{"id":5006,"date":"2012-03-27T15:57:47","date_gmt":"2012-03-27T15:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/digitization\/"},"modified":"2023-11-30T13:57:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T13:57:46","slug":"digitization","status":"publish","type":"definition","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization","title":{"rendered":"Digitization"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span id=\"what_does_digitization_mean\">What Does Digitization Mean?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Digitization is the process of converting physical source material into digital source material. The goal of digitization is to preserve and protect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/784\/analog\">analog<\/a> information and make it possible for computing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/2185\/device\">devices<\/a> to work with it.<\/p>\n<p>Traditional analog formats store information in a continuous form. (Think of the grooves on a vinyl record or the varying magnetic fields on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6341\/cassette\">cassette tape<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, digital formats use a discrete, binary system that consists of 0s and 1s to store information. This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6144\/binary\">binary representation<\/a> is a fundamental component of digitization.<\/p>\n<h3>Techopedia Explains<\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s important to note that the terms <strong>digitization<\/strong> and <strong>digitalization<\/strong> are often confused. Despite sounding similar, the two terms represent two distinct concepts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Digitization<\/strong> is a fairly narrow concept that involves converting non-digital information into a digital format. This process may involve scanning a physical document and saving it as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/1895\/portable-document-format-pdf\">PDF<\/a>, for example.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Digitalization<\/strong> is a broader concept that involves the integration of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/604\/digital-definition\">digital technology<\/a> into all areas of business and society. To avoid confusion, the concept of digitalization is increasingly being referred to as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/30119\/digital-transformation\">digital transformation<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"how_digitization_works\">How Digitization Works<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>1. The first step of any digitization initiative involves identifying what source material is going to be digitized. <a href=\"https:\/\/wittysparks.com\/digitizing-old-historical-documents\/\" target=\"_blank\">Historical documents<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/best-photo-scanning-apps\/\" target=\"_blank\">family photos<\/a> have always been popular candidates for digitization. Videotape and long-playing records (LPs) are also becoming a focus for digital preservation efforts, because they can also degrade over time.<\/p>\n<p>2. The next step is to select the right process to convert the source material. Popular digitization processes include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Scanning<\/strong>: This involves using a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/30441\/scanner\">scanner<\/a> to create a digital image of the original source material. Scanners come in various types and sizes, each of which is suited for different purposes. Popular types of scanners include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/2197\/flatbed-scanner\">flatbed scanners<\/a>, feed-forward scanners, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/3598\/handheld-scanner\">handheld scanners<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Capturing:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/12704\/digital-camera\">Digital cameras<\/a> are often used to digitize extremely large or extremely fragile source materials. If multiple images are required to capture the original source material, they can be virtually stitched together later with software.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data Entry<\/strong>: When text source material can&#8217;t be scanned or captured directly, it can still be digitized by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/1177\/data-entry\">manually typing the information<\/a> into a computer device. This process is often used to convert text into a digital format when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/31623\/optical-character-recognition-ocr\">optical character recognition<\/a> (OCR) isn&#8217;t effective.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Optical Character Recognition (OCR)<\/strong>: This technology is often used to digitize images that contain text. OCR <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/4356\/software\">software<\/a> is designed to recognize which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/24012\/pixel\">pixels<\/a> in an image represent text and then convert those pixels into a digital text format.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Audio and Video Digitization<\/strong>: This digitization process is often used to convert legacy audio or video content into a digital format. It involves feeding the original playback device\u2019s output into an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/572\/analog-to-digital-converter-adc\">analog-to-digital converter<\/a> (ADC), which converts the analog signal into a digital format.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Signal Sampling<\/strong>: This type of digitization involves sampling the strength, or amplitude, of an analog signal at regular, predetermined intervals and converting the samples into numerical values. This process is essential for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/1745\/nyquists-law\">digitizing analog sound<\/a> and video signals so they can be processed and stored by electronic systems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Format Conversion<\/strong>: Sometimes, digital source material will still need to be converted to another format. In this context, the process will typically be referred to as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/973\/transcoding\">transcoding<\/a>\u00a0rather than digitalization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>3. Once the source material has been digitized, it is then encoded into a standard digital format. Common formats include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/2090\/portable-network-graphics-png\">PNG<\/a> for images, PDF for documents, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/903\/mpeg-1-audio-layer-3-mp3\">MP3<\/a> for audio, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/10713\/mpeg-4-part-14-mp4-multimedia-format\">MP4<\/a> for video.<\/p>\n<p>4. After the initial conversion, the new digital files can be edited for quality improvement. This might include cropping, adjusting brightness and contrast, cleaning up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/audio\/best-noise-cancelling-earbuds\">audio noise<\/a>, or other enhancements.<\/p>\n<p>5. Finally, the digital files are stored. Depending on how the digital content will be shared, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/23367\/digital-asset\">digital assets<\/a> may be stored on an internal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/5288\/hard-disk-drive\">hard disk drive<\/a>, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/hardware\/best-external-hard-drive\">external hard drive<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/23815\/thumb-drive\">thumb drive<\/a>, or in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/26535\/cloud-storage\">storage service provider\u2019s cloud<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"history_of_digitization\">History of Digitization<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Digitization has been driven by the development of new technologies and an increasing demand for more efficient and accessible ways to handle information.<\/p>\n<p>Significant advancements that fundamentally transformed how ordinary people chose to store, process, and transmit information include:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Personal Computers (PCs)<\/strong>: The introduction of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/4618\/personal-computer-pc\">personal computers<\/a> in the late 1970s and 1980s brought digital technology into homes and businesses around the world. This era saw a significant increase in digitization as computers became more accessible and software that was capable of handling various types of digital data became more widely available.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Optical Character Recognition (OCR)<\/strong>: OCR technology, which can convert typed, printed, or hand-written text into a digital format, became more commonplace in the 1970s and 1980s. This technology was crucial for digitizing large volumes of printed materials and automating data entry processes that were previously time-consuming.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Audio and Video Digitization<\/strong>: The 1980s and 1990s also saw significant advancements in the digitization of audio and video. The introduction of compact discs (CDs) in the 1980s digitized the way musical content was stored, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/32079\/digital-versatile-disc-dvd\">DVDs<\/a> in the 1990s did the same for video.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Internet and the World Wide Web<\/strong>: The growing popularity of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/2419\/internet\">Internet<\/a> in the 1990s was a major milestone, leading to the digitization of information on an unprecedented scale.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Digital Cameras<\/strong>: By the turn of the century, digital cameras began to replace film cameras. It wasn\u2019t long before the process of capturing and storing images became almost exclusively digitalized.<\/p>\n<p><strong>21st-Century Technology<\/strong>: The early 21st century has seen an explosion in digitization, fueled by the advent of smartphones, tablets, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/2\/cloud-computing\">cloud computing<\/a>,\u00a0and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/28247\/internet-of-things-iot\">Internet of Things<\/a> (IoT). This era is characterized by the digitization of almost everything &#8212; from books and newspapers to television and radio.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"benefits_of_digitization\">Benefits of Digitization<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Converting analog information into a digital format offers a wide variety of benefits that have revolutionized the way people store, access, and share information.<\/p>\n<p>Key advantages include:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div class=\"su-table su-table-responsive su-table-alternate\"><\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Advantages<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Description<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Durability<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Analog content can degrade over time due to physical factors like wear and tear.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Redundancy<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Digital information can easily be <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/18707\/data-redundancy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">replicated to ensure its preservation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> without introducing errors.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Easy Access<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Digital information can be easily accessed by computers and other digital devices over a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/5526\/local-area-network-lan\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">local area network<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (LAN) or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/5409\/wide-area-network-wan\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">wide area network<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (WAN).<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Easy Retrieval<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Digitization allows specific information to be searched for and retrieved quickly and efficiently.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Improved Storage and Organization<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Digital information<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/1115\/storage\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">can be stored<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in a compact and organized manner that requires significantly less physical space than legacy analog counterparts.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Remote Collaboration<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Digitized information makes it possible for individuals who are located in different geographical boundaries to view the same digitized content virtually.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Data Manipulation and Analysis<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Digital information can be manipulated, analyzed, and processed locally or in the cloud.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Accessibility and Inclusion<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once information is digitized, it can be made more <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/5-common-questions-about-website-accessibility\/2\/33873\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">accessible to individuals with disabilities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"challenges_of_digitization\">Challenges of Digitization<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Digitization has revolutionized the way people store, access, and share text, images, video, and audio content. However, large projects are not without their challenges for business. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"3:4-3:275\"><strong>Resource and Cost Considerations<\/strong>: Digitization projects can be resource-intensive and expensive. Large digitization projects will often require specialized equipment and software. Organizations need to carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of digitization before undertaking such projects.<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"5:4-5:217\"><strong>Data Integrity and Preservation<\/strong>: It\u2019s important to ensure the long-term integrity and preservation of digitized information. This involves implementing robust <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/5422\/data-management\">data management<\/a> practices, establishing reliable storage solutions, and developing strategies for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/1180\/data-migration\">data migration<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/13924\/planned-obsolescence\">obsolescence management<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"7:4-7:312\"><strong>Copyright and Intellectual Property Issues<\/strong>: Digitization can raise copyright and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/5521\/intellectual-property-ip\">intellectual property<\/a> (IP) concerns, especially when dealing with historical or sensitive materials. Organizations need to establish clear copyright guidelines and obtain necessary permissions before digitizing copyrighted works.<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"9:4-9:281\"><strong>Data Quality and Standardization<\/strong>: Inconsistent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/952\/file-format\">file formats<\/a>, missing data elements, and poor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/14653\/data-quality\">data quality<\/a> can hinder the effectiveness of digitization efforts. It\u2019s important for organizations to establish procedures for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/1174\/data-cleansing\">data cleansing<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/10283\/data-validation\">data validation<\/a> before launching a digitization project.<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"15:4-15:272\"><strong>Technical Expertise and Training<\/strong>: Digitization can sometimes require unique technical skills for operating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/2230\/legacy-device\">legacy equipment<\/a>. Depending on the project, organizations may need to invest in training or seek external support to ensure the project&#8217;s success.<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"17:4-17:269\"><strong>Integration with Existing Systems<\/strong>: Digitized information needs to be integrated seamlessly with existing data systems and workflows to maximize its value. Organizations need to carefully plan the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/28290\/data-integration\">data integration<\/a> process to avoid disruptions and ensure that digitized content can be used effectively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Does Digitization Mean? Digitization is the process of converting physical source material into digital source material. The goal of digitization is to preserve and protect analog information and make it possible for computing devices to work with it. Traditional analog formats store information in a continuous form. (Think of the grooves on a vinyl [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7813,"featured_media":132219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"definitioncat":[242,266],"class_list":["post-5006","definition","type-definition","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","definitioncat-general-computing","definitioncat-tech-101"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.2 (Yoast SEO v24.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is Digitization? - Definition from Techopedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This definition explains the difference between digitization and digitalization, and the benefits and challenges of digitizing content.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Digitization\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This definition explains the difference between digitization and digitalization, and the benefits and challenges of digitizing content.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Techopedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/techopedia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-30T13:57:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Digitization.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@techopedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Margaret Rouse\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f5dd538e31ee352d105b8af36c4268a5\"},\"headline\":\"Digitization\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-03-27T15:57:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-30T13:57:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization\"},\"wordCount\":1384,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Digitization.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization#respond\"]}],\"articleSection\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/6846\/digitization\",\"name\":\"What is Digitization? 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