Automated Input Devices

• Methods of capturing and entering data directly without any need for human intervention.
• Sometimes called direct data entry, or DDE for short
• Used when very large amounts of data need to be input quickly and accurately.

Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)

• OMR uses an input device called an optical mark reader to detect marks made in certain places on specially printed forms.
• A fast input method, used where large amounts of data need to be input quickly.
• Used to input data from things like answer sheets for multiple choice exams and registration forms in schools
• Also National Lottery forms

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

• MICR uses an input device called a magnetic ink character reader to input characters that have been printed in special magnetic ink
• Banks use MICR to process cheques
• Banks use this method of input for processing cheques because it is very secure
• The equipment needed to print and read characters in magnetic ink is very expensive

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

• OCR is the use of an ordinary scanner and special software to convert text in a scanned image into a format that can be edited by word processing software
• Text must be printed or written very clearly
• Used for the reading of typed postcodes
• OCR depends on the shape of the marks whereas OMR depends on the position of the marks

Bar Codes

• A bar code is a set of lines of different thicknesses that represent a number
• Bar Code Readers are used to input data from bar codes.
• Most products in shops have bar codes on them
• Bar code readers work by shining a beam of light on the lines that make up the bar code and detecting the amount of light that is reflected back
• Bar codes represent a code number for a product

Magnetic stripe readers

• A magnetic stripe is a thin band of magnetic tape
• Often on the back of a credit or debit card, identity cards and electronic key cards in hotels and businesses
• Magnetic stripes can hold only a small amount of data and are quite easy to forge In the next few years magnetic stripes will be replaced with smart cards which store much more data on a small microchip built into the surface of the card

Sensors

• Sensors are used to detect physical quantities outside a computer such as temperature, pressure and light
• To be able to process input from sensors a device called an analogue-to-digital converter must be connected between the computer and the sensors.
• This device converts signals from sensors into digital data that the computer can process.

Data logging

• Data logging is a way of using a computer to automatically collect data over a period of time without any need for human supervision
• Useful when data needs to be collected in remote or inhospitable conditions where it would be difficult for humans to take measurements
• Used in weather monitoring stations and in science experiments

Applications of Data logging

• Collecting scientific data
• Monitoring hospital patients
• Collecting weather data
• Monitoring air quality