INFORTREAT – Ontology

The ‘INFORTREAT Ontology’ platform is designed to guide users in the structured consultation of modern fortification components, as defined and described in the treatise sources reported. Upon initial access, users are presented with a “Home page” that allows them to explore the entire corpus of elements through alphabetical navigation: by selecting a letter, a list of all the terms registered that begin with that initial letter is returned. Each term links to the element’s data sheet, which represents the core of the platform and the main unit of analysis. The element card is organised into sections that aid understanding and conceptual framing of the term. The header shows the standardised name of the element, the corresponding translations into other languages and a set of synonyms, designed as an open system that can be implemented using a special suggestion function. This is followed by a rigorous textual description that defines the element from a constructive, geometric and functional point of view. To support the definition, an interpretative diagram allows the element to be visualised graphically and facilitates its understanding in relation to other components of the fortified system. The central element of the consultation is the section dedicated to hierarchical relationships. Through the entry “comprises”, the user can identify the elements that constitute or articulate the structure in question; through the entry “embedded”, it is possible to identify the larger set or sets to which the element belongs. This system of relationships allows for non-linear navigation and makes it possible to progressively reconstruct the complexity of the fortified works, moving from individual components to overall structures. The file is completed by a section dedicated to iconographic sources, selected and linked to the historical sources of reference. The entire information system is based on an explicit system of references, which can be consulted in the “References” section, which collects the treatises and dictionaries used to construct the definitions and conceptual relationships. The top navigation bar, which is always visible, allows you to return to the home page at any time, access the “Glossary”, a scrollable dictionary for practical use of the complete ontology, or go to the “Contact” section, dedicated to collecting comments, terminological additions and update proposals from the scientific community.

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