The most important features
Possibility to annotate any image
Optimizations to make repetitive data entry easier
Integration with OCR/HTR, OGC(GIS), IIIF, SPARQL services
Use of controlled vocabularies
Real-time multi-user collaboration
Permanent access to data regardless of the application used
Performance independent of data volume
Architecture for interoperability, open standards and scalability
Permalinks to annotations, pages, places on scans
Customizable dynamic annotation forms
Data access API. Build your own application based on the created database
Important!
INDXR is also:
an idea that can be used independently of cloud applications, by selecting tools appropriate for you and your application, compatible with spatial data standards
a service platform with reference web applications operating in the cloud.
HOW DOES IT WORK
and what is the difference?
The fundamental assumption of both the idea and the INDXR application is the use of a special type of data: geometry, currently existing in most databases. Space is the element that connects annotations with the images they describe. INDXR is therefore a specific spatial information system. Specific because it concerns “close” space and not, like most typical spatial information systems, “far” or geographical space. However, the technology for handling such near space data may be the same as for far space. This makes it possible to adapt any components of a huge set of mature GIS software, instead of costly and time-consuming creation of completely independent technologies from scratch.
Typical use case
Step 1: Creating a repository with scans. If the INDXR application is used, the scans are placed on the INDXR platform where they are processed into a scan collection repository. However, if another tool is used, the scans must be arranged in the appropriate order in it.
As a result, we now have the ability to view scans: on the server, via browser, or locally using any desktop application that supports spatial data, or on the server using any desktop application supporting the WMS/IIIF standard, or on the server using other web applications supporting the WMS/IIIF standard
Step 2: Indexing. An information layer containing annotations is created. You can model the annotation structure yourself. In the simplest case, in the INDXR application, you need to specify a set of fields describing a category of data, in this case cities.
From this point you can start indexing.
WHAT CAN
this be used for?
Indexing, i.e. non-full-text transformation of scan content into database content while maintaining the connection between entries in the database and their location on scans of source materials. The data recording method used is independent of the application used. The end result is access services to scan images and the content they contain, compliant with commonly used standards and possible to use in any application.
INDXR uses spatial database technologies (geometric type). It can also be seen as an online platform for multi-user transcription and subsequent publication of historical manuscripts, maintaining a link between database entries and places on manuscript scans.
When used by a single advanced user, it is possible to use any desktop application that supports spatial data (e.g. QGIS). However, for less advanced users, and/or sharing datasets (layers) with many people, and/or for more complex projects, it is more convenient to use a cloud service.
