“IGDOC was the first web-based electronic file system in Uruguay.”
A software product that has allowed the paper file to be completely replaced by a product with exactly the same legal validity as handwritten signatures and documents.
In 2003, the National Ports Administration (ANP) was a pioneer among Uruguayan government agencies in beginning the process of removing paper from the management of files. Although some agencies had already adopted electronic tools too, nobody until then had made the decision to accept an electronic file as valid instead of printed paper.
The great virtue of IGDOC is that it was the first in Uruguay to manage to transfer the metaphor of paper to an electronic environment, that is, what used to be done on paper can now be done in electronic format. This achievement was a great step that brought enormous benefits by simply providing information in real time, measuring times, and, not least, being able to send information between offices in a split second regardless of distance.
This 2003 milestone was a turning point in Uruguay that encouraged other government organizations to follow suit and replace paper with electronic documents.
At present, IGDOC is part of the ecosystem of electronic file solutions in Uruguay. It is one of the platforms with the most organizations and the largest number of electronic files processed per year.
Uruguay is no doubt a benchmark in digital government, and electronic files are part of the portfolio of digital tools that has allowed the country to join the D9 – the group of the world's leading digital governments – in 2019.
