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Beta release—OMNIKA
The CRS is proud to announce that the beta version of OMNIKAβeta is officially live. We are thankful for the various scholars, reviewers, and individuals that helped us improve the very rough alpha version we launched several months before.
Major improvements in beta
As outlined in the project's release notes, OMNIKAβeta was focused on developing sound technical infrastructure for the mass inclusion of different kinds of records. Consequently, we did not prioritize adding records; instead, we sought to expand on the different kinds of data we would need. Initially, OMNIKA only included myth summaries, translations, and artifacts. In beta, we added new record types for deities, religions, and major works. These new records, when tagged with myths, translations, and artifacts, provided much needed contextual information so that readers would not need to search externally for more information.
We also spent considerable time and energy adding popups to explain complex terms and concepts so that we could stay true to our stated goal of making the information available for everyone. With the inclusion of complex cataloging systems, for example, jargon and rococo terminology alienated audiences without sufficient background knowledge. With the aid of pictures and simple explanations, therefore, readers could comfortably understand what they were looking at by making sense of the notation schemes.
What's next
As we build toward the production (gamma) version of OMNIKA, we hope to fill in many missing gaps in terms of content. While we have created many records, most of them need more adequate summaries and visual aids (like pictures). By the time we ship OMNIKAγ, we hope to ensure that all listed records contain at least some useful information so that the page view is not a waste of time reading placeholder labels. Finally, we hope to collect more feedback from scholars in order to ensure that our index is upholding its commitment to data integrity.