GEMER, la réunion de plusieurs bases de données

GEMER, la réunion de plusieurs bases de données

🎙 Université Bretagne Sud 👥 46K 📅 June 18, 2026 ⏱ 74 min 👁 83 📄 documentary 🧭 2026-08-15
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

GEMERbases de donnéesregistres matriculesalignementhistoire maritime

Summary

This video is a presentation from the GEMER project, a collaborative research initiative at the Université Bretagne Sud, focusing on the integration of multiple historical databases related to maritime populations in 18th-century France. The speakers, Arnaud Bringe, Aurélie Hess, Maylis Mesples, and Thierry Sauzeau, explain how they collected, structured, and aligned data from naval registration records (registres matricules) for three maritime districts: Marennes, Cancale, and Martigues. They discuss the challenges of data harmonization, the use of tools like Excel and R for data processing, and the creation of relational databases. The presentation highlights the importance of a common period (1764-1775) for comparison and the methods used to link records across different sources. The video provides insights into the digital humanities and historical demography, showcasing the complexities of working with archival data.

131 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The video provides valuable insights into the methodological challenges of integrating historical databases. The speakers clearly explain the processes of data extraction, cleaning, and alignment, emphasizing the importance of preserving source identification for verification. The argumentation is solid, based on concrete examples and practical experiences from the project. However, the presentation is primarily descriptive rather than analytical, and it lacks a critical discussion of potential biases or limitations in the data.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The scientific rigor is evident in the careful handling of primary sources, with explicit references to specific archival series (e.g., 1P347, 16P318) and the use of systematic methods for data transcription and validation. The sources are primarily archival, and the speakers acknowledge the limitations and gaps in the records. The title accurately reflects the content, which is focused on the integration of databases. The presentation is well-structured and coherent, though it could benefit from more explicit citations to secondary literature.

166 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content, which focuses on the integration of multiple databases within the GEMER project.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The video presents a detailed account of a research project on maritime history, based on primary sources (naval registers) and methodological explanations. The speakers are experts in the field, and the content is well-structured, but it lacks external citations and peer-reviewed references.

Key Moments

Cited Sources

  • Registres matricules du quartier de Marennes (SHD Rochefort, sous-série 1P3) — Primary source used for the Marennes database.
  • Registres matricules du quartier de Martigues (SHD Toulon, 16P318 et 16P319) — Primary source used for the Martigues database.
  • Registres matricules du quartier de Cancale (SHD Saint-Servan, 1P347) — Primary source used for the Cancale database.

Concurring Sources

  • Registres matricules du quartier de Marennes (SHD Rochefort, sous-série 1P3) — Primary source used for the Marennes database.
  • Registres matricules du quartier de Martigues (SHD Toulon, 16P318 et 16P319) — Primary source used for the Martigues database.
  • Registres matricules du quartier de Cancale (SHD Saint-Servan, 1P347) — Primary source used for the Cancale database.

Contribution & Novelties

The video presents the GEMER project’s innovative approach to integrating multiple historical databases on maritime populations. The main novelty lies in the systematic alignment of data from different archival sources, using a combination of manual and automated methods. The project demonstrates the feasibility of creating a unified database for comparative historical analysis.

Pour aller plus loin :

  • Digital Humanities — Overview of the field that encompasses this type of research.
  • Record linkage — The technique used to identify the same individual across different records.
  • Historical demography — The discipline that studies population dynamics in the past, relevant to the project’s goals.

101 words

Radar Profile

The radar chart shows a balanced profile with high scores in information quantity and quality, moderate technical level, and good reliability. This indicates a well-rounded presentation that is informative and credible, though not extremely technical.

Reliability 7/10