| OCR
With accuracy
rates still reaching for perfection, manufacturers are moving towards
more experimental methods of reproducing the written word. A new
type of software, known as Voting OCR, enables the computer to decide
the 'best' choice among different OCR programs, and then automatically
place confidence in that program for the chosen area.
Says Ross, "it will extract from the three pieces of software
what it believes to be the best situation, and that will cut your
errors rate as much as eighty percent against using one single piece
of software." While Voting OCR eliminates most errors it is
much more expensive than typical programs and not recommended for
a small business unless it specializes in data entry.
Miller sees OCR development heading into aspects of artificial intelligence
as technology improves. "We're trying to get the software to
look at the document as a whole and make decisions based on the
overall feel of the piece," she says. Ross says the next step
is to make "software that would analyze the entire sentence,
and in the context of the sentence, find the missing word."
Surprisingly, business computers, and not programming technologies,
are currently holding back entry into the next level. "I don't
think the computers that we have today are powerful enough to do
this kind of recognition at the sentence or paragraph level,"
says Ross.
While OCR software isn't yet perfect, it is a proven time saver
for businesses in the process of converting paper-based documents
into digital resources. If your business would be improved by saving
a room full of paper on a floppy disk, OCR merits your investigation.
Take care, though, when it comes time to pick your program.
The OCR food chain runs the gamut, from entry level to top notch.
If you plan on scanning the occasional memo, the stripped down OCR
program that comes bundled with your scanner will probably make
do. In the same vein, if after reading this article you're ready
to dismiss your loyal staff of typists, you owe them the courtesy
of learning which OCR program will do the best job of replacing
them.
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