Beyond GIS: The Promise of Spatial Humanities

Geospatial technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have facilitated the (re)discovery of space for humanists. Yet until recently GIS has had only limited ability to move us beyond a map of geographical space into a richer, more evocative concepts of place based on history and memory. Over the past few years, GIScientists have made advances in spatial multi-media, in GIS-enabled web services, geo-visualization, cyber geography, and virtual reality that provide capabilities far exceeding the abilities of GIS on its own. This presentation will explore how the convergence of technologies, including but not limited to GIS, has led to the development of a new multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary approach known as spatial humanities. This convergence of technologies promises to revolutionize the role of place in the digital humanities by allowing us to move far beyond the static map to deep maps with multidimensional representations that allow us to explore space and place dynamically