As we begin to plan the details of our 2018 THATCamp, the organizing committee has decided to focus the conversations by choosing a specific theme that we believe will be of great interest to a wide variety of participants: “Mapping and GIS.”
Charles Joseph Minard’s Flow Map, 1869
Scholars and citizens have long been interested in using maps and mapping techniques to convey information about the world, with innovative maps dating back centuries. The rise of Geographic Information Systems in the latter half of the 20th century have further provided us with new tools and methods for interpreting spatial information. These techniques and tools can be used for great analytic effect by a range of scholars, from humanists to social scientists to artists and beyond. Therefore, the intended audience for our THATCamp is not just digital humanists but anyone who is interested in the intersection of mapping and GIS with humanistic lines of inquiry.
Examples of this intersection include
- exploring the history of red-lining in American cities, such as was done by the University of Richmond’s Mapping Inequality project
- studying how GIS changes our relationship with space and the cities where we live
- mapping Stonehenge and examining how this activity affects our understanding of neolithic construction processes
- … and more!
So if you’re interested in mapping, GIS, or broadly technology in the humanities, please register to join us on March 3rd, 2018 for THATCamp Pittsburgh 2018!
