Skip to main content

IMProving ACcess to Text

Project description


Digital libraries and technology-enhanced learning
IMPACT will push innovation in OCR and language technologies for historical document processing and retrieval and build digitisation capacity in Europe

Text that is not digital is virtually invisible. Today's readers search the internet for electronically accessible texts rather than visit the reading room of a library. Born-digital and digitised contemporary materials contain the richness that allows tools such as text mining and the semantic web to offer superior accessibility but the story is very different for historic documents. A vital part of the European heritage, encompassing more than four centuries of historic books and bound periodicals is becoming less and less visible to the public at large.

With the i2010 vision of a European Digital Library, the EU has launched an ambitious plan for large scale digitisation projects transforming Europe's printed heritage into digitally available resources. However, lack of institutional knowledge and expertise slows down the pace with which this vision can be realised. The state of the art in OCR performance and machine understanding of the original document is inadequate, especially for historically important material with archaic fonts and spellings, newspapers with complex layouts, bound volumes, microfilm or typescript.

The IMPACT project will remove many of these barriers. The project will push innovation in OCR technology and language technology for historical document processing and retrieval, and share expertise to build capacity in digitisation across Europe. During the project, a Centre of Competence will be set up in order to provide a central service entry point for all libraries, archives and museums involved in the digitisation of textual material.

The consortium brings together twenty-six national and regional libraries, research institutions and commercial suppliers who will share their know-how and best practices, develop innovative tools to enhance the capabilities of OCR engines and the accessibility of digitised text and lay down the foundations for the mass-digitisation programmes that will take place over the next decade.

Call for proposal

FP7-ICT-2007-1
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

KONINKLIJKE BIBLIOTHEEK
Address
Prins Willem Alexanderhof 5
2595 BE Den Haag
Netherlands

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Hildelies Balk (Mrs)
EU contribution
€ 1 367 128

Participants (29)

UNIVERSITAET INNSBRUCK
Austria
EU contribution
€ 818 358
Address
Innrain 52
6020 Innsbruck

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Kurt Habitzel (Dr)
OSTERREICHISCHE NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK
Austria
EU contribution
€ 619 995
Address
Josefsplatz 1
1015 Wien

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Maria Bernklau (Frau)
INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
Bulgaria
EU contribution
€ 0
Address
Ul. Acad G Bonchev Bl 2
1113 Sofia

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Stoyan Mihov (Dr.)
NACIONALNA BIBLIOTEKA SV SV CYRIL I METODIJ (St. St. Cyril and Methodius National Library)
Bulgaria
EU contribution
€ 30 000
Address
Vasil Levski Blvd
1037 Sofia

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Tatyana Dimitrova (Ms.)
INSTITUTE FOR PARALLEL PROCESSING OF THE BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Participation ended

Bulgaria
EU contribution
€ 66 800
Address
G Bonchev Street 25 A
1113 Sofia
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Stoyan Mihov (Dr.)
UNIVERZITA KARLOVA
Czechia
EU contribution
€ 32 600
Address
Ovocny Trh 560/5
116 36 Praha 1

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Karel Kučera (Prof.)
NARODNI KNIHOVNA CESKE REPUBLIKY
Czechia
EU contribution
€ 35 345
Address
Klementinum 190
110 01 Praha 1

See on map

Activity type
Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Tomas Foltyn (Mr.)
LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Germany
EU contribution
€ 882 536
Address
Geschwister Scholl Platz 1
80539 Muenchen

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Klaus U. Schulz (Prof.)
GEORG-AUGUST-UNIVERSITAT GOTTINGEN STIFTUNG OFFENTLICHEN RECHTS
Germany
EU contribution
€ 738 800
Address
Wilhelmsplatz 1
37073 Gottingen

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Hiltraud Casper-Hehne (Dr.)
DEUTSCHE NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK
Germany
EU contribution
€ 310 325
Address
Adickesallee 1
60322 Frankfurt

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Rolf Flormann (-)
BAYERISCHE STAATSBIBLIOTHEK
Germany
EU contribution
€ 437 600
Address
Ludwigstrasse 16
80539 Munchen

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Markus Brantl (Dr.)
FUNDACION BIBLIOTECA VIRTUAL MIGUELDE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA
Spain
EU contribution
€ 9 000
Address
Paseo De La Castellana
28046 Madrid

See on map

Activity type
Other
Administrative Contact
Rossanna Pinna (Ms.)
UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE
Spain
EU contribution
€ 70 350
Address
Campus De San Vicente Raspeig
03690 Alicante

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Carolina Fernández Lopez (Ms.)
BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL DE ESPANA
Spain
EU contribution
€ 28 640
Address
Paseo De Recoletos
28071 Madrid

See on map

Activity type
Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Belén Llera (Ms.)
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS
France
EU contribution
€ 84 003
Address
Rue Michel Ange 3
75794 Paris

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Anne Florence Remy (Ms.)
BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE DE FRANCE
France
EU contribution
€ 209 172
Address
Quai Francois Mauriac 11
75013 Paris

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Gérald Grunberg (Mr.)
"NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ""DEMOKRITOS"""
Greece
EU contribution
€ 971 493
Address
End Of Patriarchou Grigoriou E And 27 Neapoleos Street
15341 Agia Paraskevi

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Marina Fontara (Mrs.)
IBM ISRAEL - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LTD
Israel
EU contribution
€ 1 262 250
Address
94 Derech Em-hamoshavot
49527 Petach Tikva

See on map

Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Efrat Shalom-Hillman (Mrs.)
STICHTING INSTITUUT VOOR DE NEDERLANDSE TAAL
Netherlands
EU contribution
€ 1 292 300
Address
Rapenburg 61
2311 GJ Leiden

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Petra Belt (Mrs.)
INSTYTUT CHEMII BIOORGANICZNEJ POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUK
Poland
EU contribution
€ 66 550
Address
Noskowskiego 12-14
61 704 Poznan

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Agnieszka Dominiak (Ms.)
UNIWERSYTET WARSZAWSKI
Poland
EU contribution
€ 58 080
Address
Krakowskie Przedmiescie 26/28
00 927 Warszawa

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Diana Pustula (Ms.)
ABBYY PRODUCTION LLC
Russia
EU contribution
€ 512 812
Address
21 Bratislavskaya Street, Building 1
109451 Moscow

See on map

Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Andrey Isaev (Mr.)
NARODNA IN UNIVERZITETNA KNJIZNICA
Slovenia
EU contribution
€ 50 100
Address
Turjaska 1
1000 Ljubljana

See on map

Activity type
Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments)
Administrative Contact
Alenka Kavčič-Čolić (Dr.)
INSTITUT JOZEF STEFAN
Slovenia
EU contribution
€ 74 300
Address
Jamova 39
1000 Ljubljana

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Jadran Lenarcic (Prof.)
UNIVERSITY OF BATH
United Kingdom
EU contribution
€ 504 720
Address
Claverton Down
BA2 7AY Bath

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Hazel Wallis (Ms)
THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD
United Kingdom
EU contribution
€ 586 815
Address
96 Euston Road
NW1 2DB London

See on map

Activity type
Research Organisations
Administrative Contact
Aly Conteh (Mr)
THE UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD
United Kingdom
EU contribution
€ 1 043 839
Address
The Crescent 43
M5 4WT Salford

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Apostolos Antonacopoulos (Dr)
UNIVERSITE DE NANCY 2

Participation ended

France
EU contribution
€ 0
Address
Rue Baron Louis 25
54001 Nancy
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
UNIVERSITE DE LORRAINE
France
EU contribution
€ 0
Address
Cours Leopold 34
54052 Nancy Cedex

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments