Architectural History and Digital Humanities for the Knowledge and Conservation of the Built Heritage. An Italian Experience

This essay illustrates the ALOA project promoted by ICCD, whose aim is the reconfiguration of the ministerial records for the architectural heritage of Italy with the help of novel information technologies (ontology engineering, controlled vocabularies, interactive interface design, etc.). By explaining every step of the design of the new instrument, it explores both the backstage and the final output of the new records. A panorama on the national and international experiences on both ontology-based databanks and controlled vocabularies is also offered, to better understand the relevance of the project.