ENHANCE INFORMATION RETRIEVAL - EMPLOY OCR TECHNOLOGY TO EXTRACT DATA FROM NEWSPAPERS

A Brief Explanation of OCR Technology

Optical Character Recognition is basically a pattern-based character matching technology. It works by efficiently scanning the words/characters of a given picture or scanned document with its large database of words, and then extracting the ones that have a successful match with the database. 

This technology has totally eliminated the need for manual data extraction from newspapers. OCR can extract data within a matter of seconds without compromising on accuracy. 

Now, let’s head toward our topic which is how you can make use of Optical Character Recognition technology for enhanced information retrieval. 

How You Can Use OCR Technology to Extract Data From NewsPaper

Below we have discussed a step-by-step procedure that you need to extract data from newspapers using OCR. 

But, before heading towards the steps, keep one thing in mind, OCR alone cannot get the extraction job done. This is why, it is paired with online tools that are commonly referred to as “Image to text Converters” or “OCR tools.” So, the procedure discussed below is in the context of online tools. 

Step #1 First, Take A Picture Of The Newspaper

You will only need to follow this step if the newspaper from which you are planning to extract text is available in hard form. This is so because, online text extraction tools only extract data from digital pictures and scanned documents. 

So, you need to either take the image of the newspaper or scan it as a whole to save it digitally on your phone or laptop. 

Step #2 Upload It On The Tool 

Once the newspaper is available in the form of an image or scanned document, you then have to upload it on the tool. You can find a huge variety of tools on the internet that allow users to quickly perform information retrieval processes within a matter of seconds. 

You should consider the below-listed factors/features before picking an online tool.

• It should operate on OCR algorithms. 
• Has the ability to analyze and extract information in multiple languages. 
• Should be free and not force the users to sign up/register. 

For this guide, we have found a reliable tool that allows users to extract text from image for free. It provides multiple options to upload the image such as by pasting the URL, uploading from local storage, or through drag and drop. We uploaded the picture by using one of these options; check out the attachment below: 

Step #3 Start Extraction

Once the image or scanned document of the newspaper is uploaded, you then can start the information retrieval process by clicking the button. After this, you just have to wait for a few seconds, and the tool will come up with editable information/data. For an illustration, take a look at the attachment below. 

As you can see, the online tool quickly and efficiently extracted all the information that the given picture contains. 

Step #4 Get Output Results

This is the final step in which you just have to either copy or download the extracted information. The tool we have used provides both options. 

So, this was the step-by-step procedure that you need to use OCR technology for enhanced information retrieval from newspapers. 

Some Tips That You Can Consider Following

When employing OCR for extracting data from newspapers, it would be good if you consider following the tips discussed below. 

1. Try Uploading A Clear Image Of The Newspaper:

It is highly recommended to upload pictures/documents that are of the highest quality (no distortion, noise, etc.). This will allow the algorithms of the tool to quickly analyze the words or characters and extract them without making any kind of mistakes.

2. The Image Should Have Proper Orientation:

You should upload the image on the tool that is properly oriented. Like, it should be either fully horizontal or vertical. Images with poor alignment increase the chances that the tool may get confused about which side of the picture it should start extracting the information. 

3. Avoid Submitting Newspaper Images With Weird Font Styles: 

This is the final tip that we will be discussing in this section. You should always avoid uploading newspaper pictures or documents that contain text written in weird or stylish font. This is because it can also cause confusion and increase the overall chances the tool may come up with accurate output results. 

So, these are some of the tips that you should consider following while using Optical character recognition for data retrieval from newspapers. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are All Data Extraction Tools Available Online Operating On OCR?

Yes, all the text extraction tools use OCR algorithms. Some new tools even started using Artificial Intelligence (AI) along with OCR for maximum efficiency.

Is It Possible To Extract Mathematical Equations Or Special Symbols From Newspapers With OCR?

Most of the OCR tools have the ability to efficiently scan and extract equations and special symbols/characters from the given picture or document. 

Final Thoughts

In this advanced world, we may need to extract information from newspapers in an editable format. So that we can use it later for purposes. However, retrieval of data was quite a labor-intensive task, but thankfully that’s not the case now, after the introduction of OCR technology. 

In this article, we have explained how users can use Optical character recognition technology to quickly extract information from newspapers with maximum accuracy.