ICR (intelligent character recognition) is an advanced form of OCR (optical character recognition). ICR is used to extract data from handwritten images. ICR technology uses machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to extract information from structured or unstructured documents.
ICR technology extracts and scans data from paper-based documents and stores it digitally in software. ICR technology is used by businesses to organize data and gain knowledge from reports. ICR technology benefits any company that deals with documents, letters, and forms daily, such as law firms, banks, and healthcare. It is the best technology to mitigate human errors while saving resources and time for the company.
ICR vs OCR
ICR has the same number of documents as OCR, but ICR users can sort or categorize data into the machine-readable zone (MRZ). If a company has a lot of unstructured and random data, ICR technology is the best way to extract it. ICR technology reduces the chance of human error and provides results with complete accuracy.
● OCR is a template-based technology and doesn’t use neural or artificial intelligence, unlike ICR.
● OCR technology involves project administration, while ICR technology is fully automated.
● Templates must be manually created in OCR, while ICR technology doesn’t need templates.
● OCR can only work with digital data, while ICR technology is designed to work with handwritten documents and images.
●The OCR system needs human input and feedback, whereas ICR highlights errors and prompts the user when necessary.
Working Of Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR)
ICR technology explains or transcribes handwriting and identifies fonts with its artificial neural networks (ANN), which assist the system in self-learning through experiences. This technology doesn’t need to be reprogrammed. When a new text comes in, it upgrades its system and, through ANN, transcribes the information automatically. With each data entry, artificial neural networks (ANN) compare new handwriting and fonts with previous fonts and provide the highest accuracy possible. ICR technology starts the process with general patterns instead of identifying corresponding characters.
Benefits Of ICR
The advantages ICR offers today are way more significant than those that existed decades ago. ICR recognition is a self-learning technology; whenever a text comes in, it extracts data, identifies it, and transcribes information into a digital database.
● ICR gives proper attention to detail
● ICR technology keeps records of data,
● ICR is a scalable solution used for document management
● Provides customer satisfaction
● ICR technology uses robust solutions, eliminating the need for manual data entry
● Increases productivity
● Enhances accuracy of the data collection process
Customers can benefit from ICR's ability to search and access all papers. If a company requires this, the ICR algorithm provides excellent outcomes with incredible accuracy and attentiveness. Streamlined data collection helps in the decision-making process. Artificial neural networks recognize the customer's pattern and the underlying optimal solution based on prior experience.
Challenges Faced By ICR
Intelligent character recognition (ICR) converts handwritten text into digital text. ICR technology has advanced in recent years but still faces some challenges, as mentioned below
Variation In Handwriting
The ICR system gains knowledge from prior experiences and finds patterns. Handwriting varies from person to person, making it difficult for the ICR system to understand the pattern. Issues in recognition might result from changing writing fonts, sizes, and styles.
Poor Quality Documents
Poor-quality documents with smudges, faded ink, unclear images, and uneven backgrounds frequently pose problems for the ICR system. These elements limit the readability of the characters and the documents, leading to recognition problems.
Processing Speed And Scalability
The ICR recognition system must occasionally quickly and efficiently examine many documents. The difficulty comes from the ICR system's inability to process massive amounts of data accurately.
Employing ICR With Modern Technology
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) based ICR technology enable ICR services to continually understand patterns and recognize structured and unstructured handwriting formats in cursive and alphabetic styles. Intelligent character recognition (ICR) is a cutting-edge technology applied to various platforms, including Robotic Process Automation (RPA), to improve business operations. ICR is an advanced form of OCR, but it has an evolved version named IWR (intelligent word recognition). IWR recognizes full words or phrases, unlike ICR, which works for printed and hand-written documents.
Conclusion
ICR technology, powered by an artificial neural network (ANN), constantly learns and adapts to new patterns and handwriting. As technology improves, the system becomes more advanced, and accuracy increases. The significant and considerable advantage is that the ICR software doesn’t need to be reprogrammed; the system automatically updates when it gets new handwriting and fonts based on prior experiences.
Organisations are now able to streamline their processes, increase accuracy, and foster cooperation thanks to the change of document processing.
ReplyDeleteThe advancements in ICR technology are truly fascinating. The ability to extract data from handwritten images using machine learning and AI tools is a testament to how far technology has come. It's incredible to think about the potential applications of ICR in various industries, especially in document management. I've been working on a research paper about the evolution of document processing technologies see here.
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