The use of computerized systems for geolinguistic data processing began in the 1970s with the production of maps for linguistic atlas projects. From that moment, dialect studies have continuously benefitted from the innovations that took place in the field of digital technologies. At present, linguistic geography projects are fully integrated within the Digital Humanities and are governed by the same principles that guide studies in this discipline: the interoperability of applications, free reuse of data and interdisciplinarity. This paper provides a brief outline of the structure and design of the database that currently houses the Atlas Lingüístico Galego materials, a linguistic atlas of Galician begun as a project in the 1970s. This database is being used as an information source for the publication of the project's volumes, for research into variation and change of Galician varieties, and to contribute to the elaboration of geolinguistic projects that are greater in scope.

The essential objective of dialectology, and especially geolinguistics, is the study of spatial linguistic variation, special relevance being given to the presentation of results through cartographic representations. The methods of geolinguistic data analysis focused for a long period on the description and evaluation of phenomena conventionally regarded as particularly relevant, either in isolated or in group cases, and the latter only when the discovery of the existence of limits between varieties was straightforward. The application of quantitative methods to geolinguistic studies began at the start of the 1970s and experienced a spectacular impulse over the last two decades. The development of new computer-based tools and the recognition that dialectal variation could not be reduced to simple characterizations encouraged researchers to employ new research methods, with which it was possible to understand in greater detail the patterns which function in geolinguistic variation. This present study seeks to provide an overview of the principal analytical techniques and representation of geolinguistic information developed during in recent years. Moreover, it intends to demonstrate, on the basis of some examples of application, the interest of these new methodologies and their usefulness for a better understanding of the spatial variety of languages.A dialectoloxía, e de xeito especial a xeolingüística, ten como obxectivo esencial o estudo da variación lingüística espacial, dándolle unha especial relevancia á presentación de resultados por medio de representacións cartográficas. Os métodos de análise de datos xeolingüísticos centráronse durante moito tempo na descrición e análise de fenómenos considerados por convención especialmente relevantes, ben illadamente ou ben de xeito agrupado, e isto último só cando resultaba doado descubrir a existencia de límites entre variedades. A aplicación de métodos cuantitativos ó estudo xeolingüístico iniciouse a comezos dos anos setenta e coñeceu un espectacular impulso nas dúas últimas décadas. O desenvolvemento de novas ferramentas informáticas e o recoñecemento de que a variación dialectal non podía ser reducida a caracterizacións simples animou os investigadores á utilización de novos métodos de investigación, cos que foi posible coñecer máis en profundidade os padróns que funcionan na variación xeolingüística. Esta contribución pretende facer un repaso das principais técnicas de análise e representación de información xeolingüística desenvolvidas nos últimos anos. Ademais, búscase demostrar, a partir dalgúns exemplos de aplicación, o interese destas novas metodoloxías e a súa utilidade para un mellor coñecemento da variación espacial das linguas. Palabras chavedialectoloxía, xeolingüística, variación, análise estatística, galego

The analysis of the linguistic distance between dialect varieties and the standard variety typically focuses on establishing the influence exerted by the standard norm on the dialects. In languages whose standard form was established and implemented well after the beginning of the last century, however, such as Galician, it is still possible to perform studies from other perspectives. Unlike other languages, standard Galician was not based on a single dialect but aspired instead to be supradialectal in nature. In the present study, the tools and methods of quantitative dialectology are brought to bear in the task of establishing the extent to which dialect varieties of Galician resemble or differ from the standard variety. Moreover, the results of the analysis underline the importance of the different dialects in the evaluation of the supradialectal aim, as established by the makers of the standard variety.

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