XML representation and management of temporal information for web-based cultural heritage applications

In this paper we survey the recent activities and achievements of our research group in the deployment of XMLrelated technologies in Cultural Heritage applications concerning the encoding of temporal semantics in Web documents. In particular we will review “The Valid Web”, which is an XML/XSL infrastructure we defined and implemented for the definition and management of historical information within multimedia documents available on the Web, and its further extension to the effective encoding of advanced temporal features like indeterminacy, multiple granularities and calendars, enabling an efficient processing in a user-friendly Web-based environment. Potential uses of the developed infrastructures include a broad range of applications in the cultural heritage domain, where the historical perspective is relevant, with potentially positive impacts on E-Education and EScience.