Spatial Organization and Semantic Modelling of Historical Data: The Case of the French Scientific Mission, 1828-29

AbstractThis article presents the methodological framework and the first results of the research towards the spatial organization and semantic modelling of the work of the French Scientific Mission (1828-1829), the first systematic mapping of the Hellenic State. Ultimate goal of this research is to create an integrated spatial database that incorporates the geographic information from the historical maps enriched with multimedia and texts from the published work of the Mission. For this, the technological approaches suggested by the Semantic Web have been followed introducing the concepts of semantic interoperability and geographic data models in the management of historical data. Eventually, the historical map becomes the medium on which the historical data are organized as well as the narrative medium that conveys the historical knowledge to the wider public illuminating the status of the Hellenic State at the time of its establishment, from a spatial point of view.