digitize

Digitize refers to the process of converting information into a digital representation that can be stored, processed, and transmitted by computers and other digital devices. The digitized form uses discrete numerical values, enabling computational manipulation, search, and long-term storage.

Digitization typically involves capturing a source—such as a physical document, an analog photograph, an audio recording, or a map—then sampling, encoding, and storing it in a standard digital format. Common outcomes include PDF or TIFF for documents, WAV or MP3 for audio, MP4 for video, and GeoTIFF or vector data for maps.

The practice supports archiving, preservation, accessibility, and analysis. Digitized materials can be indexed, searched, and integrated with other digital data. However, digitization can introduce errors (for example, OCR mistakes), incurs costs, and raises issues of copyright, privacy, and format obsolescence.

In common usage, digitize contrasts with digitization and digitalization. Digitize is the act of converting to digital form. Digitization refers to the process itself, while digitalization describes broader organizational change that uses digital technologies to redesign workflows and services.