LibGuides: Digital Humanities: Spatial Analysis & Mapping

Getting Started

University Supported Software

ArcGIS
Collect and manage data, create professional maps, perform traditional and advanced spatial analysis, and solve real problems. Create everything from simple web maps to complex analytical models.

If you want access to ArcGIS software contact your departmental GIS coordinator, or the university GIS coordinator Aubrey Miller in the School of Surveying (aubrey.miller@otago.ac.nz). The software can be installed on computers running microsoft windows or accessed via the staff and student desktop environment.

Advice on GIS : Chris Garden

Chris Garden | GIS & Graphics Technician
Chris is available to talk to any humanities researcher interested in using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Chris is based in the Department of Geography.

Anterotesis: DH GIS Projects
A list of many different Digital Humanities GIS projects by historian and University of Sussex PhD student, John Levin.
A Gentle Introduction to Mapping
So you want to make maps? Maps are easy to read, but not that easy to make. Discover the tools and techniques that will allow you to make maps for offline and online uses.
Spatial Humanities: A Project of the Institute for Enabling Geospatial Scholarship
This Spatial Humanities website is a contribution of the Scholars' Lab to the broad community interested in GIS for humanities inquiry and in place-based digital scholarship.

Do More

Examples of Open Source GIS Software available:

QGIS
QGIS is a user friendly Open Source Geographic Information System (GIS) licensed under the GNU General Public License. QGIS is an official project of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo). It runs on Linux, Unix, Mac OSX, Windows and Android and supports numerous vector, raster, and database formats and functionalities.
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.
WorldMap
Build your own mapping portal and publish it to the world or to just a few collaborators. WorldMap is open source software.
Google mapping tools
Google offers a number of tools for making maps including Google Earth, Google Fusion Tables, and Google Map Maker. Note that some tools have advanced features that require payment to access.
GeoServer
GeoServer is a Java-based software server that allows users to view and edit geospatial data. Using open standards set forth by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), GeoServer allows for great flexibility in map creation and data sharing.
Using Open Source GIS tools for spatial data – QGIS, GDAL and Python
Open Source GIS recommendations from the OpenShift blog. OpenShift is Red Hat's Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that allows developers to quickly develop, host, and scale applications in a cloud environment.

Something simple but effective:

MapInSeconds.com
A minimalist web application that creates choropleth maps by copy-pasting spreadsheet data.

There are many sources of open spatial data. Below are some commonly known examples.

Natural Earth
Natural Earth is a public domain map dataset available at 1:10m, 1:50m, and 1:110 million scales. Featuring tightly integrated vector and raster data, with Natural Earth you can make a variety of visually pleasing, well-crafted maps with cartography or GIS software.
GeoNames
The GeoNames geographical database is available for download free of charge under a creative commons attribution license. It contains over 10 million geographical names and consists of over 9 million unique features.
LINZ Data Service
Provides free online access to New Zealand’s most up-to-date land and seabed data. Most of the datasets are free to use and are available under an open Creative Commons license.
OpenStreetMap
Obtain highly detailed free GIS data with different levels of accuracy and completeness.
ArcGIS Open Data
Explore 57,878 Open Datasets from 3,556 Organizations Worldwide. Anyone can use data published on ArcGIS Open Data at no cost.
Strava Heatmap and Metro
Strava is a social network for athletes. The Strava heatmap is a free visualization of a large collection of GPS points recorded by Strava members. Strava Metro is a product which contains the data behind the visualization: http://metro.strava.com/ This data can be licensed for a fee.
Or just check out this mega list from Robin Wilson, a researcher at the University of Southampton
This page contains a categorised list of links to over 300 sites providing freely available geographic datasets - all ready for loading into a Geographic Information System.

Video: Why R for spatial analysis?
This video provides a very broad brush overview of why R is good for spatial data analysis, its limitations and base and ggplot2 graphics. This was recorded at the University of Leeds, 24th December, 2014.
RStudio
RStudio is an integrated development environment (IDE) for R. It includes a console, syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, as well as tools for plotting, history, debugging and workspace management.
ggplot2
ggplot2 is a plotting system for R, based on the grammar of graphics, which tries to take the good parts of base and lattice graphics and none of the bad parts. It takes care of many of the fiddly details that make plotting a hassle (like drawing legends) as well as providing a powerful model of graphics that makes it easy to produce complex multi-layered graphics.
Humanities data in R by Taylor Arnold; Lauren Tilton
Publication Date: 2015-09-23
Introduction to visualising spatial data in R
This tutorial is an introduction to spatial data in R and map making with R’s ‘base’ graphics and the popular
graphics package ggplot2. It assumes no prior knowledge of spatial data analysis but prior understanding of the R command line would be beneficial.
Spatial.ly: Maps and Data Visualisations with R
Resources, tutorials and examples provided by Dr James Cheshire, a geographer with a passion for mapping data. His award-winning maps draw from his research as a Senior Lecturer at University College London.
R - Statistics Overview (Otago ITS Training)
R is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. Go through the steps of a data analysis using sample data. Set up and modify data files, run analyses, and plot graphs.

Early travels in the English lakes: GIS and literary history

Be inspired.

This presentation introduces the Spatial Humanities project, discusses their previous work (as well as our tools and methods), and describes a case study they recently completed using cost surface analysis to examine three 18c tourists in the English Lake District.

You might also enjoy:

Mapping experiences and access to opportunity in cities
A pressing issue for Amy Hillier: Why does the place of our birth and child rearing influence the amount of opportunities available to us as adults? Is there something we can do about this? If we could trace our experiences using modern mapping technologies - like GIS, GPS, LiDAR and others - to better understand our surroundings, our history and our future, what would be revealed?
Changing the world, one map at a time
Maps have always been a source of fascination and intrigue. Today's maps, however, can also help to save lives during disasters, document human rights abuses and monitor elections in countries under repressive rule. This presentation will explain how today's live maps can combine crowds and clouds to drive social change.
The frightening future of digital maps
Monica Stephens is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Humboldt State University. She is interested in social networks, GIS, cartographic visualizations, and the gendered dimensions of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI).
Mapping the slums
In her talk Erica Hagen describes how slums around the world are absent from maps online and on paper. She works towards empowering communities through open data, open mapping, citizen media and participatory processes.

We want your feedback!

This guide continues to evolve, and we really welcome your feedback so we can continue to improve it. Please let us know if you find:

Incorrect or irrelevant details, tools that don't work, dead links or otherwise unhelpful information
Helpful details, tools, links or information that you think need to be on the guide, but aren't currently.

We'd also love to hear from you if you want to have your project featured on the guide, or would like to be profiled on the Connect&Collaborate@Otago page. Email Alexander Ritchie, with any comments or suggestions on how we can improve it.

Viva Digital Humanities!