Methods and Technologies of Digital Historical Factography

Abstract

In this research work a special model is proposed for fixation and structuring of historical facts. The model is based on factographic principles of collection of formally specified data and information. The structuring model includes several classes of instances such as: persons, organizing systems, geographic systems, documents and some other. Instances are connected by simple or complex relations. Proposed approach is oriented to processes, upcoming in time and space, it allows to create databases, which do not become obsolete and do not depend upon time, place and position of perceiving person. Factographic approach can be used in a set of such applications as: building of digital archives, museums, historical encyclopedia and directories. Same ideas can be efficiently implemented in small systems for office work organizing. New possibilities in use of a structured field of facts for analytics and knowledge extraction are under investigation. Specific features of the proposed approach are: the main concept stems from the Semantic Web, a new ontology of non-specific entities is proposed, strong orientation on distributed databases, use of the idea of information space of documents. This approach was partially implemented in applied projects of A.P. Ershov Institute of Informatics Systems.