Data Input Methods

Data Input Methods

Optical data readers

The best data input method for printed questionnaires would be Optical Data Readers. Optical Data Readers are a special type of scanning device to be used on documents. Optical Data Readers fall under two categories, optical mark recognition (OMR) and optical character recognition (OCR) (Stair, R., Reynolds, G., 2004). Printed questionnaires which, for instance, can be used for surveying groups of people regarding a particular subject can utilize OMR through the utilization of OMR paper refer to as “mark sense form”. This special type of paper requires those completing the questionnaires to fill in boxes using pencils. From there, the readers can recognize their marks in response to the questions on the questionnaire in order to gather the needed information. Also, for more in-depth questionnaires, OCR readers, which reflect light to recognize various characters, can convert handwritten or typed documents into digital data by utilizing special software (Stair, R., Reynolds, G., 2004).

Voice recognition devices

For a telephone survey, a voice-recognition device would be the best method to input data. Voice-recognition devices utilize microphones and special software to record and convert the sound of the human voice into digital signals. This method would pork best because these voice recognition devices can record and translate into digital signals as the telephone survey is being conducted (Stair, R., Reynolds, G., 2004).

Magnetic ink character recognition device

Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) is the best method for reading and inputting bank check data quickly. When using MIRC, data is placed on the bottom of a check using a special magnetic ink. Data which is printed utilizing this special ink uses a special character set can be read by both people and computers (Stair, R., Reynolds, G., 2004).

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