We presented the usage of EpiDoc in federated search of epigraphic databases, as well as the Databasing on Demand (DBoD) approach, which utilizes EpiDoc files to create databases on demand with low resources. Our presentation focused on the use of a novel indexing process as part of federated information retrieval that can significantly improve the study of epigraphic data by enabling researchers to perform federated searches across the databases, thus allowing for efficient searches of multiple databases simultaneously. We highlighted the benefits of using DBoD and the new indexing process, as well as the challenges associated with their implementation. Our findings suggest that the combination of EpiDoc, DBoD, and the new indexing process has the potential to improve the analysis of epigraphic data by providing researchers with the tools they need to easily create and search custom databases.

This presentation was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy - EXC 2176 'Understanding Written Artefacts: Material, Interaction and Transmission in Manuscript Cultures', project no. 390893796.