Creating and showing maps to support research and pedagogy has always been an important part of humanist practices. Today, digital humanities mapping tools allow scholars to tell more complex stories with the maps they create by adding elements such as layering, annotations, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of GIS data to gain complex understandings of spaces. Mapping in the digital humanities is about recognizing the social constructions of place, re-thinking the power structures that have historically been a part of cartography, and re-imagining how we tell stories about time and place in humanist scholarship.
ArcGIS
Online is a secure and scalable software service (SaaS) for geospatial workflows. Improve decision-making by collecting and managing data, analyzing it, and easily sharing maps and apps within a connected and collaborative web geographic information system (GIS).
Resources: ArcGIS Tutorial Gallery
CartoDB
An easy-to-use, web-based platform that allows users to work with spatial data and maps. CartoDB offers a full-paid software version and a limited free version.
Resources: CartoDB Webinars, CartoDB Quickstart Guides
Field Papers
An online tool that allows users to create an atlas, use it while traveling, and add annotations and pictures later.
Resources: Intro to Field Papers, Field Papers How-To Guides
Google Earth
A free tool for creating layered maps and 3D models using extensive GIS data.
Resources: Get Started - Google Earth
History Pin
A simple community mapping tool for cultural heritage institutions.
Resources: History Pin Getting Started,
OpenStreetMap
A community of GIS professionals, scholars, and hobbyists collected open data to provide accessible GIS information for people interested in building tools.
Resources: OpenStreetMap Beginners Guide
Palladio
A mapping and networking tool explicitly developed for humanist inquiry. It allows scholars to explore relationships across time by uploading spreadsheet data and visualizing the relationships between coordinates.
Resources: Palladio Tutorials
StoryMap JS
A free tool for telling stories by mapping events and corresponding locations. The tool is easy to use and allows users to pull videos and pictures from YouTube, Flickr, and more.
Resources: Example -Arya's Journey
Wikimapia
An online, collaborative mapping project in which users provide written descriptions of geographic objects worldwide.
Resources: Wikimapia Guidelines
Harvard WorldMap
An online mapping tool that allows users to collaborate, create complex, layered maps using large datasets, and export and publish their maps.
Resources: Harvard WorldMap Gallery
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