Geographic Information Systems and History

HIST 6001Historical Methods and Interpretation7 September 2004GC&SU

Doug OetterDept. of History and Geography445-7379doug.oetter@gcsu.edu

History and Geography

• History chronicles and explains changes over time

• A good understanding of historical events requires comprehension of the context of the events

• The spatial dimension (geography) must be examined through time as well

• Maps are the best way to portray past events in a spatial context

Historical Mapping

• Cartography is the science of map-making• There is a long tradition of making maps for

exploration, trade, travel, and geopolitical pursuits

• Many older maps remain in atlases or wide variety of archives and collections

• Translating the information from maps can be as valuable as capturing other primary sources

• Modern mapping techniques allow historians to report on past changes

Historical Mapshttp://www.wadsworth.com/history_d/special_features/ext/duiker_maps/

Historical Mapshttp://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/guide/gmilltoc.html

Historical Mapshttp://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/hist_sites.html

Maps and Mapping

Maps allow us to convert 3-dimensional spheroid into 2-dimensional map

Maps

• Advantages– Graphic representations with symbolic language– Show spatial relationships with great efficiency– Can be changed through time and space– Useful to laypeople as well as scientists

• Limitations– Maps can never be completely accurate, because the

world is contantly changing, and they necessarily leave out detail

– Map distortion is inherent due to Earth’s curvature• Either Shape, Area, Distance, or Direction is compromised

Map Making Methods

• Draw by hand• Adapt from another

source• Pre-made, editable map

software– Cartesia & Adobe Illustrator

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)– Complete spatial database

for mapping and geographic inquiry

Why Make Maps on a Computer?• Digital storage• Easy to update• Easy to add

information• Accurate• Simple to adapt for

multiple users and multiple media

Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

• Computerized data management system designed to capture, store, retrieve, analyze and report geographic and demographic information

Geographic Information System Components• Hardware

– Digitizer, computer, plotter– Global Positioning Satellite

• Software– Grass, MapInfo, ArcView, ArcGIS

• Data– Analog data (maps, tables, images)– Digitial data (shapefiles, coverages, grids, raster

images)• Users

GIS for Higher Education

• Information available from ESRI

Models for Spatial Data

• Vector

• Raster

© Paul Bolstad, GIS Fundamentals

Vector

Raster

Scanned Maps

Dimensions of Geographic Information• Spatial

– What is the shape?– Where is it?

• Thematic– What do we know about that place?

• Temporal– When was it like that?– How will it change over time?

GIS Software- ESRI ArcGIS

• ArcGIS Desktop Software– ArcView—data

visualization, query, and analysis capabilities

– ArcEditor—a powerful data creation and editing environment

– ArcInfo—the professional GIS of choice for data automation, geoprocessing, and analysis

ArcGIS

• Arc Map– Viewing– Map

creation

ArcGIS

• Arc Catalog– File

maintenance– Viewing layer

details– Arc Toolbox

Using Digital Imagery

• Digital Maps• Digital Raster Graphs

– Scanned and geo-registered USGS topographic maps

• Digital Orthophotographs– Geo-registered aerial

photographs

Exploring Georgia Data• Download data file• Unzip into a local directory• Open ArcMap and ‘Connect

to Folder’• Load in different data layers• Pan• Zoom• Display legend• Attribute table• Attribute query

Mapping Exercise

Memory Hill Cemetary, Milledgeville

http://www.friendsofcems.org/MemoryHill/

Loading GPS Data

• NOTE: These instructions are for ArcView!!!

• Make X, Y, ID table in Excel• Export to .dbf format• Add file to ArcView as a

table• In View, Add Event Theme• Convert event theme to

Shapefile and save

OR

• Have your GPS unit do it automatically!!

Map Production

• Basic map elements– Title– Scale– Legend– Orientation– Metadata

Going Further

• Acquiring data• Generating data• Spatial analysis• Complex geographic solutions

– ArcGIS Extensions

ArcGIS Tutorials

• ESRI Main Page • ESRI Virtual Campus • USGS ArcView Tutorials • Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access Tutorial

s

• List of GIS Tutorials at UC Berkeley

Internet Resources for GIS and History

http://hds.essex.ac.uk/g2gp/gis/index.asp

Internet Resources for GIS and History

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/

Internet Resources for GIS and History

http://www.davidrumsey.com/GIS/index.htm

Internet Resources for GIS and History

http://ecaimaps.berkeley.edu/clearinghouse/

Internet Resources for GIS and History

http://www.timemap.net/

Internet Resources for GIS and History

http://www2.cr.nps.gov/gis/

Internet Resources for GIS and History

http://www.geographynetwork.com/

Internet Resources for GIS and History

http://www.esri.com/library/journals/archaeology/index.html