Digital Document Analysis and Processing

Book excerpt: One possible solution to the increased amount of paper generated by mankind over recent years is to use the computer and its associated possibility of storing digital information. Through digitisation, the image of a paper can be stored in a digital file. With the development of new storage mediums with even larger capacity and faster access times, it is possible to put a complete collection of books in a single DVD or a small flash drive. This brought forth a possible solution to the problem of carrying and copying the information. But as new opportunities appear to us, we create new possibilities and new problems with them. In this way, carrying and copying moved away from being the centre of the problem. This book covers the main aspects of document analysis and processing, including digitisation, storage, thresholding, filtering, segmentation and automatic recognition.