Data Mining with Old Bailey On-line

This weeks readings deal concept of data visualization. Shawn Allen defines this term to be quite literal in its meaning: "the visual representation of quantitative data." Historians as well as researchers from other areas of the humanities have always used data to elaborate an heighten their research projects. Ever since the development of personal computers and the internet however, the methods and tools in which researchers gather data has changed dramatically, and still is. The main focus of this week's topic is understanding the history of data visualization by examining a very useful online resource, The Proceedings of the OLD BAILEY.

The Old Bailey Proceedings website was created to allow historians and really, anyone with an interest, to research the criminal cases of the common people who lived in London, anywhere from 1674-1913. The interesting aspect of this site is the fine toothed search engine which allows the user to search by manner of crime, from common theft to attempted sodomy. It can also search by offence and punishment. The true beauty of the site is discovering the often times brutal nature of punishments, whether it be whipping, burning, pillory, or hanging.

The site represents a successful addition to the world of digital research, by combining sophisticated search techniques with supplemental historical background. The site has since become a tool used by teachers to present to their students. The Old Bailey Proceedings online is not the only online database. One of my personal favorites is the Perseus Digital Library created by Tufts University, which is dedicated to putting the corpus of classical literature  online in the original languages, for free.

The History of Humanites Computing by Susan Hockey, has demonstrated the rapid growth of the digital tools and methods of research from the invention of computing down to the present day. The relatively short period between this invention and now has proved that the world of historic research has changed and is still changing.