Feature extraction starts with the raw pixel-image and derives more
structured representations like line-drawings and attributed structural
graphs. Classification is done in two steps:
a) the structural graph is matched to prototypes,
b) for each prototype there is a neural classifier which has
been trained to distinguish digits represented by the same graph-structure.
The performance of the described system is evaluated on two large databases
(provided by SIEMENS AG and NIST) and is compared to other systems. Finally,
the combination of the described system and a TDNN classifier is discussed.
The experimental results indicate that there is an advantage in using structural
information to enhance an unstructured neural classifier.