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OCR

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May 1, 2024 3 minute read

Optical character recognition (OCR) is the mechanical or electronic conversion of images of typed, handwritten, or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used as a form of data entry from printed paper data records, whether passport documents, invoices, bank statements, or any other optical document. OCR is a common method of digitizing printed text so that it can be electronically searched, stored more compactly, displayed on-line, and used in machine processes such as machine translation, text-to-speech, and text mining. OCR is a field of research in pattern recognition, artificial intelligence, and computer vision.

Why Learn OCR?

There are many reasons why one might want to learn about OCR. Some people may be interested in learning about OCR simply out of curiosity. Others may need to learn about OCR in order to meet academic requirements. Still others may wish to learn OCR in order to use it to develop their career and professional ambitions.

OCR can be used in a wide variety of applications, including:

  • Digitizing printed documents
  • Automating data entry
  • Creating searchable archives
  • Translating text
  • Converting text to speech
  • Mining text for data

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Reading list

We've selected five books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in OCR.
Provides a comprehensive overview of OCR systems, including their design, implementation, and evaluation. It valuable resource for anyone interested in developing or using OCR systems.
Provides a comprehensive overview of computer vision, including OCR. It valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about this field.
Provides an introduction to using convolutional neural networks for OCR. It valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn how to use this technology for OCR.
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