Past Time, Past Place: GIS for History [Paperback]

Anne Kelly Knowles (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

Encompassing a broad range of history -- from the Greek and Roman eras to the Salem witch trials and the Dust Bowl of the early 20th century, leading scholars from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain analyze history with the tools of GIS. Through the use of modern GIS technology the past is revealed in new ways, in re-creating Civil War battlefields, by bringing ancient landscapes back to life, and in re-examining long-held assumptions about historical events. Combining a deep appreciation of the strengths of traditional history with the technology of GIS, this book provides a new perspective for historical researchers and GIS experts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anne Kelly Knowles is lecturer in geography at the Institute of Earth Studies, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and is a member of the editorial advisory board for "Historical Geography,"

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: ESRI Press; 1st edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589480325
• ISBN-13: 978-1589480322
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating application of GIS to understand history, April 6, 2007

By 

F. Gibbons (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Past Time, Past Place: GIS for History (Paperback)

In contrast with some other books on GIS applications (e.g., 'Transportation GIS: Includes 12 Case Studies' also available at Amazon), this one illustrates how GIS combined with other fields of knowledge can really be powerful. It does this by applying GIS techniques to real data, and by providing the kind of output that only GIS can give. It doesn't waste space telling you where to click, it doesn't have any screenshots. It does tell you the hardware and software used, but only in a paragraph at the end of each chapter. The main focus is on the information being studiee, and the knowledge and understanding that came from analysing in a location-aware manner.

There's a case study of immigration patterns in Manhattan in the twentieth century, showing how they varied not only through space, but also through time. You can literally see (in the maps developed by the authors) how immigrants self-segregated into different ethnic neighbourhoods, and how the nature of those neighbourhoods evolved over time. You can also see how the construction of the rail/subway system acted as a pressure-release valve on the population of Manhattan, allowing people to move out to the other boroughs, with corresponding drop in the population density on the island.

There's an analysis of the Salem witch trials, in which not only are the locations of the accusers and accused shown in geographic relation to each other, but by overlaying other kinds of information, a strong case is made that the trials were possibly more the by-product of inter-family feuds in an era of social turmoil, than of mere hysteria among young girls.

There are several other studies, each one rich in data overlays, and interesting in its own way. I'm no historian, and quite new to GIS, but to my mind, this is exciting stuff! It's given me lots of ideas.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting!, April 15, 2009

By 

phocas (Gladstone, MO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Past Time, Past Place: GIS for History (Paperback)

This is an interesting look in to the historical application of GIS, and gives some very excellent examples; specifically, the witch trials of New England.