Online Urdu Handwritten Character Recognition System Quara-Tul-Ain

Online Urdu Handwritten Character Recognition System Quara-tul-Ain Safdar 2019 Department of Electrical Engineering Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences Nilore, Islamabad 45650, Pakistan to R. Sultana, S. M. Malik, and K. U. Khan who think nobly and act sincerely. Reviewers and Examiners Reviewers and Examiners Name, Designation & Address Dr. Jian Yang, Professor Foreign Reviewer 1 Deptt. of Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Bejing, 100084, China Dr. Choon Ki Ahn, Professor Foreign Reviewer 2 Room 506, Engineering Building, School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Korea Dr. Liangrui Peng, Associate Professor Foreign Reviewer 3 Deptt. of Electronic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China Dr. Abdul Jalil Professor Internal Examiner 1 Deptt. of Electrical Engineering, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan Dr. Mutawarra Hussain Professor Internal Examiner 2 Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan Dr. Ijaz Mansoor Quereshi Professor Internal Examiner 3 Deptt. of Electrical Engineering, Air University, Sector E-9, Islamabad Head of the Department (Name): Signature with Date: Certificate of Approval This is to certify that research work presented in this thesis titled Online Urdu Handwritten Character Recognition System was conducted by Ms. Quara- tul-Ain Safdar under the supervision of Dr. Kamran Ullah Khan. No part of this thesis has been submitted anywhere else for any other degree. This thesis is submitted to PhD in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Electrical Engineering. Student Name: Quara-tul-Ain Safdar Signature: Examination Committee: Examiners Name, Designation & Address Signature Dr. Abdul Jalil Internal Examiner 1 Professor DEE, IIU, Islamabad Dr. Mutawarra Hussain Internal Examiner 2 Professor DCIS, PIEAS, Islamabad Dr. Ijaz Mansoor Quereshi Internal Examiner 3 Professor DEE, Air University, Islamabad Supervisor Dr. Kamran Ullah Khan PE, DEE, PIEAS, Islamabad Department Head Dr. Muhammad Arif DCE, DEE PIEAS, Islamabad Dr. Naeem Iqbal Dean Research PIEAS DCE, DEE PIEAS, Islamabad Thesis Submission Approval This is to certify that the work contained in this thesis entitled Online Urdu Handwritten Character Recognition System was carried out by Quara-tul- Ain Safdar under my supervision and that in my opinion, it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, for the degree of PhD Electrical Engineering from Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS). Supervisor: Name: Dr. Kamran Ullah Khan Date: February 14, 2019 Place: PIEAS, Islamabad Head, Department of Electrical: Name: Dr. Muhammad Arif Date: February 14, 2019 Place: PIEAS, Islamabad Online Urdu Handwritten Character Recognition System Quara-tul-Ain Safdar Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D. 2019 Department ofElectrical Engineering Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences Nilore, Islamabad 45650, Pakistan Acknowledgements At last, I have traveled the (pro)long(ed) thoroughfare of writing PhD thesis. It seems like walking on a never ending road. It looks like wandering from room to room hunting for the diamond necklace that is already around the neck but you are unaware of its presence. However, the whole endeavoring led to a beautiful destination. It started from PIEAS, in Nilore. Well, right before the beginning began, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan advertised the Indigenous Scholar- ship, I applied, got selected, my parents encouraged and made me reach at PIEAS. Let me take you there for a stroll. Clear blue sky, picturesque hills, wild greenery, twittering birds, and tran- quillity.... it is PIEAS! (There are jackals, oxen and pigs too, but do not look at them). ‘Pleasant’, ‘Cooperative’, ‘Nice’, ‘very Nice’... three persons, four words! they made the long lasting impression. In the beginning, I was afraid of the ‘Giants of knowledge’ in the department of Electrical Engineering, and my PhD supervisor is one of them. Fortu- nately, they were kind enough to teach me the skills they learnt through out their lives. And they were sensible enough to make me realize the difficulties coming along the journey. You know, the most benevolent Allah favored me with a high quality man as PhD supervisor. With very clear concepts and deep knowledge, my PhD supervisor polished my learning skills and illuminated my research-avenue with his intellectual proficiency. He never refused to answer my questions. As a human being, giving respect to my space, he guided me deciding between ‘ap- propriate and inappropriate’, and ‘right and wrong’. Like my parents, he always made me decide independently. It is him who made me how to acknowledge the things worth to be acknowledged. Along the way, there were many faces; some turned into well-wishers, some into friends, and a few into family. There were (uncountable) helping hands as well and shoulders to whom I could rest on. I may not forget the ‘Golden Girls’ of session 2009-2011 who filled the blanks with valuable moments. I will remember ii the ‘Caring Agglomerates’ of session 2012-2014 for the respect I was endowed with. And then there were especial ones! The days we had walking, talking, laughing and laughing, and once again laughing with hurting jaws. The messages of “bhookun laggiun veryun shadeedun” (I am very very hungry) for lunch and dinners. The prathas we literally made together and that birthday cake too. The arguments, counter-arguments, counter counter-arguments, and never seconded each other’s opinion yet still sang (screamed is a true word for our singing) the songs together. This is all the love I am holding on forever. The road was getting longer than usual and time was getting harder on me because I had got stuck somewhere on the track of publishing my research work. Mornings met up with the evenings, the evenings transformed into nights, and the given time was getting over. But the ‘courage’ did not lost me because of the prayers. The prayers and true support of my family, friends and well-wishers, my diamonds!, never left me in the darkness of disappointment. Rather my home- trips always made me fresh and more energetic to carry on the journey in forward. I owe them all. From the starting block to the finish line many ups and downs has been passed. At this moment, I am thankful for the nights that turned into mornings; I am thankful for the friends who turned into family; I am thankful for the family who turned into absolute prayers and never-ending source of courage and determination; and I am thankful for the dreams that turned into reality. The people who deserve to be thanked in the most are the tax-payers of my country. Because these are them who paved the way for an ordinary girl to take the course of her dreams. These are them who helped me finding the diamonds of my necklace. Thanks, sir/madam; all the rest is mute. I am thankful to the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) for providing scholarship under the Indigenous PhD 5000 Fellowship Program (Phase- V) for my PhD studies. iii Author’s Declaration I, Quara-tul-Ain Safdar hereby declare that my PhD Thesis Titled Online Urdu Handwritten Character Recognition System is my own work and has not been submitted previously by me or anybody else for taking any degree from Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) or any other university / institute in the country / world. At any time if my statement is found to be incorrect (even after my graduation), the university has the right to withdraw my PhD degree. (Quara-tul-Ain Safdar) February 14, 2019 PIEAS, Islamabad. iv Plagiarism Undertaking I, Quara-tul-Ain Safdar solemnly declare that research work presented in the thesis titled Online Urdu Handwritten Character Recognition System is solely my research work with no significant contribution from any other person. Small contribution / help wherever taken has been duly acknowledged or referred and that complete thesis has been written by me. I understand the zero tolerance policy of the HEC and Pakistan Institute of En- gineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) towards plagiarism. Therefore, I as an author of the thesis titled above declare that no portion of my thesis has been plagiarized and any material used as reference is properly referred / cited. I undertake that if I am found guilty of any formal plagiarism in the thesis titled above even after the award of my PhD degree, PIEAS reserves the rights to withdraw / revoke my PhD degree and that HEC and PIEAS has the right to publish my name on the HEC / PIEAS Website on which name of students are placed who submitted plagiarized thesis. (Quara-tul-Ain Safdar) February 14, 2019 PIEAS, Islamabad. v Copyright Statement The entire contents of this thesis entitled Online Urdu Handwritten Char- acter Recognition System was carried out by Quara-tul-Ain Safdar are an intellectual property of Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS). No portion of the thesis should be reproduced without obtaining ex- plicit permission from PIEAS. vi Contents Acknowledgements ii Author’s Declaration iv Copyright Statement vi Contents vii List of Figures xi List of Tables xv Abstract xxi List of Publications and Patents xxii List of Abbreviations and Symbols xxiii 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background ............................... 1 1.2 Place of Handwriting in Digital Age . 4 1.3 WordProcessingSoftware . 4 1.4 Integrating Handwriting with Technology . 6 1.5 Difficulties Involved in Handwriting Recognition . 7 1.6 Online and Offline Handwriting Recognition . 9 1.6.1 Dynamic Information acquired through Online Hardware . 10 1.6.2 Advantages of Online Handwriting Recognition over the Of- fline ............................... 11 1.6.3 Available Handwriting Recognition Software . 12 1.7 Problem Statement: Online Handwritten Urdu Character Recognition 14 vii 1.8 Motivation...............................

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