What is FADGI? Everything You Need to Know About Federal Imaging Standards

Use these FADGI FAQs to get up-to-date on best practices for historical document preservation

Businesses around the world are reaping the benefits of digital transformation. Even government agencies are going paperless. However, there’s more to digitization than simply scanning and uploading. It’s critical to preserve important files in their historical context. This requires specific processes and tools.

In the United States, the guidelines for federal agencies’ media preservation have been outlined in the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI). But what is FADGI and who does it affect? These FADGI FAQs will answer your questions.

What is FADGI and why was it created?

FADGI was created in 2007 “to articulate common sustainable practices and guidelines for digitized and born-digital historical, archival, and cultural content.” In other words, FADGI was created to help preserve important files in their original context, which might include imperfections and details that would otherwise be lost.

Generally speaking, quality is the most important metric when digitizing files. For documents and images, this might mean removing any flaws that didn’t appear originally. However, in some cases, those markings tell a story that shouldn’t be lost in the digital transformation. As Vaughn Minger, Manager, National Sales - East at PFU America, Inc. puts it, “There’s a lot more to FADGI-compliant scanning than just copying images. Historical documents have additional details that tell us a lot about them. Every watermark, blemish, or artifact tells a story, and it’s important to tell that story. It’s not just about image quality, as modern scanners often remove these imperfections. It’s about preserving a piece of history, which means archiving these documents in their true forms.”

Who and what does FADGI affect?

FADGI affects any permanent record stored by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). That means these guidelines primarily affect government organizations working to digitize historically significant files.

FADGI has two separate subgroups: the Still Image Working Group and the Audio-Visual Working Group. These groups have different goals and deliverables, but the core objective is the same: preserving important files as they make the transition from analog to digital.

FADGI guidelines went into effect for digitized files on January 1, 2023. By June 2024, “federal agencies must manage all permanent records in an electronic format.” In other words, the government is going fully digital starting next year, making FADGI compliance even more relevant to archivists and historians.

How is FADGI calculated?

While the FADGI Star System is fairly straightforward, understanding how to meet those standards is more complex. There are 17 evaluation parameters outlined by the Still Image Group, among them:

• Sampling frequency: In technical terms, sampling frequency “measures the potential spatial resolution of a digital image.” This is calculated as pixels per inch (PPI) or per millimeter. Sampling frequency helps archivists determine the size and quality of the original image.
• White balance error: This measures “color neutrality” in the original digital file. FADGI notes that “the definition of neutral is not universal,” but “Digitization workflows are increasingly adopting the L*a*b* color mode” that defines neutral as 0 on the a* and b* axes.
• Lightness uniformity: Images should have a fairly even field of illumination, which may require the use of FADGI-compliant software to achieve. FADGI warns against “aggressive corrections” that can introduce artifacts into the final image.
• Sharpening: Many digital imaging tools automatically sharpen images to artificially enhance their quality, but a sharper image isn’t the same as one with higher resolution. While sharpening isn’t inherently a negative, it can irreversibly alter an image. Therefore, FADGI warns to use this feature sparingly.
• Noise: If you’ve ever seen what looked like a grainy filter on an old photograph, you’ve seen one of the most common examples of noise. Where most digitization tools aim to remove noise, FADGI-compliant files should use noise reduction in moderation.

Are there penalties for non-compliance?

While there are currently no monetary or punitive penalties for not meeting FADGI guidelines, non-compliance will result in a lot of extra work and wasted time. Files that don’t comply with FADGI guidelines may be rejected and have to undergo the digitization process again. To avoid creating bottlenecks in the archiving process, invest in the proper technology before undergoing digitization.

What technology is needed to achieve FADGI compliance?

Government agencies affected by these guidelines will need FADGI-compliant records management software and scanner hardware. Records management software streamlines the maintenance of digital files. Competent software should record the data of creation, as well as any updates to the original upload. It should also make these files easy to identify and retrieve.

When it comes to scanner technology, the strategic move is to find hardware that’s already FADGI-compliant. This way, you won’t have to analyze every individual specification to see if it meets the standards for noise reduction, sharpness, white balance error, and so on. The right scanner should also be fast and efficient; with that June 2024 deadline fast approaching, there’s no time to waste.

Our recommendation: FADGI-compliant fi Series scanners

Those in the market for a high-speed document scanner have no shortage of options, but achieving FADGI compliance isn’t quite so simple. We take great pride in having spent the last 50+ years researching, designing, and developing some of the most advanced and powerful electronics in the world, including our professional grade fi and SP series of scanners, which are ahead of the curve when it comes to preserving historical documents.

Built to purpose for the most demanding document handling jobs, fi and SP scanners are capable of processing tens of thousands of pages per day at the highest levels of accuracy. Their intuitive integration capabilities with all existing work suites minimize time-to-value for businesses looking to invest in tools that will pay dividends for years to come.

For those in need of FADGI-compliant scanners, RICOH offers several models that are FADGI MTR compliant when calibrated appropriately. Choosing a scanner that’s already FADGI compliant makes it far easier to meet these guidelines, putting your agency ahead of the pack when it comes to digitization. Click here to learn more or shop the rest of our production scanner line.

Note: Information and external links are provided for your convenience and for educational purposes only, and shall not be construed, or relied upon, as legal or financial advice. PFU America, Inc. makes no representations about the contents, features, or specifications on such third-party sites, software, and/or offerings (collectively “Third-Party Offerings”) and shall not be responsible for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of such Third-Party Offerings. Please consult with a licensed professional regarding your specific situation as regulations may be subject to change.