Document Field Segmentation for Construction Data Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Construction projects face significant challenges in efficiently converting large volumes of physical documents, including handwritten notes, into structured data due to the time-consuming and costly process of manual data entry, which also poses security risks and limits data integration with electronic systems, hindering project management and compliance with regulations.
Innovation Solution
A system that scans documents, identifies document types, extracts responses from fields, and provides these to data entry technicians for evaluation, using a template database and author profiling to enhance speed and security by reducing the amount of information exposed to each technician and enabling fraud detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If manual data entry technicians are used to enter information from physical documents into a computing system, then data can be converted to structured format, but the process becomes time-intensive and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data entry task by dividing documents into individual fields and distributing them to multiple data entry technicians. Each technician only enters data for specific fields rather than entire documents, which parallelizes the entry process and significantly reduces total time while maintaining data conversion capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual data entry with an automated field distribution system. The server automatically identifies fields, segments document data, and assigns fields to technicians, eliminating the need for manual document processing and reducing time-intensive operations
2Ease of manufacture
If data entry technicians manually enter document information, then data can be processed, but security risks increase due to technicians accessing sensitive information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments document data into individual fields and assigns specific fields to specific technicians. This ensures that no single technician has access to complete document information, including sensitive data, thereby reducing security risks while maintaining data processing capability through distributed entry
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality control by assigning technicians to specific field types or document sections based on their expertise or security clearances. Each technician processes only the local portion (specific fields) they are authorized for, limiting exposure to sensitive information while maintaining overall data processing functionality
3Extent of automation
If OCR technology is used to scan documents, then electronic versions are created, but handwritten entries cannot be converted to structured data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data extraction process by identifying and isolating individual fields within scanned documents. By breaking down the document into discrete fields, the system can present each field to data entry technicians for accurate transcription of handwritten entries, converting them to structured data while maintaining automated scanning capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary process between OCR scanning and final structured data storage. The server acts as a mediator that receives scanned images, identifies fields, segments the data, and distributes it for manual entry, bridging the gap between automated scanning and accurate handwritten data conversion
4Extent of automation
If scanned document images are stored, then documents are digitized, but data analysis and report generation become limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments document data into structured fields during the scanning and entry process. By organizing data into discrete, tagged fields rather than storing only images, the system enables efficient data analysis, filtering, and report generation while maintaining digitization benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary data structuring during the field identification and entry phase. By organizing data into structured formats with proper tagging and categorization before storage, the system prepares data for future analysis and reporting operations, improving productivity without sacrificing digitization advantages
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for efficiently importing scanned construction project documents (e.g., digital images of physical documents) is disclosed. The method includes receiving a digital image of a document and performing a first text recognition operation on a first portion of the digital image. The method includes in response to determining, based on the first text recognition operation, that the first portion does not include machine-readable text, generating a modified image of the document by performing an image modification operation. The image modification operation may include an orientation operation. The method further includes storing the modified image of the document in a database. The image modification operation may also include a de-skewing operation and an alignment operation.