OCR is a technology used to copy and convert printed material into editable word processing formats like .doc or .txt. The material thus converted could be paper documents, PDF files or digital images.
When there is large volume of data containing important information one can use OCR to search scanned files so that it reduces time taken in information search and finding data. Using OCR to search scanned files can confer substantial benefits in any setting where rapid access to data is crucial.
To make scanned files searchable, the files have to be indexed. Since there are a huge variety of file types such as documents, text files, spread sheets, images files, etc, each file type is indexed based on the content and properties. An OCR application receives the raw input via a scanner or a digital camera. The images and text contained in the document are both scanned. The orientation of the text in the input is determined, whereupon the character recognition algorithms convert the data into text. Current OCR technology can claim a 99% accuracy rate in recognizing printed text in Latin script.
Techniques to accurately recognize text in other scripts, handwritten text and even spoken text are also being developed. This text is then stored along with the scanned images – several OCR applications can even retain the formatting of the original document while doing this. The machine-readable text produced by the OCR application can be saved in a variety of convenient formats, the most common being the PDF. The text in such a document can be made completely searchable. A user simply enters search terms into the document interface and receives all relevant results.
OCR applications that convert documents into searchable audio files are also beginning to appear; these are of particular use to the visually impaired. This entire process is a considerable advance over the cumbersome, time-consuming process of manually sorting through large amounts of physical documentation for specific facts and figures. Where the timeliness of information is everything, using OCR for searchable files can add considerable value to the way businesses, libraries and educational institutions function.