Document Image Compression and Retrieval -- Measuring the Robustness of Character Shape Coding -- Group 4 Compressed Document Matching -- Restoration of Decorative Headline Images for Document Retrieval -- Document Image Analysis Using a New Compression Algorithm -- Document Structure Analysis -- A General Approach to Quality Evaluation of Document Segmentation Results -- Form Analysis by Neural Classification of Cells -- A Formal Approach to Textons and Its Application to Font Style Detection -- A Statistical Method for an Automatic Detection of Form Types -- Structure Analysis of Low Resolution Fax Cover Pages -- Handwriting Recognition -- Lexical Search Approach for Character-String Recognition -- A Segmentation Method for Touching Handwritten Japanese Characters -- Cursive Handwritten Word Recognition by Integrating Multiple Classifiers -- Segmentation of Touching Characters in Formulas -- The AddressScript™ Recognition System for Handwritten Envelopes -- Document Image Analysis -- Sorting and Recognizing Cheques and Financial Documents -- A System for the Automated Reading of Check Amounts - Some Key Ideas -- A Fast Japanese Word Extraction with Classification to Similarly-Shaped Character Categories and Morphological Analysis -- A Layout-Free Method for Extracting Elements from Document Images -- Text-Line Extraction as Selection of Paths in the Neighbor Graph -- Table Structure Extraction from Form Documents Based on Gradient-Wavelet Scheme -- The T-Recs Table Recognition and Analysis System -- Document Analysis Systems -- Document Analysis Systems Development and Representation through the Object-Process Methodology -- Precise Table Recognition by Making Use of Reference Tables -- Design of an Integrated Environment for the Automated Analysis of Architectural Drawings? -- An Approach for Processing Mathematical Expressions in Printed Document -- A Map Mosaicking Method Using Opportunistic Search Approach with a Blackboard Structure -- Document Layout and Reading Sequence Analysis by Extended Split Detection Method -- Chinese Handwritten Character Segmentation in Form Documents -- Text Extraction, Enhancement and OCR in Digital Video.

Recently, there has been an increased interest in the research and development of techniques for components of complete document analysis systems. In recognition of this trend, a series of workshops on Document Analysis Systems commenced in 1994, under the leadership of Henry Baird. The first workshop, held in Kaiserslautern, Germany, in October, 1994, was chaired by Andreas Dengel and Larry Spitz. The second workshop on Document Analysis Systems was held in Malvern, PA, USA, in October, 1996, chaired by Jonathan J. Hull and Suzanne Liebowitz Taylor. The DAS workshop has been one of the most prestigious technical meetings, bringing together a large number of scientists and engineers from all over the world to express their innovative ideas and report on their latest achievements in the area of document analysis systems. The papers in this special book edition were rigorously selected from the Third IAPR Workshop on Document Analysis Systems (DAS’98), held in Nagano, Japan, on 4 - 6 November 1998. It is worth mentioning that the papers were chosen for their original and substantial contributions to the workshop theme and this special book edition. From among the 53 papers that were presented by authors from 11 countries at the DAS’98 after critical reviews by at least three experts, we carefully selected 29 papers for this special book edition. Most of the contributions in this edition have been expanded or extensively revised to include helpful discussions, suggestions, or comments made during the workshop.