Forms Processing in Computer

Forms Processing

Ø A formatted document containing blank  fields that users can fill in with data.

Ø With paper forms, it is usually necessary for someone to transfer the data from the paper to a computer database, where the results can then be statistically analyzed.

Ø Some OCR systems can do this automatically, but they're generally limited to forms containing just check boxes. They can't handle handwritten text.

Ø Electronic forms solve this problem by entirely skipping the paper stage.

Ø Instead, the form appears on the user's display screen and the user fills it in by selecting options with a pointing device or typing in text from the computer keyboard.

Ø The data is then sent directly to a forms processing application, which enters the information into a database.

Ø Electronic forms are especially common on the World Wide Web because the HTML language has built-in codes for displaying form elements such as text fields and check boxes.

Ø Typically, the data entered into a Web-based form is processed by a CGI program.

Ø There is hardly a business in the world that does not use forms to some extent.

Ø Since they are useful for collecting and recording data from a large number of individuals, forms are often used for invoices, purchase orders, insurance claims, medical records, tax statements, credit card applications, and many others.

Ø However, processing forms requires data entry, which can be costly to a business in terms of both time and money.

Ø Human data entry is costly and prone to error, which is why many businesses seek an automated solution.

Ø Automated forms processing software relies on OCR/ICR (optical/intelligent character recognition) technology, and can make forms processing much more efficient and economical.

Ø Automated forms processing technology is relatively new, and has not been perfected, but there are ways of optimizing its performance.

ØWhen a document or form is initially scanned into a computer, it is typically stored as an image file like a TIFF, JPG, or PDF.

Ø When viewed on the screen, the user can read these documents just as easily as if they were physically right in front of them.

Ø However, to the computer, these image files are just meaningless pictures; the computer cannot 'read' the text from them like a human.

Ø This is where OCR software comes in. OCR software performs an analysis of the light and dark areas of an image in order to locate text; when it is found, it is identified.

Ø OCR is extremely accurate when used with clear, high resolution PDFs. However, it is not good at recognizing handwriting.

Ø ICR, intelligent character recognition, is designed for handwriting recognition, and employs various handwriting-specific recognition algorithms.

Ø Unfortunately, ICR technology has not advanced to the point where the user can just run an ICR program on any document and receive machine-editable text.

Ø Luckily, there are ways to help ICR software do its job well, and to effectively use it for forms processing.

ICR and Forms Processing

      

·        One way that forms processing software solutions help ICR do its job effectively is to optimize document images for ICR processing.

·        This often means despecking and deskewing images in order to make the writing as clear as possible.

·        Automated forms processing solutions are also generally custom-tailored to their applications in order to provide as much helpful information as possible to the ICR engine.

·        For example, if it is known beforehand that a given field of a form will contain only numbers, that information can be passed on to the ICR, greatly reducing the possibility for error.

·        These specifications are called validation rules, and are crucial to developing an accurate forms processing solution, since ICR is a new and developing technology.

·        Generally, ICR based solutions also include a manual validation step to confirm the software's results.

·        ICR based forms processing solutions can be very useful providing they are properly designed and implemented based on the task they are designed to accomplish.

·        Always be wary of stock ICR software as it is li kely to be highly inaccurate.

OCR and Forms Processing

ü Forms processing solutions requiring only OCR are generally much simpler to implement.

ü OCR technology has made huge advances in recent years, and most OCR software is over 90% accurate.

ü Of course, OCR only works on machine generated fonts, and is can't be used for handwriting.

ü Using good quality, clean scans of forms ensures that OCR software can do its job properly. Of course, there is still a degree of customization needed in order to develop an OCR solution specific to a given task.

ü CVISION Technologies' Trapeze is a custom form and document automation solution.

ü CVISION's representatives will work with you to create the most effective solution for your needs.