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Summer School: “People in the Digital Age” (Digital Prosopography)

Monday, 06. July 2020, 10:00 - Friday, 10. July 2020, 15:00

The summer school introduces humanists of any disciplinary affiliation with basic computer literacy in digital tools, and how to create and analyse prosopographical data. (read more)

Talks by Francesco Beretta

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Data modelling IV: Historical information and foundational ontologies

Modelling prosopographical data and making them re-usable for new research agendas according to the FAIR principles requires an in-depth analysis on how to develop an interoperable conceptualization in the field of historical research. After introducing the symogih.org project’s patterns-based ontology approach, we’ll analyse the role that factual information plays in the process of historical knowledge production. We’ll then develop an epistemological and semantic analysis of conceptual data modelling based on the foundational ontologies Constructive Descriptions and Situations and DOLCE, and discuss the reasons for adopting the CIDOC CRM as a core ontology in the field of historical research.

Data modelling V: Exploring and extending the CIDOC CRM

The CIDOC CRM (an ISO norm since 2006) has been defined as a “formal ontology intended to facilitate the integration, mediation and interchange of heterogeneous cultural heritage information” (Martin Doerr). Although there are significant intersections between the two fields of cultural heritage preservation in museums and historical research, the CRM has to be extended with some relevant, missing high-level classes in order to meet the needs of the latter. Furthermore, there is a need to enrich the ontology with the modelling patterns required for the fine-grained data production in all the different fields of historical research, and notably in prosopography. We will see how collaborative data modelling carried out in the ontology management environment OntoME makes it possible to elaborate a communal and adaptive conceptualization of the domain.