First open dataset of Ukrainian handwritten text, RUKOPYS, for digitalization of govt services created in Ukraine
Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine Oleksandr Tsybort announced the creation of the first large, open, annotated dataset of Ukrainian handwritten text, called RUKOPYS.
According to the Deputy Minister, the dataset, created in collaboration between the government, universities, and the AI community, has become a key asset for the Handwritten to Data hackathon, which is being implemented to introduce the best technological solutions in the eDozvil system.
"Thousands of handwritten documents still exist within the state: applications, journals, certificates, signatures, seals. They are the ones that hinder digitalization no less than complex procedures or regulations. And it is precisely these that existing AI solutions work worst with," Tsybort wrote on Facebook on Monday, adding that RUKOPYS fills this gap.
He noted that the best models emerging from the competition will be submitted directly to eDozvil and other government services, so that the manuscript will finally cease to be a "blind spot" for the state.
The Handwritten to Data hackathon is being implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine in partnership with AI HOUSE and the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU).