Digitising an archive is not simply a matter of converting paper documents into PDF files. The real breakthrough comes when information can be understood, connected and retrieved in seconds; when it is no longer locked away in a folder but becomes part of a system capable of supporting decision-making.
That is the aim of the new project being undertaken by Ineco for the State Roads Authority in Castilla-La Mancha, based in Toledo: to transform historical and current compulsory purchase records into a structured digital knowledge base ready to be exploited through automation and artificial intelligence.
The project will integrate administrative, financial and technical documentation relating to the various interventions carried out across the road network into a centralised repository. Rather than a conventional digitisation exercise, the initiative seeks to create an environment in which every document can be identified, classified and linked to the wider body of available information.
One of the project’s key components will be the use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and image recognition technologies. These tools make it possible to interpret document contents, extract relevant information and turn previously difficult-to-access texts into searchable and analysable data.Building on this foundation, automation through Python and PowerShell developments will streamline tasks such as the standardised renaming of files, metadata assignment and document organisation according to shared criteria. Automated classification and dynamic search capabilities will enable users to locate records using references such as dates, projects, land plots, property owners or specific concepts.The result will be a database designed not only to identify where each file is stored but also to provide precise access to the information contained within it. This capability will be particularly valuable when responding to enquiries related to infrastructure works, cadastral records, land registries or private property owners, which currently often require manual searches through extensive volumes of documentation.
Artificial intelligence also opens the door to a shift from a reactive approach to information management, in which documents are retrieved only when needed, towards a more integrated model capable of identifying relationships between records, anticipating information requirements and accelerating administrative procedures.The technological work is complemented by the involvement of Ineco’s lawyers, valuation experts and geographic information systems (GIS) specialists. Their contribution will help establish links between digitised documents, completed projects and the physical reality of the territory, cross-checking information against cadastral and Land Registry records.
One of the project’s most ambitious challenges is the integration of the documentary repository with GIS platforms and BIM (Building Information Modelling) systems. This will allow information relating to road assets, associated infrastructure and the public highway domain to be accessed directly through its geographic location, linking every point on the network to the corresponding records and project documentation.All information will be housed within a centralised environment featuring access controls and full traceability, enabling organisations to monitor who accesses or modifies content while ensuring compliance with data protection requirements.
Through this project, Ineco is transforming a documentary archive into a digital knowledge infrastructure. The platform is designed to reduce search times, automate processes and connect legal, technical and geographic information that has until now remained fragmented.The memory of the road network will no longer be organised solely through files and folders. Instead, it will become accessible, interconnected information, ready to support a more agile and intelligent model of public administration.
