A conceptual model to encourage the development and reuse of apps for digital editions

Abstract

In the field of schorlarly digital editing, many innovative applications have been produced to visualise scholarly editions online. Even if some of these applications are specifically meant to be used for different editions, it can be really complicated to reuse these products for different edition projects. In an article about the future of digital editions, Pierazzo wrote that “what is missing is the proposal of a scholarly model which is theoretically and editorially based”.

In this article I propose an abstract model, designed to facilitate a more sustainable development and reuse of applications for digital editions and to consolidate the experimentations carried out so far. On a theoretical level, the model is based on the analysis of different philological methodologies, in order to be easily applicable to different editions. On a technical level, in order to be interoperable between different systems, the model can be formalized as an ontology. This ontology could then allow to adopt the methodologies of the Ontology-Driven Software Development approach.

Finally, I illustrate the further steps of the research that are necessary, in order to transform the abstract model proposed in an effective and pragmatic tool for reuse and the generalization of applications for digital editions.