Technique
The following diagram represents the architecture of the Erfgoedplus.be system:
The system consists of the following parts:
- database: the blue blocks in the centre ('Spil' (pivot) data format and ‘Product’ or format for navigation) where the data about heritage are stored in a standardized way. The Spil format is based on the Spectrum standard for museum documentation, the Product format is tuned for navigation requirements.
- input: two methods
- on the left side ‘Sources’: existing collections are imported by means of a mapping process. Collection managers keep using their own system, and regularly provide an export of their data for updating the information in Erfgoedplus.be through a conversion procedure. The Spil format is an intermediary step in the conversion to the Product format.
- on top ‘Erfgoedregister’ (heritage register): direct input in the database in Spil format for managers of smaller collections. They can use and maintain their inventories with their web browser. The data are stored in a XML database in Spil format ('Persistent Spil').
- below: ‘Tools’: normalization and enrichment of the data by means of thesauri and an ontology, available for input, conversion and navigation
- on the right side: 'Publication': possible publication services as used in www.erfgoedplus.be
- the data in Spil format are also converted to the Europeana ESE data format and made available in a Repository for OAI-PMH harvesting