Abstract: The article studies the structure and the subject matter of the current issue of Historical Information Science Journal. Overpassing 25 years of its development, historical information science continues to move forward. Somewhat a mirror of this development that reflects the established traditions and new development trends of this special historical field is the cognominal journal which current issue is analyzed in the article. The content of each issue is formed randomly, but it is this combination of a row of random moments that allows us to trace the laws of the science development. The research methodology is to analyze the subject matter of the articles submitted and briefly review them. The novelty of the article is the fact that all the articles analyzed are published for the first time and describe authors’ original works. Each new issue of the journal cannot (due to its limited volume) totally cover modern application of mathematical methods and information technologies in historical studies and education, but it grasps the most topical and breakthrough moments of historical information science.

Keywords: quantitative history, structure, content, article, issue, journal, historical information sciebce, geoinformational systems, archive, review

Abstract: The current study develops a new version of the multidimensional fuzzy classification program for Windows on the basis of FuzzyClass algorithm created by the Department of Historical Information Science of Moscow State University. The previous version of the program (FuzzyClass1) was created over 30 years ago and is still widely used in historical and typological studies because fuzzy classification methods are not yet available in most standard statistical packages. The need for a new version of the program is caused by the fact that FuzzyClass1 was a DOS program and can hardly be adjusted to Windows, Mac, etc. Moreover, there is a need to make it more simple, friendly, accessible to a wide range of students and researchers. The new program was created by means of the VBA (VisualBasicforApplications) for MS Excel. The program is tested and evaluated on the basis of Russian economic history statistical sources earlier addressed to by Russian scholars. The adjustment has demonstrated similar results to previous studies which considered cadastres (pistsovye knigi) of Vorotynskiy Uezd in the 17th century. The authors have also compared the results of the new program with the results gained when typology of the European Russia guberniyas at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was carried out with the use of fuzzy classification algorithms. The comparison has demonstrated qualitatively similar results and more precise typology through FuzzyClass algorithms. Thus, the program created confirms previous results and provides new opportunities for typological research in history.

Keywords: computer program, algorith, agrarian tipology, historical typological research, fuzzy set theory, cluster analysis, fuzzy multidimentional classification, flowchart, economic history, statistical sources

Abstract: The author has created a database containing information about airplanes produced in the 20th century. There are over 7000 records about airplane manufacture during 1931-1945 in six leading countries. It is the first time when data about airplane manufacture in the USA, the USSR, the British Empire, France, Germany and Japan during this period are presented. They are divided into three five-year periods as far as the purpose of airplanes is concerned. These are 1931-1935, 1936-1940 and 1941-1945. The author has analyzed the difference in the structure and the speed of airplane manufacture and assumed the reason for these differences related to military policy and political goals of the state as well. The result is that the structures of airplane manufacture in the 1930s were similar in the countries that later became allies and differed from the countries that later became Axis members. This is true as far as the ratio of fighters to attack aircrafts and bomber aircrafts is concerned.

Keywords: historical databases, general history, USSR history, military history, aviation history, history of technology, XX century history, airplane manufacturing, quantitative analysis, Second World War

Abstract: The article studies GIS and geoportal adaptation of multi-sheet plans of mid 19th century territories. The authors have revealed a layer of complexes of multi-sheet large-scale cartographical works of the mid 19th century presented in the form of territory plans on certain locations. One complex of 65 sheets belongs to Vetluzhskiy Uezd of Kostromskaya Guberniya. Other guberniyas can also boast such complexes. The plans demonstrate the boarders of landownings, populated regions and areas. To create various raster electronic maps the authors have suggested to use a method based on the evaluation of parameters of the sheet grid followed by virtual combining of plan sheets and formation of the agreed complex of raster electronic maps with preset parameters. They suggest to use raster electronic maps for geocoding the list of populated territories. The main conclusion is the possibility to use this approach for creating databases with raster electronic maps covering multi-sheet complexes of mid 19th century territory plans which can be further employed in GIS or geoportals when computerizing historical studies. The creation of such databases will add existing information resources covering large-scale topographic boundary maps of 8 guberniyas made by A.I. Mende and military topographic maps thus expanding research opportunities.

Keywords: the list of the inhabited places, the geoportal, GIS, Internet resource, the database, archival map, the plan of giving, grid, optimization, geocoding

Abstract: The study aims at 3D reconstruction of the Saint George Cathedral facades (Yuriev-Polskiy) on the basis of white-stone décor by means of special software creation. The article discusses the creation of such a program which provides for reconstructing minute objects when merging their full-size models. The program is sure to be of interest both to scholars reconstructing cultural heritage monuments and readers who are interested in innovations in this field of history. The main methods are photogrammetry (digitization of stone reliefs) and programming of Unity 3D work C# environment. The author’s main contribution to this study is the creation of his own software designed for a user with minimum PC skills. As far as there are no specialized programs to reconstruct objects, the author hopes to help those who study the Saint George Cathedral and stimulate further ideas of software development in the sphere of historical and architectural studies. The result of this study is the program that is now being modified and tested.

Keywords: Unity 3D, St. George's Cathedtal, Yuriev-Polski, the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, technologies of 3D-modeling, reconstruction of cultural heritage, architecture of pre-Mongol Russia, Preservation of cultural heritage, programming, digitization of cultural heritage

Abstract: The article reviews information retrieval systems (IRS, electronic catalogs, databases) developed and submitted on the Internet by foreign archives on the basis of information from their finding aids. The author has identified and analyzed a complex of portals (sites) of archival institutions (over 200) among which special attention was paid to the study and analysis of 87 archive information retrieval systems of 68 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Latin America and Australia. The review uses two classical methods of historical research: the historical-comparative method and the historical-typological method which allowed the author, on the one hand, to compare the content and functionality of archival IRS and, on the other hand, to outline their typology. The topicality of the review is the introduction of a complex of foreign archival Internet resources of reference nature into scientific discourse with the aim to expand the potential source base of national historical science by introducing new information about documents stored in foreign archives. Taking into account the variability of the Internet environment, each new publication of annotated IRS descriptions is sure to be somewhat new.

Keywords: archives, inventories, scientific reference device, databases, electronic catalog, information retrieval system, archival description, electronical copies, standard of description, online publications

Abstract: The study addresses documenting of field archeological research. Systematization of documenting methods in archeology at multiple levels and stages gives an opportunity to understand that modern computer-aided technologies are variants of traditional approaches that have gained new qualities. Special emphasis is laid on the issue of transition from traditional types of archeological records to digital ones as well as difficulties in technologies and special terminology. The problem of huge data and analytics is also in focus. The problem has been systematically analyzed. The research object is the ways to document archeological monuments at different research stages as well as the efficiency of a technology employed. The research novelty is two levels of archeological excavations documenting: the macro-level of an archeological monument and the micro-level of artifacts. All research methods of archeological explorations employed at both the levels differ as far as description of results is concerned. This description includes raw data storage formats and their visual presentation. The main conclusions state the opportunity to consider extra data on archeological monuments as the sources of objective information. .

Keywords: dissemination, reliability, modelling, photogrammetry, digitization, digitizing, documentation, archaeology, analythics, management

Abstract: The article analyzes the formation and the development of educational programs in the field of historical information science at the History Faculty of Lomonosov Moscow State University. The topicality of the issue is the growing demand for specialists in humanities who have professional experience in the expanding information environment. This demands further development of a relative component of historian’s education considering those innovations which characterize “digital shift” in historical studies. Development of this educational component provides history graduates with conspicuous advantages at modern intellectual labor market. The article systematically studies the structure of educational programs in this interdisciplinary field and characterizes the main scholarly work of the academic staff at the same time. This article is the first to provide a detailed description of historical information science educational programs realized in Lomonosov Moscow State University at all three levels of university education. The experience of the Department of Historical Information Science of Moscow University may be in demand in other universities as well.

Keywords: history of Russia, interdisciplinaririty, modeling, PhD program, BA program, MA program, Historical Information Science, information technology, quantitative history, digital turn

Abstract: The article briefly describes the integrated software R and the book by American authors about the use of R in humanities and social sciences. This book demonstrates functions of R which has become popular in applied studies of different research fields and now is widely used in humanities as well. The authors’ aim is to teach the humanities readers to use R functions in four spheres of data work which are important for humanities scholars and represented by networks, texts, maps and images. The book employs the comparative approach (to compare R package with other software tools) and is the first to characterize R when one works with data of studies in humanities. Taking into account that R is not widely applied by Russian humanities scholars, brief information about this nontrivial software is provided. The open source programming language R and its numerous packages is conspicuous of modern approach to analyze heterogeneous data. 

Keywords: method of principal components, natural language analysis, exploratory data analysis, image processing, text analysis, analysis of geospatial data, network analysis, R software, cluster analysis, digital humanities