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.

By implementing RDF technology, Six Feet Up resolved the Rosetta Project’s usability, scalability, and flexibility challenges. These improvements significantly benefit the linguistic community and support the site's potential for future growth and research.

For more information, visit The Rosetta Project website.