Evidence by audio-visual system

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The Shipman Inquiry will make one of the most extensive uses of computer technology in history of legal hearings in Britain.

Up to one million sheets of evidence, statements and statutes have been catalogued and indexed before being scanned into the inquiry's computer system.

Items of information can be retrieved instantly during the public sessions, taking place in the council chamber at Manchester Town Hall extension.

A stenographer will record the proceedings verbatim using special computer software, allowing the transcript to be displayed on computer screens on desks in the chamber within minutes of being spoken.

A transcript of each day's hearing is also being published on the Inquiry website www.the-shipman-inquiry.org.uk

High-tech hearings like this one and the "Bloody Sunday" inquiry in Belfast are being seen as a breakthrough in the UK where paper evidence has always been seen as the rule of the day.

But officials say recent experience shows that an electronic system like this is time-efficient as it allows all participants to see evidence at the same time.

Two 3 metre by 4 metre screens have been set up in the chamber where evidence is being heard. One shows the person speaking at any time, via a system of voice-activated cameras known as "talking heads."

The second allows the public to see documents which are being referred to.

The documents will also be displayed on 29 computer monitors for lawyers, witnesses and inquiry officials.

The "talking heads" image and documents are both being relayed on closed circuit to monitors in a newly refurbished public viewing room at Hyde Library and to a media annex in Manchester Town Hall.

The system also enables participants to annotate or mark text so they can "hot key" back to any identified area.

The inquiry team say that to set up the audio-visual systems needed 380 individual data points in the hearing chamber, the wire from each point leading back to a special distribution rack.

More than five and a half miles of wiring, 150 power sockets, extra lighting and a network of loudspeakers have also been installed as well as desks to match existing furniture in the hearing chamber.

Manchester Town Hall is a protected building, and all the work was done in consultation with English Heritage who advised on preserving the historic features of the room. At the end of the inquiry equipment is being removed and the building returned to its original state.

The Inquiry computer network links the main Inquiry offices at Gateway House, near Manchester Piccadilly rail station, and Manchester Town Hall extension. The sites are connected by two 2Mb lease lines, with transferred data being encrypted to preserve security.