September 2017 Newsletter – Celebrating 20 Years

In 2004, Graphic Imaging Services was awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Interior.  The Project was to scan historical engineering records at the Hoover Dam. These dated back to 1909, before Hoover Dam was even built.  We are honored to have the opportunity to preserve history by scanning the records of one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World (Cadbury, 2011).

The project started by scanning the records in black and white. Soon, we had to scan both black and white and color records. At the time, each scanner was sold with one scanning option, both black and white or color.  To accommodate the change in scope, there had to be two scanners on site.  Thirteen years later, you can buy a scanner that has the ability to scan in black and white, color and grayscale.

Technology

The technology for the scanners has changed.  The Hoover Dam has also undergone upgrades.  In 2010, The Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge opened.  The Hoover Bypass cuts the driving time from Las Vegas to Phoenix by 30 minutes (Coleman & Hansen, 2010).

It is important to preserve the past so we can give the future generations a glimpse of it.  The Hoover Dam remains open to the public.  Visitors can experience this engineering wonder.  Hoover Dam is expected to last for centuries.  Engineers predict the structure could last for more than 10,000 years (B, 2017).  If there is a problem in the future, they can reference the engineering records scanned in 2004.