The TXM Platform: Building Open-Source Textual Analysis Software Compatible with the TEI Encoding Scheme1

This paper describes the rationale and design of an XML-TEI encoded corpora compatible analysis platform for text mining called TXM. The design of this platform is based on a synthesis of the best available algorithms in existing textometry software. It also relies on identifying the most relevant open-source technologies for processing textual resources encoded in XML and Unicode, for efficient full-text search on annotated corpora and for statistical data analysis. The architecture is based on a Java toolbox articulating a full-text search engine component with a statistical computing environment and with an original import environment able to process a large variety of data sources, including XML-TEI, and to apply embedded NLP tools to them. The platform is distributed as an open-source Eclipse project for developers and in the form of two demonstrator applications for end users: a standard application to install on a workstation and an online web application framework.