OMR

OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) is a popular electronic method oof gathering human-handled data by identifying certain markings on a document. OMR scanners use its sensors to detect marked areas on the paper surveys 0 marked areas will reflect less light than the blank pages.

Components of OMR

There are 2 main components of OMR:

1.  Template: this is generally a blank document where you decide where you want the data to be collected. This “data” is divided into two sections.

• Anchor: A logo, black rectangle, or some solid object at the edge of the document we know will occur in every filled form. This is used to assess how well scanned filled forms are interpreted
• OMR Fields: These are the positions of the fields that humans are responsible for filling.

2. Scanned forms: These are the same types as the template, but with the data for human marking. Essentially, they are the documents from which we want to extract data.

Benefits of OMR

— When it comes to translating clear yes or no responses, OMR has proved to be highly reliable and is the most preferred technique.

— It significantly eliminates the risk of human error by eliminating the need to manually process data and instead relying on technology.

— It reduces logistics costs because less manpower is needed.

— OMR forms are easy to read and extract data from, if good OMR sheet reader software is being used

Applications

• Exam sheets

OMR is widely used in schools since the 1960s and is still popular today. Optical Mark Recognition enables the respondent to select an answer to a question by filling in a “bubble” or “mark” associated with an answer choice.

• Election poll results

Counting votes separately in elections is a time-consuming process. Using some of the best OMR tools on the market, the procedure becomes reasonably fast and efficient, as well as reducing the chances of vote manipulation and cheating.

• Inventory count

Keeping track of inventories is a must in vast warehouses, industries, and factories, and it’s made even simpler with the aid of Optical Mark Recognition.

• Census Data Processing

OMR is used to scan geocodes to match any of the geocodes available in the master census geocode file. A geocode is a geographical co-ordinate that maps to a physical address, for instance, a postal code.