Exploiting Handwritten Character Recognition systems in African languages documentation and Education.

Automatic handwritten character recognition (AHWCR) is emerging as a convenient and effective technology for document creation, editing and digitisation. The falling prices of tablet PCs, combined with high quality handwritten recognition software is evolving a computing paradigm that can be exploited in the generation and documentation of African language resources. The paradigm also holds great potential for language education applications.
In this talk, we shall highlight the constraints, challenges and prospects of AHWCR based on our work on the development of a handwritten character recognition system for standard Yoruba. We shall also discuss the applications framework and research directions.