1. Methodology

Heurist is written in PHP and Javascript, on top of a fixed MySQL data structure (all Heurist databases have the same underlying structure, as the logical structure of the database is encoded directly in the data). Entities/record types, fields and terms are defined within the database rather than being hardcoded in the software or database structure. Heurist uses a key-value pair approach linked to a primary data table instantiating typed entities, allowing variant data structures and repeating value fields. Relationships between entities are implemented as a relationship record which is no different from any other record type, apart from a few special behaviours.

Heurist has the following field types:

• Numeric (integer or decimal)
• Text (single line or memo)
• Term lists (values from a controlled hierarchically organised list)
• Date / time fields (including fuzzy dates and several alternative calendars)
• Geographic (point, line, polygon)
• Pointer fields allowing lookup of another record in the database (constrained or unconstrained)
• Relationship fields allowing the creation of typed, constrained, directional, dated and annotated relationships between records
• File attachments - this field type also allows remote files to be referenced through a URL

Heurist uses Smarty templates for user-defined reporting, and generates maps and timelines directly in the interface for any items which have geographic or time fields; embedding code is provided to generate the same reports /maps / timelines in a web page using Javascript or within an iframe. Network diagrams and schema diagrams are available in Heurist version 4.

Other functions include a bookmarklet for capturing web references, WYSIWYG formatted text and threaded discussions within records, user and workgroup tags, personal and shared saved searches, search expansion rules to pull in related records, workgroup ownership of records, group notifications, and blogging. There is a Zotero bibliography synchronisation function.

For developers there is a Javascript programming API - HAPI - allowing direct read and write access to Heurist records independent of internal storage structure, and functions for transforming XML output to other forms using XSLT stored in records within the database. Heurist source code is available under GNU GPL from the GitHub repository at https://github.com/HeuristNetwork/heurist and can be installed on any LAMP server, including virtual servers in the NeCTAR Research cloud, Amazon AWS and virtual servers from most ISPs..

2. Applicability

Heurist was conceived as a digital knowledgebase for managing heterogeneous and relatively unstructured data, in small to medium collections of (often textual) data such as those typically found in the Arts and Humanities, and in personal research spaces. It is not suitable for large, structured, homogeneous, numerical datasets typical of the Sciences.^[1][2]

Heurist allows management of information with spatial and temporal components. Spatial components include the ability to enter georeferenced points, polygons etc. directly into an editor, as well as the ability to upload spatial data such as KML and Shapefiles. Spatial data is displayed on a map view within the database. Temporal components include the ability to enter dates as calendar dates, ranges, fuzzy dates or radiocarbon dates, with confidence levels. Dates are displayed on a timeline within the database.

Heurist has been used to provide a database for research for a number of PhD research projects, primarily in Humanities disciplines, including Archaeology, Classics and Art History. Heurist was also used as the database to manage the cultural heritage information for nomination of the World Heritage Site Bahrain Pearling Trail, which was successfully inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. Cultural Heritage Managers at the former Ministry of Culture in Bahrain (now the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities) used Heurist to collate, analyse, manage and assist with the vast array of data associated with the nomination. This data included spatial polygons defining the properties to be included in the World Heritage Site, details of the properties (including timelines and history of ownership), details of people associated with the properties (including anthropological interviews with informants), associated photographs, documents and plans, including architectural plans and legal documents. These items were all cross-referenced with intuitive relationships defining how they were associated with each other. This database was referred to in the Nomination file, accepted by UNESCO in 2012.

3. Example Applications

• Beyond 1914 (beyond1914.sydney.edu.au) and Expert Nation (ExpertNation.org) - records of university staff and students involved in WWI (University of Sydney and nationwide, respectively)
• Virtual Museum of Balinese Paintings (balipaintings.org) - research into 20thC Balinese paintings which links to works scattered across multiple collections in various countries
• Digital Harlem (DigitalHarlem.org/) - search and mapping of events (mostly recorded in legal records) from 1915-1930 Harlem
• Federated Archaeological Information Management System - generation of database schemas and interoperability with Android field data collection system
• the Dictionary of Sydney - web site generated directly from Heurist database
• the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Gallipoli project [1].^[3] - events stored in Heurist and generated as XML for input to the visualisation
• Early Agricultural Remnants and Technical Heritage (EARTH) Programme [2] - database of photographic and video recordings of agricultural practice