FDA records to go digital.

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About 20 million pages of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents and materials will be digitized, indexed, and consolidated as part of a five-year, $20-million contract awarded to Quality Associates Inc.

Currently, the agency's investigations and inspections records are stored in hard-copy files, on CDs, and in their original form, such as product packaging. As per the contract, however, Quality Associates will work onsite at about 20 FDA facilities across the country to digitize all that material. After the conversion, authorized FDA personnel will be able to search for and access specific information via a comprehensive digital archive, according to Washington Technology.

"Federal agencies, especially those involved in regulation and oversight, have archives that literally amount to millions of printed pages stored within thousands of hard-copy fries, CDs, and even floppy disks," Scott Swidersky, director of information systems at Quality Associates, told Washington Technology. "Digitizing, indexing, and consolidating information to make it readily accessible to the appropriate staff can significantly reduce the time needed to assemble supporting documentation."