How was Nomismata built? The first step: software selection

The first step in the construction of Nomismata was a decision: not to develop software in house (custom), but to rely on a standard software platform that would ensure evolutionary and corrective maintenance of the solution.

Why? Today software is an industrial product, and the supply of standard software is unlimited. Developing software in-house is anachronistic and uneconomical because it means taking on the burden of development, maintenance, operations, technology adaptation, etc. Had we adopted this option, we would also have left a heavy burden on those who will manage the database in the future.

Therefore, after careful selection, the choice fell on a standard software platform called NODEGOAT, https://nodegoat.net/ a web-based environment for data management, network analysis and visualization, developed by LAB 1100 https://lab1100.com/ in the Netherlands.

NODEGOAT was created to support research projects in the humanities, where basic data are usually placed in spatial and temporal contexts. This was exactly our case, as we had to locate on a map and place in time the places where the coins were issued and found, thus offering the researcher both spatial and temporal scenarios.

Geert Kessels & Pim van Bree (NODEGOAT developers) during a workshop in Trieste, September 2024.