S. Schloen / D. Schloen
(University of Chicago, USA)
The “XML System for Textual and Archaeological Research” (XSTAR) being developed at the University of Chicago makes use of XML as both a medium for cross-platform data transport and as an underlying database format via a native-XML data server. A Java application is provided on the client side to enable interaction with the XML data server from anywhere on the Internet (see www.xstar.org). While a relational database could have been used, XML is well suited to expressing XSTAR’s semi-structured, hierarchical, and recursive data model. This data model conforms to the conceptual models commonly employed by archaeologists and philologists, facilitating the importation of legacy data in disparate formats and the development of an intuitive and flexible user interface.
