An efficient segmentation algorithm for handwritten arabic words

Segmentation is an essential step for many Arabic handwritten Text recognition systems. It has a direct impact on the efficiency of subsequent steps in the recognition process such as feature extraction and classification, which strongly affects overall recognition performance. This paper presents a novel algorithm for off-line handwritten Arabic word segmentation into subwords. This approach is based on vertical projection and a novel algorithm taking into consideration the characteristics of Arabic script. The proposed method has been successfully tested on the IFN/ENIT database and the results show the effectiveness of our approach in segmenting and isolating sub-words efficiently. © 2015 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. -All rights reserved.