In the US, most (possibly all) states do not allow electronic signing of drawings but require the engineer of record to hand sign the documents.
I understand that there are significant efforts underway to create methods of applying electronic signatures to documents, not only engineering in nature, but also financial, contractual, etc. I don't know how far this has gotten.....anyone out there have any more knowledge about this?
At the moment, no cost effective method comes to mind. What I am about to try is creating an attribute that I can insert into the title block where the signature goes. This is the best method I can come up with since I have a small department of 3. I cannot afford to dedicate people to a blueline function and prefer to keep a drawing database on the server. Each engineer can keep his signature block on his home directory, keeping it isolated from anyone else. Yes I know you can copy it once it is placed on a drawing but there is also a certain amount of ethics that comes with this job. I will be attempting to get this passed for our ISO certification. Hope it works! Tommy
Why is there a difference between paper and electronic copies of drawings?
How do the computer engineers certify and verify their work?
In Manitoba we had a case where the paper drawings were copied and the engineer seal fraudently applied. This can happen without regard for the media of the drawings.
I think that electronic drawings should be easier to verify (checksums can be used) than paper copies.
The bottom line is if you have ever sent a sealed piece of paper out of your control the seal can be copied and modified.
Why not have a depository of electronic drawings in the engineering professional association? (It would be easier to manage than having a paper copy depository) Then if there is a question as to its validity, the copies in the wild can be compaired to the copy on file.
Electronic signatures are becoming common for commerce, why not engineering?
The US Government passed a law a year years ago (~1998) that made electronically faxed signatures legal. Many believe this also covers electronically generated signatures as well. "Happy the Hare at morning for she is ignorant to the Hunter's waking thoughts."
