Capture involves converting information from paper documents into an electronic format through scanning. Capture is also used to collect electronic files and information into a consistent structure for management. Capture technologies also encompass the creation of metadata (index values) that describe characteristics of a document for easy location through search technology. For example, a medical chart might include the patient ID, patient name, date of visit, and procedure as index values to make it easy for medical personnel to locate the chart.
Scanning:
Earlier document automation systems photographed documents for storage on microfilm or microfiche. Optical scanners now make digital copies of paper documents. Documents already in digital form can be copied, or linked to if they are already available online.
Import of electronic documents:
Automatic or semi-automatic capture can use EDI or XML documents, business and ERP applications, or existing specialist application systems as sources.
Recognition technologies:
Various recognition technologies can be used to extract information from scanned documents and digital faxes, including:
- Optical character recognition (OCR):
- Handprint character recognition (HCR):
- Intelligent character recognition (ICR)
- Optical mark recognition (OMR)
- Barcode recognition
Converts images of typeset text into alphanumeric characters.
Converts images of handwritten text into alphanumerics. Gives better results for short text in fixed locations than for freeform text.
Extends OCR and HCR to use comparison, logical connections, and checks against reference lists and existing master data to improve recognition. For example, on a form where a column of numbers is added up, the accuracy of the recognition can be checked by adding the recognized numbers and comparing them to the sum written on the original form.
Reads special markings, such as checkmarks or dots, in predefined fields.
Decodes industry-standard encodings of product and other commercial data.
Imaging and Image cleanup:
Image cleanup features include rotation, straightening, color adjustment, transposition, zoom, aligning, page separation, annotations and despeckling.
Forms processing:
In forms capture, there are two groups of technologies, although the information content and character of the documents may be identical. Forms processing is the capture of printed forms via scanning; recognition technologies are often used here, since well-designed forms enable largely automatic processing. Automatic processing can be used to capture electronic forms, such as those submitted via web pages, as long as the layout, structure, logic, and contents are known to the capture system.
COLD:
Computer Output to Laser Disc (COLD) records reports and other documents on optical disks, or any form of digital storage for ongoing management by ECM systems. Another term for this is enterprise report management (ERM). Originally, the technology only worked with laserdiscs; the name was not changed after other technologies supplanted the laserdisc.
Aggregation:
Aggregation combines documents from different applications. The goal is to unify data from different sources, forwarding them to storage and processing systems in a uniform structure and format.
Indexing components:
Indexing improves searches, and provides alternative ways to organize the information.
Manual indexing assigns index database attributes to content by hand, typically used by the database of a “manage” component for administration and access. Manual indexing may make use of input designs to limit the information that can be entered; for example, entry masks may use program logic to restrict inputs based on other information known about the document.
Both automatic and manual attribute indexing can be made easier and better with preset input-design profiles; these can describe document classes that limit the number of possible index values, or automatically assign certain criteria.
Automatic classification programs can extract index, category, and transfer data autonomously. Automatic classification or categorizing, based on the information contained in electronic information objects, can evaluate information based on predefined criteria or in a self-learning process. This technique can be used with OCR-converted faxes, office files, or output files.