Assessing the impact of OCR quality on downstream NLP tasks

A growing volume of heritage data is being digitized and made available as text via optical character recognition (OCR). Scholars and libraries are increasingly using OCR-generated text for retrieval and analysis. However, the process of creating text through OCR introduces varying degrees of error to the text. The impact of these errors on natural language processing (NLP) tasks has only been partially studied. We perform a series of extrinsic assessment tasks — sentence segmentation, named entity recognition, dependency parsing, information retrieval, topic modelling and neural language model fine-tuning — using popular, out-of-the-box tools in order to quantify the impact of OCR quality on these tasks. We find a consistent impact resulting from OCR errors on our downstream tasks with some tasks more irredeemably harmed by OCR errors. Based on these results, we offer some preliminary guidelines for working with text produced through OCR

Aid to conflict-affected countries : lessons for donors

The first section looks at the implications of conflict for aid effectiveness and selectivity. We argue that, while aid is generally effective in promoting growth and by implication reducing poverty, it is more effective in promoting growth in post-conflict countries. We then consider the implications of these findings for donor selectivity models and for assessment of donor performance in allocating development aid among recipient countries. We argue that, while further research on aid effectiveness in post-conflict scenarios is needed, existing selectivity models should be augmented with, inter alia, post-conflict variables, and donors should be evaluated on the basis, inter alia, of the share of their aid budgets allocated to countries experiencing post-conflict episodes. We also argue for aid delivered in the form of projects to countries with weak institutions in early post-conflict years. The second section focuses on policies for donors operating in conflict-affected countries. We set out five of the most important principles: (1) focus on broad-based recovery from war; (2) to achieve a broad-based recovery, get involved before the conflict ends; (3) focus on poverty, but avoid &lsquo;wish lists&rsquo;; (4) help to reduce insecurity so aid can contribute more effectively to growth and poverty reduction; and (5) in economic reform, focus on improving public expenditure management and revenue mobilisation. The third section concludes by emphasising the fact that there is no hard or fast dividing line between &lsquo;war&rsquo; and &lsquo;peace&rsquo; and that it may take many years for a society to become truly &lsquo;post&rsquo;-conflict&rsquo;. Donors, therefore, need to prepare for the long haul.<br /

Staging city events in public spaces: an urban design perspective

Purpose There are two main aims of this conceptual paper. The first is to explore the issues associated with staging events in public spaces, and to produce a typology of different event spaces. The second is to explore if and how events should be designed into parks, streets and squares and whether this might reduce some of the negative impacts and associated user conflicts. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyses the history, drivers and effects of using public spaces as venues and examines the reciprocal relationships between events and the spaces that host them. To explain the range and dynamics of contemporary events, a typology of event spaces is developed. This typology highlights nine different types of event spaces which are differentiated by the level of public accessibility (free entry, sometimes free, paid entry), and the mobility of event audiences (static, limited mobility, mobile). Using this typology, the paper discusses ways that public spaces might be adapted to make them better suited to staging events. This discussion is illustrated by a range of examples. Findings The paper finds that it makes practical sense to adapt some urban public spaces to make them better equipped as venues, but designing in events presents new issues and does not necessarily resolve many of the problems associated with staging events. Disputes over events are inevitable and constituent features of public spaces. Originality/value This paper makes an original contribution by developing a new classification of event spaces and by synthesising ideas from urban design with ideas from the events literature

Integrating Technical Standards into ET Curricula to Meet ABET Standards and Industry Needs

With technical standards affecting nearly every aspect of our daily lives, from computers to the components and materials used in car engines, it is critical that undergraduate students are educated on the importance of standards and provided with opportunities to locate and apply relevant technical standards to real world situations. In addition, with ABET accreditation requiring students to have a “basic understanding and familiarity with,” and experience “using” codes and standards, faculty need to consider how such material can be naturally integrated into the curriculum. At Purdue University, education about codes and standards has been integrated into the mechanical engineering technology (MET) curriculum for decades with significant success. This paper discusses how standards are incorporated into mechanical design and quality control courses, as well as strategies for integrating standards into more courses in an MET curriculum. In addition, a discussion of standards resources that are freely available is included. Finally, a call to action for industry is presented, explaining the need and potential areas where industry can increase involvement in teaching students about technical standards