Qualitative Space in Digital Diplomatics

This paper is driven by the idea that existing modes of access, such as keyword searching, are unable to deliver the views of digital archives that contemporary scale, complexity and heterogeneity demand. It argues that enabling the exploration and identification of evidence based on their qualitative spatial and temporal relationships, offers exciting new research avenues.

The paper introduces Qualitative Spatial Representation (QSR) as a method to explore the spatial and temporal dimensions of digital document collections, focusing on the structure of the documents themselves and how they may have developed over time. It suggests that QSR can enable exploration of heritage collections as traces of dynamic processes, approaching documents as processual narratives, emphasising their spatial structure and interconnections. The concepts of QSR are presented by applying existing spatial relation algebras to historical documents demonstrating how spatial and temporal relationships in documents can contribute significantly to their meaning and interpretation.