as an official record.

File: A document file format is a text or binary file format for storing documents on a storage media, especially for use by computers.

Management information system: A Management Information System is an information system used for decision-making, and for the coordination, control, analysis, and visualization of information in an organization.

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