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Description
The California Department of Technology (CDT) offers a solution to assist California state entities with AB 434 accessibility compliance requirements for scanned Portable Document Format (PDF) documents posted online.
The Optical Character Recognition Bot (OCRBot) functionality makes the scanned PDF text:
- Readable to assistive technologies, such as screen readers
- Interactive
- Searchable
- Selectable
Included
- All requestors will receive the OCRBot tool executable file for download and installation.
- Requestors with a “.ca.gov” email domain will also receive the EverMap Autobatch Plug-in serial number.
Optional
- If the “OCRBot Tool and Cognitive Service” option is selected, CDT will provide the OCRBot executable file, CDT Cognitive Service endpoint and service key, which are required for OCRBot use.
- Use of CDT Cognitive Service will incur a cost. For more details view the Rates tab of this page.
- If the “OCRBot Tool” option is selected, only the OCRBot executable file will be provided. This option is for departments that have Microsoft Azure and would like to be billed based on their existing Azure Cognitive Service subscription.
Roles & Responsibilities
Roles & Responsibilities can be found on the Vendor Hosted Service Standards page.
| Role | CDT | Customer |
|---|---|---|
| Develop and maintain tool | X | |
| Deploy feature enhancements | X | |
| Liaison between CDT and Customers | X | |
| Respond to Customer requests and resolve incidents | X | |
| Submit requests for OCRBot services | X | |
| Download and install the OCRBot tool | X | |
| Communicate feedback or recommended enhancements to CDT | X | |
| Submit incidents in ServiceNow | X |
Rates
The rate schedule represents standard CDT services. If a Customer requires technology solutions that are not part of the standard, CDT will review the Customer’s request and provide customized pricing as necessary.
| Service Description | Service Identifier | Product Name | Unit of Measurement | Rate | Service Code | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCRBot Accessibility Assistance | OCRBot | OCRBot | 1,000 pages | $2.24 | K704 |
Subscriptions to this service are available.
Request Service
To Subscribe to the OCRBot Service, submit a Case/Request: Order OCRBot Service
FAQs
1. Do I need to have a ServiceNow account to submit an OCRBot Request?
Yes
2. Do I need multiple ServiceNow accounts to install OCRBot on multiple computers in my department?
Once you’ve completed a ServiceNow request and have received the required parameters, you can install and configure OCRBot on multiple computers in your department. Note, your department will be charged for all usage.
3. Can CDT provide instructions on the OCRBot?
Yes. View the OCRBot User Guide.
4. Can CDT provide a demonstration on the OCRBot?
Yes. Submit an OCRBot Case at OCRBot ServiceNow Request Portal with your demonstration request noted under Request Details. We will contact you to schedule the demonstration.
5. Why did I receive a message pop-up “OCRBot – Enhanced Functionality Availability”?
OCRBot enhanced features are unavailable without Adobe Acrobat DC 2019.021.20058 or later, and the EverMap Plug-in.
6. Why did I receive a “Could not find file” error?
OCRBot cannot process password-protected PDF files.
7. How do I get the free EverMap serial number?
If you have a “.ca.gov” email domain, you will receive the EverMap serial number as part of the ServiceNow OCRBot request. OCRBot ServiceNow Request Portal
8. Why does Adobe Acrobat pop up on the screen when OCRBot is running?
When OCRBot is running, Adobe Acrobat opens and closes as the tool processes each document.
9. Does OCRBot fully remediate PDF documents for ADA compliance?
No. Manual remediation is required to make the documents fully compliant. OCRBot enables document remediators to search, select, edit, and tag scanned text images in PDF documents. Other software, which CDT does not offer, and human intervention are required to make the document accessible.
10. Can the OCRBot tool automatically generate alt-text for images and pictures?
No
11. Can OCRBot identify the signature in a document and tag it automatically?
No
12. Does the OCRBot work for scanned PDFs and regular text in the same PDF document?
Yes
13. Can I edit the PDF once processing is complete?
Yes
14. How do we confirm the accuracy of the OCR once it is done?
The only way to ensure 100% accuracy with the OCR text is to have a human compare the OCR’d text to the original.
15. Does OCRBot have a size limit in processing documents?
No
16. Can the OCRBot improve previously OCR’d PDF documents?
Yes
17. What should I do if OCRBot halts during processing the file?
Close Acrobat and resume.
18. Can I use my own Microsoft Azure Cognitive Service Endpoint and Service Key?
Yes