Google Now Searches through Scanned PDF

[paul]

Google’s search bot can now scrub through all PDF documents which were produced through scanning, using OCR technology it converts picture into words that can be searched and indexed. You need to just make PDF searchable through the OCR process which is the functionality of the Adobe Acrobat Professional.
[ Source; Googleblog ]

[Bart Simpson]

Wow! this is a great announcement by Google that will definitely help Search Engine Optimization efforts across the board.

[DPS Computing]

Cool, very interesting. How many people have access to Acrobat Pro though? This could be a limit till its usefulness temporarily. At the moment the only people I know with Acrobat Pro are developers that have suites like CS3.

[ddwt]

Although potentially a great addition to Google searches, I do wonder what on earth it will uncover when it comes to crawling government websites for whom document image processing (and publishing) is the way of the world

Now where did I put that robots.txt reference manual

[flesso]

Originally Posted by DPS Computing

Cool, very interesting. How many people have access to Acrobat Pro though? This could be a limit till its usefulness temporarily. At the moment the only people I know with Acrobat Pro are developers that have suites like CS3.

Free tools can be used that allow you to save Word documents as PDFs AFAIK.

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by flesso

Free tools can be used that allow you to save Word documents as PDFs AFAIK.

Please share the names and / or locations .

[ddwt]

Personally I've always found Bullzip's PDF Printer to be very good and free

FREE PDF Printer

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by ddwt

Personally I've always found Bullzip's PDF Printer to be very good and free

FREE PDF Printer

Thank you for that .

[paul]

Originally Posted by ddwt

Although potentially a great addition to Google searches, I do wonder what on earth it will uncover when it comes to crawling government websites for whom document image processing (and publishing) is the way of the world

Now where did I put that robots.txt reference manual

I hope Goolge might have partnership with various Government agencies to streamline government information and make them available for their users to access hard-to-find public information.

I think a basic robots.txt file is just enough however to get indexed the pdf documents throguhly you may need to specify different rules for different type of search.

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by paul

I hope Goolge might have partnership with various Government agencies to streamline government information and make them available for their users to access hard-to-find public information.

I think a basic robots.txt file is just enough however to get indexed the pdf documents throguhly you may need to specify different rules for different type of search.

Yes, just hopefully they won't cock up and start letting Google search all the private information that the government likes to "lose" these days!

Again, I hear another memory stick full of Government Gateway passwords has gone missing and been found again. I sincerly hope that mine wasn't on there or I may become sue-happy lol .

[ddwt]

Hmmm, I wonder if Google will also enable this 'functionality' on their Search Appliaces... now that REALLY would open a can of worms.

Just imagine all of those wannabe Google experts tweaking this and that on their big company/government agency search appliances - adds a whole new dimension to the phrase 'Freedom of Information'

Geez, I sound a right old merchant of doom don't I

[paul]

Depend on how Government agency balance the interests between the freedom of information and their right to privacy. However it is sure that Google is trying to create a "World Without Privacy", the privacy concerns will have potential risk factor, no doubt.

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by paul

Depend on how Government agency balance the interests between the freedom of information and their right to privacy. However it is sure that Google is trying to create a "World Without Privacy", the privacy concerns will have potential risk factor, no doubt.

I bet Google wouldn't have the same policy if it was their trade secrets or their directors home addresses and phone numbers .

[ddwt]

Well armed with this book (which is a darn good read I hasten to add) - http://www.amazon.com/Google-Hacking-Penetration-Testers-1/dp/1931836361 - it could be fun trying to find out

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by ddwt

Well armed with this book (which is a darn good read I hasten to add) - http://www.amazon.com/Google-Hacking-Penetration-Testers-1/dp/1931836361 - it could be fun trying to find out

Sounds like an interesting book. Am going to look to get that and have a read. Have already read the Google book about its begginings, history and rise to fame so the next logical step is to read a book how to abuse and dismantle it .

[ddwt]

Rumour has it that the book is available as a downloadable ebook "somewhere" and can be found by doing a search on.....yes you've guessed it Google

[DPS Computing]

Originally Posted by ddwt

Rumour has it that the book is available as a downloadable ebook "somewhere" and can be found by doing a search on.....yes you've guessed it Google

Ah. *wink*