In this blog post, we’re going to be talking about how data extraction works, how images are converted to text, and how it can be leveraged to improve your workflow.
What is Data Extraction?
Data extraction is a
broad and general term that refers to taking information
from a source and presenting it in another style or format. It can refer to the
process of analyzing some data and extracting the trends and patterns it
contains.
In a professional
setting, there are many different ways in which data extraction is used, and
there are many different benefits that it can provide. One of these ways of
data extraction is image-to-text
conversion.
What is Image-to-text conversion, and how does it work?
Converting images into
text basically refers to taking the text written inside an image and converting
it into digital text. For example, if there is a poster that contains
guidelines or any other type of lengthy textual content, an image-to-text
conversion would take out all the text and make it digital/editable.
This type of
conversion is based on a technology known as OCR. OCR stands for optical
character recognition. This technology essentially scans an image or a
noneditable document and recognizes the characters written in it. It
does this by scanning the characters individually and checking them against an
existing database. If the characters match one in the database, it is
recognized as such.
How do you use image-to-text conversion?
Nowadays, image-to-text
conversion can be done with the help of online tools and applications. These
tools and applications incorporate the use of OCR, and they present an easy
interface to the users.
Users can access these
tools, import their images, and get the extracted text in the form of a TXT
file, a Word file, or any other similar option, depending on the exact tool.
How does image-to-text conversion help your workflow?
Now that we’re done
looking at the introductory information about image-to-text conversion, let’s
move on to look at how it can help improve your workflow.
1.
Image-to-text conversion can help quickly scan data from
physical documents and edit it
In an office
environment, a situation can commonly arise where you have a physical document,
such as a report or a letter, etc., that you need to edit and send to someone in
soft form. For example, you may have to send a document to a senior member of
the company sitting in another branch, and you may not have time to send the
hard copy.
In situations like
this, you can simply use OCR to scan the text from the document, assemble it
into a TXT or DOCX file, and then send it where you want.
By doing this, there
are many benefits that you can reap, such as:
-
You don’t have to
worry about the time and cost taken up by the physical mailing of the document
-
You can save the
document yourself and share it with others
-
You can edit the
document before sending it and amend any possible mistakes
2.
Image-to-text conversion can help you edit PDF files
PDF files are commonly
used in corporate environments. A lot of times, business letters are written in
PDF format.
The PDF format is
great for this type of use because while it presents the information in digital
text, it cannot be edited. It can be signed and annotated, but the text inside
cannot be changed.
However, if you need to
access the text written inside the PDF file, you can use OCR to extract it and
edit it as you please. You can convert the PDF file into a Word file and get
the text in roughly the same arrangement and style.
3.
Image-to-text conversion can help you securely save your files
If you are writing a business memo on paper or if you are creating a report on physical paper, you won’t be able to save it digitally. You could take a picture of it, but then, in some parts, the text may not be readable.
What you can do here
is use OCR to digitally save the text in a TXT or DOCX file. Instead of putting
the file away in some drawer or cabinet, you can save it to your cloud storage.
That way, you won’t have to worry about it getting damaged or misplaced.
Conclusion
And with that, we
bring this article to a close.
You can automate data
extraction by using OCR. OCR allows you to convert images to text. There are
many uses to which this technology can be put, and there are many benefits that
it can provide.
In the post above,
we’ve looked at all of these aspects in detail. We hope that you enjoyed
reading this post and that you will be able to employ these tips the next time
you feel the need to improve your workflow.