OCR Full Form

OCR full form is Optical Character Recognition and helps in converting data or texts from scanned paper records or photographs of documents clicked from your digital camera. One of the prime objectives that led to the invention of OCR is enabling machines to create soft copies after interpreting scanned documents. With the help of this technology documents containing text are translated into codes that are further used for data processing. 

What is OCR Full Form?

As mentioned above OCR full form is Optical Character Recognition, and it translates scanned documents. An OCR system can be simply called a mixture of software and hardware, converting printed documents into machine-readable codes. Generally, this technology is applicable in turning legal hard copies into PDF files to edit and format the document. 

Both the hardware and software play a vital part in the process of document transportation from a hard copy to a soft copy. The optical scanner first reads the text while the software part completes the processing work. 

Overview of the OCR

Understanding the Working of an OCR system

OCR technology works by displaying the characteristics of software and hardware. To convert a printed document into a PDF file, the scanner in the OCR system processes the physical document and the software turns a document into two color versions. The scanned output is segregated into dark and light areas; light areas are defined as background whereas darker spaces become characters. 

Following recognition of two areas, darker spaces undergo processing to find numeric digits or letters. Though OCR systems might use different techniques, targeting a block, character or word remains the same for each system. Two types of the algorithm are used to identify the character and they are:

• Feature detection: To recognize characters, OCR systems use specific rules concerning features of numbers or letters. Some of the features that the system takes into account include curves, lines, and angled lines present in a character. For example, letter A can be recognised as two diagonal lines meeting horizontal lines. 
• Pattern recognition: Optical character recognition is shown in some formats and fonts used in different texts for comparing and recognizing characters in a document.

After the character identification process, those are transformed into ASCII code so that the computer can conduct further steps to finally turn it into a proper PDF file.

Brief History of OCR Technology

The first use of OCR technology dates back to reading devices curated for visually impaired people including telegraphy. Emanuel Goldberg, in 1914, curated a machine that could easily read characters and transform them into telegraph codes. An Optophone handheld scanner was produced that moved around a printed page and created tones that have a close correspondence with some characters or letters.

In 1974, Ray Kurzweil established Kurzweil computer products that could spot text printed in any font. His discovery was especially centered around blind people's learning. Kurzweil then invented a machine that could easily read aloud texts. The technology gained prominence in the 1990s and converted information into digital history newspapers. Gradually, a lot of updates were encountered in the software which enables it to be used in various industries.

Studying the Types or Categories of an OCR Technology

Optical character recognition system can be classified into different categories or types based on the purpose it serves. Below is a list of some of the common types of OCR.

• Optical mark recognition: Besides text, a document contains other elements like watermarks, symbols, or logos, optical mark recognition identifies the elements in a document.
• Simple optical character recognition: This category of OCR system saves or stores text and image patterns into templates. For comparing characters or images, it uses pattern-matching algorithms.
• Intelligent word recognition: Intelligent word recognition works use neutral networks for analyzing text. They use whole-word images to convert a document.
• Intelligent character recognition: It aims at reading text the same as a human being. Advanced techniques are adopted to turn machines into humans.

Components in an OCR Technology

OCR has been considered a disruptive technology enabling different industries to utilize its benefits. Certain components make this system function seamlessly, explore them below:

• Image acquisition

OCR has an inbuilt scanner that reads a document and produces binary data. The scanned images are closely analysed by this technology that further segregates light and dark backgrounds. In tsi, light areas are represented as background while dark spaces denote text.

• Preprocessing

Prior to reading a document, the software properly conducts a clean-up process of images so that no error remains. Some of the major cleaning methods include deskewing scene documents to edit alignment, cleaning boxes and lines in images, etc.

• Pattern matching

Pattern matching tries isolating the character image which is trends as glyph which is then compared with stored glyph. The process works when the input glyph font matches with that of the stored glyph. 

• Feature extraction

This feature decomposes glyphs into different constituents like intersections, closed loops, and line directions. After an analysis, the software extracts the one that matches best with the stored glyphs. 

Why are OCRs Widely Used?

OCR is widely used across a wide array of industries like banking, logistics, or healthcare for its effective algorithm in converting hard copies into soft copies. It won’t be wrong to say that an OCR technology at times falls part of the artificial intelligence a business implements. 

Here we have listed down some of the benefits one can reap from an OCR technology

• OCR technology can be found prevalent in the business sector as it enables converting large-scale printed documents into soft copies without much hassle. Many business organizations price text databases with the help of data analytics software for processing documents. 
• OCR offers an effective solution for scanning road signs in self-driving cars, identifying product packaging, and even scanning number plates. It almost plays the role of artificial intelligence and helps organizations make better marketing decisions and also improve customer experience.
• With the use of optical character recognition, people can easily turn printed papers into PDF documents. 
• You can transform handwritten copies into documents that can be edited for any verification.

Which are the Popular Industries that Use OCR?

As already mentioned in the article OCR being a disruptive technology finds its use across several industries. Let’s check them out.

Logistics

Tracking labels, receipts, and invoices in logistics companies is done by the optical character recognition system. The traditional way of manually entering data was time-consuming, the use of OCR brought swiftness and operational efficiency into the process.

Banking

Banks use OCR to curb the incidences of illegal transactions or any other financial forgery. The paperwork and loan documents are verified using optical character recognition. Several banks and financial institutions use this technology to ensure the validity of documents.

Healthcare

Be it processing patients’ medical records or health insurance, the healthcare sector widely uses OCR technology to reduce the hassle of manual work. streamlining huge data turns easier with the booming technology. 

Hopefully, the above-mentioned facts concerning OCR technology have enabled you to understand its functions, uses, and benefits. It is certainly helping various sectors with the high-grade in-built technology.