The Client
ENI
ENI, short for Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi, is one of the world’s leading energy companies. Founded in Italy in 1953, it has a strong global presence, focusing on the exploration, production, and commercialization of oil and natural gas.
Partners
Activities performed
Project Design
Development of Cataloging Software Platforms
Creation of a Digital Library
OPAC Development (Online Public Access Catalog)
Digital Archival Consultancy
Context and needs
In 2018, ENI launched a Digital Program that included around 200 digital initiatives, spanning both research and the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies. This program was integrated into ENI's 2018-2021 strategic plan, with the goal of generating economic and operational benefits during that time frame.
A significant part of this digital strategy focused on the historical archive. In this context, ENI decided to digitize its archive, starting with the most requested and historically significant documents. The goal was to preserve the materials while also making them partially accessible to researchers and scholars who cannot physically visit the Historical Archive.
In recent years, ENI has made significant strides in consolidating its archival content management platforms. This allowed the company to launch new campaigns for migrating collections and databases into the archival hub represented by the xDams Open Source platform (www.xdams.org), developed by Regesta.exe. Simultaneously, this laid the groundwork for a large-scale project to digitize and acquire documents and photographic collections, including works by renowned photographers such as Bruno Stefani, Federico Patellani, Aldo Ballo, and Mimmo Jodice. Additionally, ENI has continued its efforts to organize and catalog the Technical Drawings Archive, which documents the extensive technical design work carried out by ENI since the 1950s.
This work has resulted in a comprehensive digital historical archive, rich with informational and visual material that chronicles the changes in Italy from the 1950s to the present day, through the lens of ENI, a company that bridges past and future.
The Project, technology and solution
The digitization process and acquisition of digital materials associated with the documents aim to provide controlled and periodic access to ENI’s Digital Library for various batches of digitized documents. This significant effort required the use of sophisticated tools and innovative methodologies. Additionally, the ability to read different types of materials (books or individual documents) and perform text searches in digitized materials, indexed through Optical Character Recognition (OCR), was developed.
ENI’s portal uses cutting-edge technologies for accessing and displaying materials, providing targeted tools for users, especially those with scientific interests. The goal of the archive is to communicate the historical value of its collection in a scientific language and to guide specialized users, such as economists and political and social scientists, in finding relevant materials for their studies. This is achieved through curated research paths that include in-depth document analysis on specific themes, offering a comprehensive perspective on:
- Historical sources
- Legal, political, and economic value of the archive
- Historical significance
These guided research paths are a key feature of the ENI Historical Archive portal, serving as a meeting point for passionate users and specialists alike. The portal offers both informal and scientific approaches to discovering archival materials. Users exploring the eni.com portal can delve into their interests with guided assistance, without the need for specialized searches, thanks to the platform’s tools and search engine.
Achievements
One of the key accomplishments of this work has been the creation of a consultation portal for digital archives. Now, all archival descriptions are accessible in various ways. The aim of this project is to make all digitized documents available online for consultation.
The digitization operation has enabled access to high-resolution scans of the most important series in the archive. In its first year, over 700,000 pages were digitized, with OCR used in some cases. The program is set to acquire 2.8 million digital pages, covering various materials and formats, including A4 documents, books, maps, technical drawings, and press reviews. These materials represent 80% of the total documentation described. The acquisition project mainly focuses on several document categories, including the Presidents’ Series (Mattei, Cefis, Boldrini, Girotti, Sette), the minutes of the ENI and Agip Board of Directors, financial statements from ENI and Agip, and other series such as Planning, International Relations, External Relations, Production and Research, and the Ecos magazine.
Currently, the minutes of the Board of Directors and Council meetings, financial statements from ENI and Agip, and the magazines Il Gatto Selvatico and Ecos, along with over 2,000 images and approximately 150 historical films, are available online.
In parallel, the digitization of the Photographic Archive, which began in 2010, is ongoing and now provides researchers access to 50,000 high-resolution images. Additionally, the Audiovisual Archive has been digitized, with 350 documentaries and films, most of which have been restored and are now available in high resolution.
