Teams of Department of Conservation (DOC) staff are working around the clock to help Civil Defence following Christchurch's devastating earthquake.
Staff are collating handwritten urban search and rescue (USAR) records into a database, so building search reports can be mapped to aid the recovery operation.
DOC spokeswoman Kirsty Percasky said the task was huge as it was estimated 27,000 buildings needed to be searched.
After each building was searched, USAR workers filled out a form with details including whether the building was safe to enter and what, if any, further action was required.
The work was crucial to ensure the safety of searchers and avoid unnecessary repeat searches, Ms Percasky said.
