Layout analysis is a crucial step in document processing that involves analyzing and understanding the spatial arrangement of content within a document. It helps identify and classify different regions of a document, such as text, table, headers, footers, and pictures. Basically, it tells us where and what is in the document.

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Why is Layout Analysis Important?

Layout analysis serves several key purposes:
  • Structure Recognition: It helps identify the logical structure and reading order of a document
  • Data Extraction: By identifying specific regions (like tables, headers, or paragraphs), we can use specialized extraction methods for each type, improving accuracy
  • Better Chunking: Layout elements allows us to identify sections of the document and generate better chunks.
  • Citations: It allows LLMs to cite the correct region of the document, which can then be highlighted for a better experience.
Layout Analysis

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Segment Types

Chunkr uses a two way vision-grid transformer to identify the layout of the document. We support the following segment types:
  • Caption: Text describing figures, tables, or other visual elements
  • Footnote: References or additional information at the bottom of pages
  • Formula: Mathematical or scientific equations
  • List Item: Individual items in bulleted or numbered lists
  • Page: Entire page (segmentation_strategy=Page)
  • Page Footer: Content that appears at the bottom of each page
  • Page Header: Content that appears at the top of each page
  • Picture: Images, diagrams, or other visual elements
  • Section Header: Headers that divide the document into sections
  • Table: Structured data arranged in rows and columns
  • Text: Regular paragraph text
  • Title: Main document title