XML-based digital text-processing applying the latest W3C recommendations

The John von Neumann Digital Library and Multimedia Centre has always played a leading role in the digitisation of the Hungarian cultural heritage. The library has been using the SGML based text-processing technology since the beginning.

Many organisations are responsible for the development of the World Wide Web. We are following the recommendations of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Our recent digitisation projects overstep our regular text processing methods. We are dealing with texts containing mathematical equations as well as graphics.

In these special cases we are using the latest W3C recommendations: MathML (Mathematical Markup Language) for math symbols and the XML-based SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) for scalable graphics.

In the near future we are also planning to reorganise our whole SGML-based digital text-processing methods and introduce a new XML-based technology.

In this lecture I would like to demonstrate our latest R+D works and results.

Outline:

1. SGML-based text-processing at the John von Neumann Digital Library

• Markup language and technology
• Text-processing
• Examples from the digital collection of the library

2. New demands and opportunities: the recommendation of the W3C

• Recommendation, solutions, advantages
• Examples from the digital collection of the library

- The old method: mathematical symbols and equations as images (GIF, JPG)

- The new method: using the MathML language

- Alternative solutions: mathematical symbols and equations as scalable vector images (SVG)

3. R+D experiences, the new directions of development

Budapest, 6th Januray, 2003.

Kora András

Neumann János Digitális Könyvtár és Multimédia Központ Kht.