Optimizing Usability and Search for Language Archives

To start, Six Feet Up addressed the template compatibility issues, ensuring a consistent experience across browsers. However, it soon became evident that the database architecture would also need a comprehensive upgrade. Six Feet Up proposed refactoring the language archive using RDF (Resource Description Framework), an innovative approach that would lay a solid foundation for future enhancements.

This approach addressed several key issues:

• Enhanced Search Capabilities and Site Speed: Implementing RDF improved the site's search functionality and overall speed, making it more efficient for users to find information quickly.
• Metadata Insertion and Fact Tracking: RDF allowed for the insertion of metadata to support statements about facts within the system. This feature enabled tracking relationships between languages (e.g., identifying one language as a descendant of another), which is crucial for linguistic research.
• Flexible Data Rearrangement: The RDF technology provided the ability to overlay infinite language structures. Linguists could test language theories by rearranging data based on genetic or geographic factors, offering a unique capability for linguistic analysis.
• Interoperability and Data Serialization: As a platform-independent data model, RDF ensured interoperability with other systems using different platforms. Additionally, RDF allowed data serialization into XML format for archival purposes, enhancing data preservation and sharing.

In a recent development phase, the Long Now Foundation asked Six Feet Up to add community tools to the Rosetta Project's website, expanding its collaborative capabilities.