EPIARQ: A Spatial Data Infrastructure for research in medieval epigraphy

Abstract

n this paper, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Complutense University of Madrid present EPIARQ. Under this acronym an epigraphic data model SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructure) is described as a first approach to designing and implementing a standard data model to catalogue epigraphic evidence as an aid to research in this scientific field under current European legislation and, in particular, within the framework of the European Directive INSPIRE, OGC standards and ISO 19100 standards. Monumental and architectural epigraphy from Late Antiquity in Hispania (5th to 7th centuries) was chosen for the experimental validation of the new data model database (DB). Once the entire structure of the model has been built, this physical database will be implemented with the aim of analyzing the improvements and innovations introduced in both access to information and maintenance processes, as well as in the scientific analysis of the epigraphic information it contains. In this research both the lexical variables of the pieces and their geographic location are addressed in answer to questions about types, materials, intrinsic elements, people/deities mentioned, etc. The new relational data model will cover the entire lifecycle of an epigraph, including data associated with the epigraphic text itself, the context of its discovery, its physical condition, its location and any associated literature or documents published in relation to it.