[sword-devel] [sword-support] The Bible Tool and Open Scriptures

[Weston Ruter]

Thanks for the quick reply, Peter.

As I said previously, Open Scriptures seeks to do for scriptural data what
OpenSocial is doing for social network data. The project seeks to integrate
the various scriptural resources out there into a common web API that can be
used to create translation-neutral and internationalized web app mashups of
scriptural data. [I had a typo in there last time.]

There is a proliferation of scriptural data today and it's scattered across
the Web in many formats; some are available via web services, but most are
just in plain text or even in binary files. It is therefore very difficult
to create web apps that mashup scriptural data because it is not easily
accessible via a uniform interface, and furthermore because the data itself
isn't interlinked. What if manuscripts and translations were linked together
at the semantic level? What if translations were all linked together via
their common links to source manuscripts? Some really compelling
applications would then be possible: if data (e.g. cross-references, word
studies, notes, etc.) is made available in one translation, it can then be
applied to any other translation because everything is connected together.

More information regarding an OpenSocial-analogous API:
http://groups.google.com/group/open-scriptures/browse_thread/thread/c1872f7d73dff46a

And regarding the semantic linking of scriptural resources, the project
abstract <http://bibletechconference.com/speakers.htm#WestonRuter-2009>:

Open Scriptures seeks to be a comprehensive open-source Web repository for
> integrated scriptural data and a general application framework for building
> internationalized social applications of scripture. An abundance of
> scriptural resources are now available online—manuscripts, translations, and
> annotations are all being made available by students and scholars alike at
> an ever-increasing rate. These diverse scriptural resources, however, are
> isolated from each other and fragmented across the Internet. Thus mashing up
> the available data into new scriptural applications is not currently
> possible for the community at large because the resources'
> interrelationships are not systematically documented. Open Scriptures aims
> to establish a scriptural database for interlinked textual resources such as
> merged manuscripts, the differences among them, and the links between their
> semantic units and the semantic units of their translations. With such a
> foundation in place, derived scriptural data like cross-references may be
> stored in a translation-neutral and internationalized manner so as to be
> accessible to the community no matter what language they speak or version
> they prefer.
>

An initial prototype application has been built demonstrating the
fundamental interlinking concept: the Manuscript Comparator:
http://openscriptures.org/prototypes/manuscript-comparator/

Looking forward to hearing from Troy and to hopefully working with you...
Weston


2009/2/18 Peter von Kaehne <refdoc at gmx.net>

> Weston Ruter wrote:
> > Dear Crosswire,
> > Thank you for all you guys are doing to further open source Bible
> > software. I am writing inquiring about The Bible Tool. It appears to me
> > that development on it has slowed down, is that right?
>
> Kind of. Troy and I have some definitive plans what should happen and a
> extremely vague time scale when to achieve that.
>
> completing internationalisation frame work (last missing piece is
> localised references)
> improving installation and customisation (better than before, but
> needsto be tidied up and concluded)
> introducing greater session independence (it should be possible to have
> two (or more) independent tabs running which do not influence each other)
>
> We try and meet up this coming weekend and will see where we get to.
>
>  I am curious
> > because I'm trying to spearhead a project called Open Scriptures
> > <http://openscriptures.org/> which seeks to do for scriptural data what
> > Open Social is doing for social network data. Open Scriptures seeks to
> > integrate the various scriptural resources out there into a common web
> > API that can be used to create in translation-neutral and
> > internationalized web mashups of scriptural data.
>
> I can not say that I understand anything of what you say here, but that
> is my fault and not yours I guess. Troy will know what you want to achieve.
> >
> > I would like to know if there is some way I can partner with Crosswire
> > on this effort.
>
> Always. Welcome.
>
> Peter
>
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