ODIL: an SGML description language of the layout structure of documents

Abstract

This paper describes a coding format in SGML for the output of a document recognition prototype. Our proposal is a DTD named "ODIL"-Office Document Image description Language-that describes precisely the layout structure of a document after all recognition phases, including OCR. All layout objects of a document are defined in the form of SGML elements, and their characteristics are defined by SGML attributes. The basic objects are blocks, containing homogeneous information. Five types of information are supported by the ODIL language: texts, photos, line graphics, tables, mathematic formulas. The ODIL representation of the recognition results is well adapted to a further logical structure recognition. Starting from the ODIL DTD and using the RAINBOW transit DTD will permit to use SGML tools for the logical structure recognition which is viewed as an SGML up-conversion problem.