The RNLI, for example, actually has over 20,000 images. It required a 3-phase approach to implement the system. Internal availability of photos is the latest phase which opens up access to archived photosvia an intranet from RNLI head office, nine branch offices and four divisional bases.

Derek King, RNLI photo archivist and photographer says, “Previously we would have had to ensure we stock-piled a selection of photos for the event. Now there is no need. The majority of our originals have been scanned into the Picdar system and can be sent electronically within minutes.

“This has not only saved us a considerable amount of time and resource, it has, more importantly, enabled us to achieve greater visibility within the press because we can meet their deadlines.”King concludes: “I am confident that in the near future Picdar’s Media Mogul will more than have paid for itself in terms of resources, reduction in carriage charges, photographic processing and the ability to help us achieve greater press visibility. All of these savings being vital to an organisation that is wholly supported by voluntary donations.”

Phase One involved the conversion of 15,000 archived images into digital images on the digital asset management (DAM) system. Phase Two saw the sourcing and conversion of a further 5,000 modern and international photos. The final phase will see the picture library being made available to all of its 224 lifeboat stations throughout the UK.

More than 20,000 images have been converted into Picdar’s DAM system and images date back to 1886 when a photograph was first taken of the flagship RNLI lifeboat.

Typically, these images are used across the whole organisation for promotional material; sea safety and beach rescue leaflets; presentations; Lifeboat Magazine, its in-house publication; its website; for recruitment and for displays at the Southampton and London Boat Shows.

Implementing Picdar’s solution has also made the sourcing and distribution of photographs far easier and more efficient for external customers. This was selfevident during the RNLI’s 175th anniversary when demand for historical images was intensive.

Sport exposes Picdar power
In this press application, Sport Newspapers Ltd has recently commissioned Picdar’s Media Mogul system to transform its current image intake, image and text storage and retrieval for its range of titles. Every day Sport Newspapers’ titles handle over 3,000 images, including over 400 pictures a day by email alone, making efficient asset management an essential requirement of its business.

“Picdar’s Media Mogul fulfilled all our criteria, ensuring that Sport Newspapers will be able to maintain its competitiveness,” says Richard Clayton, Sport Newspapers executive director. “It also increases efficiency and productivity by improving the current picture / library departments’ labour-intensive production methods. The changes will produce significant financial savings.”

Picdar will install its award winning Media Mogul suite of products that include Picture Desk and the Media Mogul DAM solution. Integral to the Media Mogul Picture Desk is E-Loader, part of an image ingestion system that will save Sport Newspapers upwards of 8 man-hours a day by automatically handling and categorising all incoming pictures.

Technical Director of Sport Newspapers, Andrew Fickling said: “The growth in volume of our digital assets was making search and retrieval increasingly difficult, and I am confident that Picdar’s Media Mogul solutions will address these issues by effective control of the whole asset handling process.”

Picdar’s systems will resolve many of its picture related management problems, for example, the system will automatically keep the Mail server free of large image files preventing the frustration of mailboxes becoming full and unusable.