Præsto DH: ULB’s new Platform dedicated to Digital Humanities

What is Præsto DH?

Præsto DH is a support platform in the field of Digital Humanities – a discipline that applies quantitative and digital methods (such as data visualisation, statistical and machine learning models, databases, etc.) to research questions and datasets in humanities. The platform complements a research centre (Ratio DH) and a training centre (Lectio DH), together forming the QuaDiHum Centre of Excellence in Digital Humanities.

Who is it for?

Præsto DH is designed specifically for researchers in humanities, at any career stage, who wish to integrate digital methodologies into their work.

What services and tools does the platform offer?

Several assessments have identified key areas where humanities researchers share urgent needs. In response, the new platform develops, implements, and maintains shared digital tools tailored to their disciplines. By centralising these resources, the platform empowers researchers to independently use quantitative and digital methods – reducing reliance on external providers and consultants. Two flagship tools developed by Præsto DH include:

• SPARQuLb : a knowledge graph (RDF data ecosystem) designed to host and interlink research databases in humanities, promoting accessibility and dissemination according to the FAIR principles*;

• TAMI : a tool for manipulating Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) models, including the creation of labelled data, model training and output processing.

Who is behind the platform?

Præsto DH emerges from a collaborative initiative between the ULB digital humanities research team (led by Sébastien de Valeriola, who holds the chair in this discipline within the Faculty of Letters, Translation and Communication) and the ULB Department of Libraries and Scientific Information (led by Anthony Leroy, head of the Valorisation Unit).

Get started with Præsto DH and empower your research!

Præsto DH is central to foster excellence in Digital Humanities at ULB through research, training and pooled resources. We invite ULB researchers in humanities to explore the platform’s services and tools – bringing digital methods closer to your inquiries.

* FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, and is a set of guidelines to improve the machine-actionability of digital assets.