Digital Technologies in the Toponymic Scientific Research. The Digital Laboratory of Toponymy

The scientific research activity is currently in need of a good relationship with the digital technologies. Some features, which may be prompted by the internal epistemological problems or opportunities emerged from the particularities of the scientific area, provide the possibility favouring the happy encounter of the two, namely, research and technology as opposed to the traditional epistema branded by the fear of losing its authenticity. From a technological view, some functions (which fall under data gathering, practices of archiving, analysis, and prediction) of the relationship with the research object can be transferred to the digital object. At least, in terms of their routine. The research in the toponymy area is no stranger to these facts and even less strange to these opportunities. In the present paper we would like to introduce a digitisation project, namely, The Digital Laboratory of Toponymy, commencing from a historical and cultural anecdote where Umberto Eco speaks about this intricate relationship we have with both types of texts, the one originated by the classical book and the one coming from the "Internet".