Palaeographic edition does not reproduce a text as an image, but tries to build it up accurately, giving information about the way it is written. This kind of editions have been done by hand until now that SPI (System for Palaeographic Inspections) has been given birth.
SPI makes easier and faster the palaeographic process. First of all we need to scan the original manuscript we will work on, and then we will have to separate the different writing items, the smallest signs into which the text is divided. We will then introduce some different examples of the same sign, found across the text, bacause the writing varies depending on some factors, it is not always the same, even if the person who writes wants to obtain the same results.
When we have saved some examples of the different signs found in the text, SPI will create a pattern of each sign, by comparing the examples we have given. This pattern will used by the program from now on to work on the text, and a kind of alphabet will be created.
SPI does now “know” the text we are working on, so we can use it if we need help. For example, if we are trying to translate the manuscript to a modern language and we are not able to understand a fragment, we only have to introduce it into the computer, and SPI, by comparing the patterns in its memory to the signs in the text, will show us percentages of similarity between both.
This image shows the working proccess of SPI:
REFERENCES
- Edition. (2009, December 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:03, December 17, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edition&oldid=331097458
- A case study on the System for Paleographic Inspections (SPI): challenges and new developments (2009). Retrieved 16:44, December 17, 2009, from http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1659277
- SPI: A System for Paleographic Inspections (2009). In Universia. Retrieved 16:33, December 17, 2009, from http://biblioteca.universia.net/ficha.do?id=42069124
