Erfassung

Erfassung is a German noun that denotes the act of capturing, recording, collecting, or registering information, objects, or persons. The word derives from the verb erfassen, which in addition to “seize” or “grasp” can mean to take in or to record something mentally or mechanically. In practice, Erfassung refers to the initial step of obtaining data or data-like entities before processing, analysis, or storage.

In data handling and information systems, Erfassung describes the process of gathering and entering data from observations, transactions, sensors, or questionnaires into databases or information systems. It may be manual, such as transcription from paper forms, or automated, for example through barcode scanning, OCR, APIs, or sensor integration. The Erfassung stage is typically followed by validation, storage, and processing.

In administrative and organizational contexts, Erfassung covers registering or enrolling individuals, objects, or events in a system—for example citizen data in a registry, customer records in a CRM, or the logging of occurrences in a workflow. In surveying and geoinformation, Erfassung refers to field data collection, including measurements, feature delineation, and attribute gathering, which are later processed into digital maps or models.

In research, Erfassung denotes the measurement or observation of variables and the collection of empirical data, as distinct from analysis or interpretation. High-quality Erfassung requires clear definitions, standardized procedures, proper metadata, and validation to ensure data quality and comparability.