The creation and the development of the thematic Web-site on the toponymy of the European North of Russia
PhD Vladimir T. Vdovitsyn,
Dr. Georgy M. Kert,
Natalia B. Lugovaya, Julia V. Chuiko
The Institute of Applied Mathematical Research,
The Karelian Research Centre,
The Russian Academy of Sciences
KRC RAS, 11 Pushkinskaya st., Petrozavodsk,
Karelia, Russia, 185610
E-mail: vdov@krc.karelia.ru, kert@krc.karelia.ru, nataly@krc.karelia.ru, julia@krc.karelia.ru
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Abstract
This paper introduces the thematical Web-site on the
toponymy of the European North of Russia, the first Russian toponymic Web-site,
implemented by the Karelian Research Centre of The Russian Academy of Science.
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1. Introduction
Toponymy is the science, which operates with a huge amount of the initial material.
The formalization and the computerization of toponymic data can help in toponymic
research. The uniform technique of the information collecting and processing allows
to make requests and receive data as fast as possible. The use of the Internet relows to perfome
these operations with the help of any computer having an access to the web.
The main goal of the thematic Web-site of the toponimy of the Russian
North creation and development is to promote the toponimy, to co-ordinate
theoretical and practical research of the scientists from different regions
of Russia and the foreign ones by providing quick informational exchange
between specialists as well as by the organization of thematic teleconferences
and the publication of the research collections.
We suppose our project results would contribute to the creation of thematic
web-servers of toponimy in the other regions of Russia. It would help to
complete the idea of creation a thematic collaboratory for the coordination of
toponimic studies and research. [1,2]
2. The structure of the thematic Web-site
The thematic web-site of the toponimy of the Russian North is
supposed to be a part of a Toponimic Research Information System (the TORIS
System) which includes a number of interrelated thematic servers and a
multi-agent System for international support of collaborative researchers
work in a computer network.
The thematic TORIS Web-site of KRC RAS (http://toris.krc.karelia.ru) is
created on the UNIX Web-server
Apache with the use of databases PostgreSQL and mSQL and CGI-technologies such as Perl
and PHP3 to provide an access to databases. It contains:
- Relational database on toponymy of some Northwest
regions of Russian Federation. It contains the information of
1177 toponyms, each of which is described with 25 characteristics. The database
is created in PostgreSQL-server.
- The Web-interface as a component, that provides mechanism of access
to the contents of toponymic database. It has been implemented with the use of
PHP3 as
a set of scripts to view, edit and add the toponymic data in database.
- Bibliographic database, that contains the information about the existing
publications on toponymy. It is based on the PostgreSQL-server, and has a similar
interface for work with bibliographic data.
Fig. 1. TORIS Web-site of KRC RAS
- Number of the electronic publications devoted to the
research and development, news, contact information as well as other information
materials.
- Software for the support of constantly acting thematic teleconference
on the problems of computerization of toponymic research. The work in the conference
is implemented as a work with an open mSQL database, that contains materials as a
set of entries. Each entry consists of the information component, unique number
and link to the previous entry. So, the content of the database can be represented
as a tree. The interface for administrators and users, taking part in the
conference, is implemented with the use of HTML and PHP3 scripts.
Fig. 2. Architecture of the TORIS-server of KRC RAS
Except for the usual components: toponymic and bibliographic databases and information
on a theme of research, TORIS Web-site may include special tools, which can
help a researcher to get new information based on existing data.
Nowadays a special software based on the usage of the methods of the
Knowledge discovery in databases and Data mining technologies is being
developed.
These methods of the information analysis let the specialists determine
the process and the language resources of the toponims evolution.
3. Conclusion
The site is constantly developed by improving its structure and design and
the supplement of databases. The work on the creation and the development of the TORIS
Web-server is supported by the Russian Foundation for Human Science (grant N 00-04-12020B).
References
- G. M. Kert, V. T. Vdovitsyn, A. L. Veretin,
Toponymic Research System of Northwest Russia: The TORIS System./
Karelia and Norway: the main trends and prospects of scientific cooperation,
Proceeding of the Scientific Conference held in Karelian Research Centre RAS
withing the framework of the Days of Norway in Republic of Karelia
(Petrozavodsk, 28-31 May, 1997),
Karelian Research Centre RAS, 1998. pp.104-108
- V. T. Vdovitsyn, V. V. Tarasov,
Multi-agent System for Informational Support of Collaborative Researchers Work
in a Computer Network.} /
Proceeding of FDPW'99. Developments in Distributed Systems and Data
Communications. (Petrozavodsk. 1999), pp.139-144
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